BILL NUMBER: SB 511 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 25, 2011
INTRODUCED BY Senator Price
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
An act relating to low-performing schools.
An act to add Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 58550) to Part 31
of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to the
Educational Innovation Pilot Program.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 511, as amended, Price. Low-performing schools.
Educational Innovation Pilot Program.
Existing law establishes various programs and procedures for the
purposes of identifying and assisting low-performing schools and
school districts.
This bill would establish the Educational Innovation Pilot Program
for the purposes of promoting and implementing innovative
research-based practices within selected schools in the state. School
districts with specified low-performing schools would be eligible to
apply for grants to establish an innovation program, commencing with
the 2013-14 school year, within the school. The Superintendent of
Public Instruction would be required to administer the pilot program,
and to award grants to applicants based on certain criteria relating
to the proposed innovation program. The program would be funded by
existing state and federal resources, and the Superintendent would be
authorized to accept financial assistance from public and private
sources for purposes of administering the program. Each school
district that is awarded a grant would be required to annually
evaluate its innovation program pursuant to an evaluation developed
by the Superintendent.
The bill would require the State Department of Education to
maintain, on its Internet Web site, a database consisting of
descriptions of effective innovation programs developed pursuant to
these provisions, as specified. The bill would require the department
to submit to the Legislature an interim report, and a final report,
based on the evaluations of the innovation programs, by March 1,
2015, and March 1, 2017, respectively.
This bill would state the Legislature's intent to enact
legislation that would develop policies to target resources and
assistance for the purposes of improving instruction and educational
outcomes at persistently low-performing schools through the
utilization of best practices and strategies.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all
of the following:
(a) Sustained efforts towards raising pupil achievement and
improving the educational experience of pupils has led to the
development and implementation of reform strategies and innovation
across the state and nation.
(b) Studies have shown that, in innovative and high-performing
schools, administrators, teachers, pupils, and parents share and
commit to clearly articulated and understood common goals based on
the fundamental belief that all pupils can learn and improve their
performance.
(c) Innovative and high-performing schools include teachers who
believe that all pupils can learn and staff members who are dedicated
to helping every pupil achieve challenging state and local
standards. In innovative and high-performing schools, all pupils are
engaged in an appropriately ambitious and rigorous course of study in
which the high standards of performance are clear and consistent and
the conditions for learning are modified and differentiated. This
results in all pupils being prepared for success in the workplace,
postsecondary education, and civic responsibilities.
(d) In innovative and high-performing schools, school leadership
is focused on enhancing the skills, knowledge, and motivation of the
people in the organization and creating a common culture of high
expectations based on the use of skills and knowledge to improve the
performance of all pupils. Leadership fosters a collaborative
atmosphere between the school and the community while establishing
positive systems to improve leadership, teaching, and pupil
performance.
(e) In innovative and high-performing schools, supportive learning
environments provide positive personalized relationships for all
pupils while engaging them in rigorous and relevant learning.
(f) In innovative and high-performing schools, parents and
community members help develop, understand, and support a clear and
common focus on core academic, social, and personal goals
contributing to improved pupil performance, and have a meaningful and
authentic role in achieving these goals. The school community works
together to actively solve problems and create solutions.
(g) In innovative and high-performing schools, teaching and
learning are continually adjusted on the basis of data collected
through a variety of valid and reliable methods that indicate pupil
progress and needs. The assessment results are interpreted and
applied appropriately to improve individual pupil performance and the
instructional program.
(h) Innovative and high-performing schools have aligned curriculum
with core learning expectations to improve the performance of all
pupils. Pupils achieve high standards through rigorous, challenging
learning. Staff deliver an aligned curriculum and implement
research-based teaching and learning strategies. Pupils are actively
involved in their learning through inquiry, in-depth learning, and
performance assessments.
(i) Ongoing professional development aligned with the school's
common focus and high expectations to improve the performance of all
pupils are critical in innovative and high-performing schools. These
professional development offerings are focused and informed by
research and school- or classroom-based assessments. Appropriate
instructional support and resources are provided to implement
approaches and techniques learned through professional development.
(j) Innovative and high-performing schools are flexibly structured
to maximize the use of time and accommodate the varied lives of
their pupils, staff, and community in order to improve the
performance of all pupils. The structure of programs extends beyond
the traditional schoolday and year as well as beyond the school
building. The programs draw on the entire community's resources to
foster pupil achievement.
(k) Innovation is central to our state education reform efforts,
including effective teachers and principals, improved use of data,
high standards, and high quality assessments, and turnaround of
persistently low-performing schools.
(l) Successful innovations improve pupil achievement, close
achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, increase high school
graduation rates, and increase college enrollment and completion.
SEC. 2. Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section
58550) is added to Part 31 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
Education Code , to read:
CHAPTER 3.4. EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION PILOT PROGRAM
58550. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
Educational Innovation Pilot Program Act of 2011.
58551. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
chapter to establish a pilot program in order to promote and
implement innovative research-based practices within selected schools
in the state.
(b) It is further the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
chapter to rebuild a quality K-12 education system in California that
will prepare today's children for tomorrow's workforce, putting the
state on the path to a sustainable economic recovery.
58552. (a) The Superintendent shall administer this chapter.
(b) A persistently lowest-achieving school that has been selected
for intervention pursuant to Section 53202 may submit an application
to the Superintendent to receive a grant to establish an innovation
program, commencing with the 2013-14 school year, pursuant to this
chapter. By July 1, 2012, the Superintendent shall provide to each
school district with an eligible school information relating to the
school's eligibility for the pilot program, as well as all relevant
deadlines and application information.
