BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2001
AUTHOR: Bonilla
AMENDED: June 20, 2012
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 27, 2012
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Pupil assessment system.
SUMMARY
This bill requires plans relative to early assessments and
making assessments more meaningful to pupils to be
developed as part of the process for reauthorization of the
state's K-12 assessment system.
BACKGROUND
The Leroy Greene California Assessment of Academic
Achievement Act, which sunsets on July 1, 2014, is the
umbrella under which is, among other things:
1) The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program.
(Education Code � 60640)
2) The requirement that the Superintendent of Public
Instruction develop recommendations for the
reauthorization of the assessment program and consider
including alignment to the common core academic
content standards, common assessments, allow year to
year comparisons for individual pupils, use of primary
language assessments, multiple measures of pupil
achievement, and providing for both formative and
interim assessments. These recommendations are due to
the Legislature November 1, 2012. (EC � 60604.5)
3) The original requirement that the State Board of
Education adopt academic content standards. (EC �
60605, � 60605.1, � 60605.2,
� 60605.3)
4) The development and adoption of common core academic
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content standards. (EC � 60605.8, � 60605.86)
5) The development and adoption of the next generation of
science standards. (EC � 60605.85)
The STAR Program is the state's primary K-12 assessment
system, consisting of three elements:
1) California Standards Tests (CST), including the
Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS).
2) The California Modified Assessments.
3) The California Alternative Performance Assessment for
special education pupils.
As part of California's application for the federal Race to
the Top grant program, the Legislature stated its intent in
statute that the authorization of the statewide pupil
assessment program, among other things, include:
1) Alignment with the common core standards.
2) Any common assessments aligned with the common core
standards.
3) Conformity to the assessment requirements of the
federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the
current version of which is No Child Left Behind).
(EC � 60604.5)
ANALYSIS
This bill requires plans relative to early assessments and
making assessments more meaningful to be developed as part
of the process for reauthorization of the state's K-12
assessment system. Specifically, this bill:
1) States legislative intent that the process of
reauthorizing the state's assessment system include
both of the following:
a) A plan to bring together elementary and
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secondary school policy leaders, public/private
higher education institutions, and postsecondary
career technical and vocational programs to
develop criteria and create pathways in which
assessments taken by middle and high school
pupils are aligned with college and career
readiness and are recognized as one of a number
of multiple measures for entry into college and
career training.
b) A plan for transitioning to a system of
high-quality assessments that has tangible
meaning to individual middle and high school
pupils, including, but not limited to recognition
and rewards for mastering subject matter, as
specified.
2) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI), for the purposes of developing a plan to
strengthen the relevance of assessments to pupils and
strengthen the alignment between middle and high
school assessments and the entry or placement
requirements of universities and career and technical
training institutions, to develop and recommend to the
State Board of Education (SBE), all of the following:
a) Principles among elementary and secondary
schools, public/private higher education
institutions, and postsecondary career and
technical training institutions that would
strengthen the alignment of assessments of pupils
in grades 7-12 to the requirements of entry into
college or career opportunities.
b) Options for using the grade 11 assessments
in core subjects and options for this grade's
assessment results in English language arts (ELA)
to be used for effective placement for grade 12
English learners so they may strive for full
English proficiency before they graduate from
high school.
c) A plan and a timeline to expand and
strengthen future early assessment programs to
provide information to postsecondary
institutions, secondary schools, and pupils about
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the preparedness of all of the state's
postsecondary institutions.
3) Requires the SPI to consult with:
a) The SBE.
b) The segments of public and private higher
education.
c) Career technical and training institutions.
d) Administrators of elementary and secondary
schools.
e) Teachers.
f) School board members.
g) Pupil representatives.
h) Parents.
4) Requires the SPI, for the purposes of developing a
plan to make assessments more meaningful to pupils in
grades 7-12, to recommend multiple methods to provide
for pupil recognition, reward, and incentives that a
school district may adopt, including:
a) Assessment performance as one component of a
pupil's academic transcript if requested by a
pupil or his or her parent or guardian.
b) Assessment performance as one component of a
final course grade or course passage as
determined by the teacher if the course
substantially aligns with the grade level content
standards assessed.
c) Assessment performance as one criterion for
eligibility for merit-based scholarships,
recognition programs, and internship
opportunities.
d) Assessment performance on an equivalent or
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more rigorous exam that may be used to exempt a
pupil from taking a comparable subject matter
statewide assessment to the extent permitted by
federal law.
e) The right of a pupil to be exempted from
other required statewide assessments if
equivalent or more rigorous exams are taken and
equivalent or sufficiently comparable subject
matter proficiency is shown.
f) Making future early assessment programs
available to all pupils at all schools.
5) Requires the SPI to consult with:
a) The SBE.
b) Administrators.
c) Teachers.
d) School board members.
e) Pupil representatives.
f) Parents.
6) Requires the SPI to present recommendations to the SBE
by May 30, 2014, and requires the SBE to hold two
regularly scheduled public meetings after the SPI
presents its recommendations. The SBE is required to
adopt, or modify and adopt, the recommendation by
September 30, 2014. The SBE and SPI are required to
present to the Governor and appropriate policy and
fiscal committees a schedule and implementation plan.
7) Requires the California Department of Education to use
federal Title VI funds or any other available and
appropriate state and federal funds to implement this
bill.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, "With the
imminent adoption of California's future generation of
statewide assessments, the state must also identify a
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visionary plan that utilizes these assessments
effectively, not only for school accountability but to
ensure these assessments have real and tangible
meaning to individual secondary students. Most high
school students today do not see the relevance of
taking state mandated tests (with the exception of the
high school exit exam) for their futures. AB 2001 is
intended to change the current paradigm where state
tests only matter to the adults."
2) Reauthorization of state's assessment system . Current
law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to develop recommendations for the
reauthorization of the assessment program and consider
including alignment to the common core academic
content standards, common assessments, allow year to
year comparisons for individual pupils, use of primary
language assessments, multiple measures of pupil
achievement, and providing for both formative and
interim assessments. These recommendations are due to
the Legislature by November 1, 2012.
This bill requires the development of plans for another
step of the reauthorization of the state's assessment
system: How the assessments will be used. This bill
requires the consideration of ways to make assessments
more meaningful to pupils and to strengthen the
alignment between middle and high school assessments
and the entry or placement requirements of
universities and career and technical training
institutions. This bill states legislative intent
that these plans be included in the reauthorization of
the assessment system but does not require inclusion.
3) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would
impose one-time Proposition 98 costs, likely between
$400,000 and $500,000, to complete the planning
requirements of this measure. This bill requires the
California Department of Education to use federal No
Child Left Behind Act funds (Title VI) to complete
these plans.
4) Related legislation . AB 1521 (Brownley) requires the
standards-aligned primary language assessment to be
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available for administration to non-English learners
enrolled in dual immersion programs and eliminates
various non-federally required assessments. AB 1521
is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations
Committee on June 25, 2012.
SUPPORT
California School Boards Association
OPPOSITION
None on file.