BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-12 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 790
AUTHOR: Furutani
AMENDED: June 21, 2011
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 29, 2011
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : Career Technical Education: Linked Learning.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Linked Learning Methodology Pilot
Program to be administered by the California Department of
Education (CDE) according to specified requirements for the
purpose of implementing districtwide linked learning
methodologies in all participating school districts.
BACKGROUND
Existing law defines multiple pathway programs as multiyear,
comprehensive high school programs of integrated academic and
technical study that are organized around a broad theme,
interest area, or industry sector, and provide curriculum
choices that prepare participating pupils for a range of
postsecondary options, including two and four-year colleges,
apprenticeships, and formal employment training. Current law
specifies that multiple pathway programs are comprised, among
other things, of an integrated core curriculum that meets the
eligibility requirements for admission to the University of
California and the California State University and is
delivered through project-based learning and other engaging
instructional strategies. (EC � 52372.5)
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to develop, in conjunction with specified
entities, a report that explores the feasibility of expanding
and establishing multiple pathway programs; and requires the
report to include specified components, including, but not
limited to, methods for developing and sharing models of
integrated curriculum and instruction, strategies for
increasing the course options and instructional time for
pupils in high school, and recommendations for supporting
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regional coalitions in planning and developing the programs.
(EC � 52372.5)
Existing law provides for various career technical education
(CTE) programs including Regional Occupational Centers and
Programs (ROC/Ps) and California Partnership Academies (CPAs)
for the purpose of motivating students to stay in school and
graduate with the skills necessary to advance into
postsecondary education, apprenticeships, or the workforce.
CPAs primarily serve students in grades 10-12 who present a
high risk of dropping out of school, and function as a school
within a school, providing career-themed educational programs
that integrate core academic content and technical education.
(Education Code � 54690 et. seq. and � 52300, et. seq.)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Makes findings and declarations regarding the challenges
the State faces in public high school reform and the
need to produce an educated and career-ready workforce.
Finds that California must embrace new, innovative
approaches to educational transformation that are likely
to lead to successful outcomes for pupils, families,
communities, and local and state economies; finds that
California operates a variety of effective career
technical education programs and continues to evolve the
options to meet economic demand; finds that the linked
learning is one of the most promising high school
transformational strategies and can be expanded to play
a pivotal role in enabling pupils to be well prepared
for life and workforce demands in a 21st century global
economy and society.
2) Amends and updates Section 52372.5 of the Education Code
to replace the term "multiple pathways" with the term
"linked learning methodologies" thereby defining linked
learning methodologies in statute.
3) Establishes, commencing with the 2012-13 school year,
the Linked Learning Methodology Pilot Program for the
purpose of implementing districtwide linked learning
methodologies in participating districts.
4) Requires the Linked Learning Methodology Pilot Program
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to be administered by the CDE and contain all of the
following requirements:
a) Each participating school district shall
incorporate small-sized schools and smaller
groupings of pupils within new and existing high
schools.
b) The implementation of rigorous linked learning
methodologies of study that guide pupils through
course sequences leading to mastery of standards,
high school graduation, and transition to
postsecondary education or employment; specifies
methodologies shall include career technical
education courses as defined by the California
State Plan for CTE.
c) Policies and agreements adopted by
participating school districts that promote
concurrent enrollment and dual credit with
community colleges and universities.
d) Problem-based instructional methodologies,
inquiry learning approaches, and applied learning
strategies adopted within all subject areas.
e) Pupil progress through high school determined
by mastery of grade-level standards-based
performance benchmarks developed by the
participating district.
f) Requires participating school districts to
implement linked learning methodologies within the
district's existing state and local resources.
g) Requires participating school districts to
involve local business, labor, parent, and
community partners to advise the district on the
development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation
of the pilot program.
5) Authorizes school districts maintaining any of grades 9
to 12 inclusive, to apply to the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI) to operate a Linked Learning
Methodology Pilot Program. Requires the CDE to review
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the applications and authorizes the SPI to approve no
more than 20 applications.
