BILL ANALYSIS �
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SENATE THIRD READING
SCR 18 (Liu)
As Introduced February 28, 2011
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :25-14
EDUCATION 7-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, | | |
| |Buchanan, Butler, Carter, | | |
| |Eng, Williams | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Norby, Beth Gaines, | | |
| |Wagner | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Makes findings and resolutions regarding the
California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey System
(CAL-SCHLS). Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes findings related to the importance of school climate and
safety in the overall success of pupils and schools; the
California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), the California School
Climate Survey (CSCS) and the California School Parent Survey
(CSPS) as interrelated surveys that secure the critical
information with respect to pupil, staff, and parental
perceptions of the school environment; the critical nature of
the surveys as tools for improving outcomes in our schools;
and, the federal funding for pupil health related activities
that has been curtailed in recent years.
2)Expresses the intent of the Legislature to pursue every means
necessary to ensure that the CAL-SCHLS remains viable and
urges the state to pursue federal funding, grants, or other
sources to ensure that school districts receive the necessary
funding to support the CAL-SCHLS.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Specifies that the Annual Report on Dropouts in California
report may include, among others, relevant data on school
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climate and pupil engagement from the CHKS. (Education Code
(EC) 48070.6)
2)Authorizes, to the extent consistent with federal and state
privacy laws, local educational agencies that receive after
school program funds to provide specified data to an operator
of an after school program, including CHKS results in
aggregate form. (EC Section 8484.1)
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative
Counsel.
COMMENTS : The CAL-SCHLS is comprised of three surveys that
provide insight into student well-being and student, school
staff, and parent perceptions of the school environment. The
CHKS was developed in 1998 and administered on a voluntary basis
until 2003, when the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
required states that receive Title IV funds (Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities Program) to establish a uniform
management information and reporting system that includes, among
others, the "incidence and prevalence, age of onset, perception
of health risk, and perception of social disapproval of drug use
and violence by youth in schools and communities." Title IV
also requires compilation of statistics that includes "incident
reports by school officials, anonymous student surveys, and
anonymous teacher surveys." California received $28 million
annually from Title IV funds, the majority of which were
allocated to districts to implement programs to address school
safety and alcohol and drug use. The CHKS was developed to
measure progress and collect data and to comply with the NCLB
requirements. According to the Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tom Torlakson, the CHKS is an exemplary program,
recognized by President Barack Obama's administration as a model
survey for the nation.
The CHKS is administered biennially to pupils in grades 5, 7, 9,
and 11. The voluntary survey is anonymous and confidential,
with three versions available for elementary, middle, and high
school kids. The survey assesses health risks, with specific
focus on alcohol, tobacco, and drug use; school violence;
physical health; resilience and youth development; and, school
climate. Schools can add questions as appropriate for the age
group; for example, the high school survey can be supplemented
with questions relating to sex education, suicide, gang
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involvement and issues related to the achievement gap.
The survey results may help schools identify issues faced by
students and develop strategies to address the issues and
improve youth development and school climate. A couple of
provisions in the Education Code and additional bills that have
been introduced in the current and prior sessions have
referenced the CHKS, even though the survey is not in law, as a
way of garnering information regarding student perceptions.
Title IV funds that triggered the survey requirement and that
were used to administer the CHKS expired last year and may be
restored with the reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. Until then, the CHKS is not required.
According to the California Department of Education (CDE), the
CSCS is on online staff survey that is administered at the same
schools as the CHKS. The CSCS provides schools, communities and
the state with data on learning and teaching barriers and
supports that affect academic achievements and staff retention.
The CSPS is the newest of the three surveys, initiated by the
CDE just last year, and is designed to provide a school with
parent viewpoints to help foster positive learning and teaching
environments, parent involvement, and student achievement,
health, and well-being.
This bill expresses the intent of the Legislature to pursue
every means necessary to ensure that the CAL-SCHLS remains
viable and urges the state to pursue federal funding, grants, or
other sources to ensure that school districts receive the
necessary funding to support the CAL-SCHLS.
The author states, "Some of the information collected from this
survey includes data related to rates of depression among
students, supervision by adults after school hours, adolescent
connections to adults, how safe students feel at school,
students who have witnessed or been involved in violence at
school, students who have tried or use drugs and alcohol, etc.
While these issues contribute greatly to the success of students
in the classroom, they are often issues administrators and
teachers are unaware of and therefore, unable to address. The
Cal-SCHLS program provides LEAs with a way to monitor
information about the students they serve."
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Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0001582