(c) An applicant school shall develop an application in
consultation with businesses, postsecondary educational institutions,
public and private nonprofit organizations, public social service
and health agencies, classroom teachers, school level administrators,
classified employees, parents, and the exclusive bargaining
representative for certificated and classified employees of the
school district. The proposal shall be submitted jointly, no later
than November 1, 2012, by the applicant school and the exclusive
bargaining representative of the certificated employees of the school
district.
(d) An application shall include at least all of the following:
(1) A description of the innovative program that will be used
within the school.
(2) Proof that agreement has been reached by the governing board
of the school district and the exclusive bargaining representative of
the certificated employees of the school district.
(3) A spending plan for program funds, including evidence of the
incorporation of local funds, and, to the extent feasible, private
funds, into the innovation program.
(4) An agreement by the school district to cooperate with the
evaluation prescribed pursuant to Section 58553.
(5) Proof that the innovation program proposed by the school has a
basis in evidence-based research.
(6) A description of how the applicant's plan of implementation
facilitates replication by other schools or school districts.
(7) Any other information required by the Superintendent.
(e) The Superintendent shall evaluate applications submitted
pursuant to this chapter, and shall award grants to accepted
applicants. Innovation programs funded pursuant to these provisions
may include, but are not limited to, any of the following components:
(1) Staff development for school personnel, including, but not
limited to, teachers and administrators, that is designed to support
curriculum and instruction necessary for pupils to exceed
districtwide standards for pupil achievement and state-recommended
model curriculum standards.
(2) Coordinated services among schools, social services
organizations, and health agencies, including protective services,
juvenile justice centers, non-school-based preschool services, and
health care services. It is the intent of the Legislature that this
coordination be based upon joint planning among these agencies and
comprehensive assessment of the need to provide services, coordinate
service delivery, close gaps in existing services, and collaborate to
address the provision of needed services.
(3) Expanded schoolday or school year for the purpose of providing
opportunities for increased instructional time, tutoring by staff,
pupils, and volunteers, an environment conducive to learning before
and after school, and personalized instruction and mentoring.
(4) Smaller class sizes.
(5) Other best practices, as determined by the Superintendent.
(f) For purposes of this pilot program, the Superintendent may use
existing state resources and federal funds. If state or federal
funds are not available or sufficient, the Superintendent may apply
for and accept grants, and receive donations and other financial
support from public or private sources for the purposes of this
chapter.
(g) Each school district that receives a grant pursuant to this
chapter shall do both of the following:
(1) Develop and adopt a plan to ensure the equitable distribution
of highly qualified teachers, as defined by the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.).
(2) Specifically address the diverse cultural and linguistic needs
of pupils in the school in implementing its innovation program.
58553. (a) The Superintendent shall create an evaluation for
innovation programs established pursuant to this chapter. School
districts that receive grants pursuant to this chapter shall use this
evaluation to assess the effectiveness of their programs. The
evaluation shall include at least all of the following:
(1) A measure of pupil academic progress. The evaluation shall
determine any changes in learning outcomes of pupils in participating
schools and school districts, and in particular, the learning
outcomes for underperforming pupils and for numerically significant
pupil subgroups, including race, ethnicity, gender, linguistic, and
socioeconomic background.
(2) An assessment of the nature and quality of instruction to
pupils in participating schools.
(3) An assessment of the school environment, as measured by school
attendance, discipline, and dropout data.
(4) An assessment of the degree of implementation, and measures of
effectiveness, of innovative school program components, particularly
as the implementation affects measures of pupil learning and pupil,
parent, teacher, administrator, and community satisfaction with
participating schools.
(5) An assessment of the funding level required to support the
innovative school program, including identification of an appropriate
funding level to support both initial planning and ongoing costs, an
assessment of whether and to what extent existing resources may fund
ongoing costs of restructuring, and an evaluation of the use and
integration of federal, state, local, and private funding to support
the program.
(b) Evaluations conducted pursuant to this section shall be done
annually for the duration of the innovation program.
58554. (a) The department shall maintain, on its Internet Web
site, a database of innovation programs that have been deemed to be
effective programs pursuant to Section 58553. The purpose of this
database is to provide models for school districts to replicate
effective programs. The database shall contain the following
information about the implementation of each program:
(1) School statistics including, but not limited to, the number of
pupils, demographics of pupils, and adequate yearly progress (AYP)
data.
(2) Local needs that were identified in the decision to implement
the particular program.
(3) Funding sources.
(4) Improvement data.
(5) Steps for implementation, including milestones and checklists.
(6) Lesson plans, if applicable.
(7) Methods to best incorporate businesses, colleges or
universities, other organizations as appropriate, classroom teachers,
school level administrators, other school personnel, including
employees, parents, and exclusive bargaining representatives of the
employees in the school district.
(8) Outside resources to guide other schools in their efforts to
replicate programs.
(9) Other information as determined by the department.
(b) From the evaluations submitted pursuant to subdivision (a),
the department shall develop a preliminary report to be submitted to
the Legislature on or before March 1, 2015, and a final report to be
submitted to Legislature on or before March 1, 2017.
(c) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
subdivision (b) is inoperative on March 1, 2021.
(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature
to enact legislation that would develop policies to target resources
and assistance for the purposes of improving instruction and
educational outcomes at persistently low-performing schools through
the utilization of best practices and strategies.