6) Requires the review and approval of applications to be
conducted on a competitive basis; requires applicant
districts to demonstrate a plan to implement the
components of a linked learning methodology, as
specified. Requires the CDE to give consideration to
factors related to geographic diversity, type, and size
of a school district, and to the extent to which a pilot
program would receive financial and in-kind support from
the business and civic community or funding from
government or foundation grants.
7) Requires, on or before September 30, 2016, the SPI to
transmit a report to the Legislature and the Governor
that documents an evaluation that includes:
a) The costs and merits of the pilot program,
pupil outcome data that includes, but is not
limited to, pupil dropout and graduation rates, the
number and percentages of participating pupils who
meet the requirements and prerequisites for
admission to California public postsecondary
institutions, and workforce outcome data, that
which may include the number or percentage of
pupils who earn a certificate, license, or the
equivalent in a designed occupation.
b) Recommendations regarding the need for
additional statutory changes to facilitate the
statewide expansion of the pilot program.
8) Requires the report submitted to be in compliance with
Government Code Section 9795 and specifies the SPI may
develop regulations necessary to implement the
provisions of this section.
9) Requires the SPI to use existing state and federal
resources to implement the provisions of this section.
10) Specifies the statute becomes inoperative on July 1,
2017, and is repealed on January 1, 2018, unless a later
enacted statute deletes or extends the operative and
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repeal dates.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill : AB 2648 (Bass, Chapter 681, 2008)
required the SPI to develop a report that explores the
feasibility of expanding and establishing career
multiple pathway programs in California. The report was
to be developed in conjunction with the Office of the
Secretary for Education, the community colleges, the
University of California, and the California State
University, the Legislature, the Employment Development
Department, teachers, chamber organizations, industry
representatives, research centers, parents, school
administrators, representatives of regional occupational
centers and programs, community-based organizations,
labor organizations, and others as appropriate. The
Multiple Pathways to Student Success report contained a
number of findings about the characteristics and
effectiveness of multiple pathway programs and made
recommendations about establishing a multiple pathway
approach to career technical education in California
schools. The AB 2648 report noted that multiple
pathways programs appear to offer promise in helping
students prepare for a wide range of postsecondary and
career opportunities, and cited research indicating that
such programs have shown positive effects on student
achievement, educational attainment, and employment and
earnings outcomes.
According to the author's office, AB 790 is a "direct
response to the AB 2648 report and builds off the
successes identified in the report and resolve issues
that make it challenging for multiple pathway programs
to thrive as a model of school improvement. The intent
is for each pilot high school to operate within a
construct of greater flexibility with existing
programmatic and fiscal resources. The measure
establishes a non-funded pilot program for the purpose
of implementing districtwide linked learning approaches
in high schools.
2) Branding . Over the past few years, the California
Center for College and Career (ConnectEd), together with
a coalition of education, community organizations, and
industry have promoted the concept of expanding access
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to multiple pathways programs that connect learning in
the classroom with real-world applications outside of
school. These programs integrate academic instruction
with technical curriculum and work-based learning within
the context of industry sectors identified in the model
curriculum standards for career technical education
adopted by the State Board of Education. AB 2648
established a statutory definition for multiple pathway
programs and required the SPI to report on the
feasibility of expanding the availability of these
programs in California high schools.
In 2009, ConnectEd, members of the Multiple Pathways
Coalition, and the James Irvine Foundation, began
discussing the need to transition away from the term
"multiple pathways" in order to avoid confusion with
programs in other states that provide alternative
education routes for out-of-school youth and students
who are at most risk of failing to graduate from high
school. According to ConnectEd, that concept also
dominates perceptions of "multiple pathways" in
Washington D.C. and many parts of the national
philanthropic community. ConnectEd and the supporters
of these programs maintain that the name "Linked
Learning" more clearly conveys the attributes of an
educational approach that helps students link what they
learn in the classroom with real-world experiences and
career preparation.
This bill would change the name in statute from "Multiple
Pathways" to "Linked Learning Methodology."
