BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 124|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 124
Author: Fuentes (D), et al.
Amended: 7/14/11 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-1, 6/22/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NOES: Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 6-3, 8/25/11
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Lieu, Pavley, Price, Steinberg
NOES: Walters, Emmerson, Runner
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 63-13, 6/1/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : English language development standards
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill (1) requires the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI), in consultation with the State
Board of Education (SBE), to update, revise, and align the
English development standards to the SBE-approved academic
content standards, and (2) requires the SPI to convene a
group of experts to assist in the updating, revising and
aligning.
ANALYSIS : Existing law establishes the Academic Content
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Standards Commission which was required to develop common
core academic content standards in language and
mathematics, as specified. Pursuant to these provisions,
the standards were presented to the SBE which adopted the
proposed common core academic content standards in English
language arts and mathematics on August 2, 2010.
Existing law requires the SBE to approve English Language
Development (ELD) standards for students whose primary
language is other than English. Existing law also requires
that these standards be comparable in rigor and specificity
to the standards adopted for English language arts.
Existing law also requires the development or acquisition
of a test or series of tests for assessing the English
language development of students whose primary language is
other than English. The resulting assessment, the
California English Language Development Test (CELDT) serves
three purposes: (1) identifies pupils as limited English
proficient, (2) determines the level of English language
proficiency of these students, and (3) annually assesses
the progress of these students in acquiring the skills of
listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.
Among other things, existing law requires that the test be
aligned with the ELD standards and be age and
developmentally appropriate for students.
This bill:
1. Requires the advisory committee to update, revise, and
align the ELD standards to the English Language Arts
(ELA) adopted standards and that they be aligned by
grade level and be comparable to and as rigorous as the
academic content standards for ELA.
2. Requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE, to
convene a group of experts in English language
instruction, curriculum, and assessment, including
individuals who have a minimum of three years of
demonstrated experience instructing English learners in
the classroom at the elementary or secondary level.
3. Requires the SPI to ensure that members of the group
include, but not be limited to, individuals who are
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schoolsite principals, school district or county office
of education administrators overseeing programs and
support for English learners, personnel of teacher
training schools at institutions of higher education, or
curriculum and instructional specialists with English
learner experience.
4. Requires the SPI, on or before August 31, 2012, to
present the updated,
revised, and aligned ELD standards, based on the work of
the group of experts, to the SBE.
5. Prior to the presentation to the SBE, requires the SPI
to hold a minimum of two public meetings, in order for
the public to provide input regarding the work of the
group of experts to update, revise, and align the ELD
standards.
6. Requires, on or before September 30, 2012, the SBE to
adopt, reject, or revise the ELD standards presented by
the SPI.
7. Requires the SBE, if it revises the ELD standards, in a
public meeting, to provide written reasons for its
revisions. Provides that the SBE shall not adopt the
revised ELD standards at the same meeting it provides it
written reasons, but, instead, shall adopt these
revisions at a subsequent meeting or no later than
November 15, 2012.
8. Requires the SBE, if it rejects the ELD standards, to
transmit to the SPI, the Governor, and the appropriate
policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, a
specific written explanation of the reasons why the
standards were rejected.
9. Declares the Legislature's intent that the California
Department of Education (CDE) consider the work of the
group of experts when developing any new English
language acquisition assessments and carry over funds
received by Title I of the federal No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001.
10.Makes other technical and conforming changes.
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Comments
Need for the bill . The SBE recently adopted the common
core standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Although the common core state standards introductory
documents acknowledge the importance of addressing the
instructional needs of English learners, the SBE adopted
common core standards make no specific provision for this
purpose. According to the author's office, because the ELD
standards are a critical tool used in instructing English
language learners (ELL) pupils, the next logical step is
for the state to review the existing ELD standards for
compatibility with the newly adopted ELA academic content
standards. This bill establishes a process and structures
an advisory committee similar to the one established for
purposes of adopting the common core standards to revise,
adopt and align the existing ELD standards to the common
core standards.
English language learners . English learners constitute
approximately 24 percent of the total enrollment in
California public schools. A majority of ELLs (68 percent)
are enrolled in the elementary grades, kindergarten through
grade six, with 31 percent enrolled in the secondary
grades, seven through 12. During 2009-2010, the CDE
administered the CELDT, for purposes of initial or annual
language proficiency assessment, to 1.6 million students.
Current ELD standards . AB 748 (Escutia), Chapter 936,
Statutes of 1997, required that the test or tests assessing
the progress of English learners toward achieving fluency
in English be aligned with state standards for
English-language development. The current ELD standards,
approved by the SBE in 1999, were developed by a committee
composed of 15 practitioners and experts in ELD and
assessment and are designed to assist teachers in moving
English learners to fluency in English and proficiency in
the ELA content standards. The current ELD standards were
also the basis for the development of the CELDT.
In 2006, test developers conducted a study for the CDE
evaluating linkage and alignment of the ELD standards and
assessments. Among other things, it found that ELD
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standards were generally of lower complexity than content
standards, development of CELDT test items that reflect
more academic language functions and higher levels of
complexity would improve overall alignment of the system,
and increased emphasis on academic language functions was
necessary to bring ELD standards and CELDT into better
compliance with federal requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
ELD standards $150 $50
Federal*
* Federal Title I carryover funds
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/30/11)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
Association of California School Administrators
California Association for Bilingual Education
California Association of Latino Superintendents and
Administrators
California Federation of Teachers
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Language Teachers Association
California Teachers Association
California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages
Californians Together
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Riverside County School Superintendents' Association
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the California
Language Teachers Association, "English Language Learners
are a group of students that continues to perform below
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expected levels and at the same time is increasing in
numbers at all levels of our school system. The Advisory
Committee will assist in identifying and disseminating
successful models of instruction to address the unique
needs of these students in a beneficial manner."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 63-13, 6/1/11
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson,
Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez,
Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jones, Lara, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Nestande,
Olsen, Pan, Perea, Portantino, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio,
Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams,
Yamada, John A. P�rez
NOES: Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Grove, Hagman, Halderman,
Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nielsen, Norby,
Silva
NO VOTE RECORDED: Garrick, Gorell, Jeffries, V. Manuel
P�rez
CPM:mw 8/30/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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