Notwithstanding the benefit of changing the designation
to Linked Learning, it is unclear what value the term
"methodology" adds to the concept. While linked
learning may not always occur within a program, the word
"methodology" could imply a specific teaching strategy
that may not adequately encompass the approach when it
is embedded in programs that provide holistic linked
learning experiences. Whether the linked learning
occurs within a program, is employed as a strategy in an
individual course, or is utilized as a methodology by
one or more high school departments, the underlying
premise is to "link" academic constructs with
opportunities for project-based "learning." To avoid
confusion and allow for the construct to apply at either
a course or program level, the terms methodology and
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program may be more appropriate as an issue for
implementation than a matter of state policy. To allow
for the broadest application, staff recommends
amendments to delete the "methodology" modifier to
Linked Learning in Sections 52372.5 and 52372.7 of this
bill.
3) New unfunded pilot program . ConnectEd has developed and
is managing the California Linked Learning District
Initiative, and with funding from the James Irvine
Foundation, has provided grants to 11 California school
districts that have developed master plans for expanding
linked learning in their high schools. The purpose of
this program is to help districts develop systems of
pathways that are accessible to any high school student
in the district.
According to the author's office, the purpose of this bill is
to establish a pilot program that will enable 20
districts to use their existing state and federal
resources to implement linked learning approaches in
their high schools. While it appears that the intent of
the bill is to encourage districts to implement linked
learning in every high school, why would a district
apply for approval to create programs it can already
establish without approval of the SPI?
The 2010 Budget Act allocated approximately $500 million for
CTE purposes, including $135 million in federal Carl
Perkins program funding and $353 million General
Fund/Proposition 98 for ROC/Ps, which is one of the main
funding sources for school district CTE programs. Under
current law, school districts may use ROCP funding for
any educational purpose it deems appropriate until 2015.
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee
analysis, this bill could create General
Fund/Proposition 98 cost pressure in the range of
$100,000 to $200,000 for school districts to implement a
Linked Learning program. That cost pressure could
increase if participating districts create systems of
linked learning in each of their high schools.
Although this bill would require the SPI to use existing
state and federal resources to implement the Linked
Learning Methodologies Pilot program, the Assembly
Appropriations Committee analysis also noted that the
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bill would result in General Fund costs between $100,000
and $200,000 for CDE to administer the program and
provide a report that includes an independent evaluation
of the pilot program.
Given that this bill does not provide for the SPI to award
funding for this pilot program, does it make sense that
applications be approved on a competitive basis? If it
is the author's intent that applicants compete if
funding becomes available, then staff recommends
amendments to specify that to the extent the SPI
identifies funds for this purpose, the review and
approval of applications pursuant to paragraph (1) shall
be conducted on a competitive basis.
4) Related and prior legislation .
AB 1304 (Block) defines linked learning and authorizes the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing to convene a
workgroup to develop program standards for the issuance
of a recognition of study in linked learning, as
defined, for linked learning competence for holders of a
single subject teaching credential who will be teaching
pupils enrolled in linked learning programs. This
measure is pending in this Committee.
AB 1223 (Block, 2010) defined linked learning to mean
multiple pathway programs and would have authorized the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing to convene a
workgroup to develop standards for programs that prepare
candidates to teach in linked learning programs. This
measure was passed by this Committee on a 4-2 vote and
was subsequently vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
AB 2172 (Carter, 2010) would have required the SPI to convene
an advisory board composed of leaders from education,
business, labor, civic organizations, and the community
to review the recommendations of the AB 2648 report and
advise the SPI on the implementation issues. This bill
was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2445 (Furutani, 2010) would have required the SPI, by
December 31 of each year, to report to the Legislature
on the status of the advisory board proposed to be
established pursuant to AB 2172 (Carter, 2010) to review
recommendations of the AB 2648 report. This bill was
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held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
America's Edge
California School Boards Association
California State PTA
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Metropolitan Education District
Regional Economic Association Leaders of California
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson
OPPOSITION
None received.