BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 532|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 532
Author: Hernandez (D)
Amended: 6/30/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/13/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Huff, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 37-0, 5/23/11
AYES: Alquist, Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Calderon,
Cannella, Corbett, Correa, DeSaulnier, Dutton, Evans,
Fuller, Gaines, Hancock, Hernandez, Huff, Kehoe, La
Malfa, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod,
Padilla, Pavley, Price, Rubio, Runner, Simitian,
Steinberg, Strickland, Vargas, Walters, Wolk, Wright,
Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: De Le�n, Emmerson, Harman
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 8/18/11 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : High school curriculum: International
Baccalaureate
Diploma Program
SOURCE : Author
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DIGEST : This bill requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to annually update the information on
advanced placement and the International Baccalaureate
Diploma Program available on the California Department of
Education's (CDE's) Internet Web site, inform specified
high schools of the various options for making advanced
placement courses and other rigorous courses available to
pupils who may benefit from them, provide support to high
schools that offer International Baccalaureate courses, and
encourages the Academic Senates for the California
Community Colleges, the California State University, and
University of California to continue their efforts to adopt
consistent systemwide guidelines for the acceptance and
granting of credit for International Baccalaureate Diploma
Program courses taken by students while they are in high
school.
Assembly Amendments (1) delete intent language regarding
financial assistance to economically disadvantaged pupils
and the establishment of grant programs, and (2) add
language regarding updating CDE's Internet Web site on the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and providing
support to high schools that offer International
Baccalaureate courses.
ANALYSIS : Current law contains legislative findings and
declarations stating that advanced placement (AP) courses,
among other things, help to improve the overall curriculum
at schools where they are provided and provide a
cost-effective means for high school pupils to obtain
college-level coursework experience.
Current law recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB)
Diploma Programs.
This bill:
1.Requires the SPI to annually update the information on AP
courses available on the Internet Web site of the CDE to
include current information on the various means
available to school districts to offer or access AP
courses, including online courses.
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2.Requires the SPI to annually communicate with high
schools that offer AP courses in fewer than five subjects
and inform them of the various options for making AP
courses and other rigorous courses available to pupils
who may benefit from them.
3.Requires the SPI to annually update information on the
Internet Web site of CDE on the IB Diploma Program and to
provide support to high schools that offer IB courses to
facilitate communication with the Academic Senate for the
California Community Colleges (CCC), the Academic Senate
the California State University (CSU), and the Academic
Senate of the University of California (UC) about the
rigor of those courses and to ensure college credit is
given to pupils who participate so that they benefit from
successful efforts in IB programs.
4.Encourages the Academic Senate for the CCC, CSU, and UC
to continue their efforts to adopt consistent systemwide
guidelines for the acceptance and granting of credit for
IB Diploma Program courses taken by students while they
are in high school.
Comments
Status of AP Course Offerings in California High Schools ?
According to the CDE, 36 different kinds of AP courses were
offered in over 1,000 California high schools in 2008-09.
Approximately 470,000 students statewide enrolled in over
17,000 classes. While the number and type of courses
offered vary across the state and within schools, courses
in AP English Language, English Literature and Composition,
Spanish, Calculus, Biology, U.S. Government and Politics
and U.S. History, were offered by over 500 schools.
Differential Access to Rigorous College Preparatory
Curriculum . Both the UC and CSU require students to take a
minimum of 15 "a-g" pattern of courses to become eligible
to attend one of their institutions. Although AP courses
can meet the a-g requirements, a course does not have to be
designated as AP in order to meet these eligibility
requirements.
According to a 2006 report by UC ACCORD and UCLA/IDEA,
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"Removing the Roadblocks: Fair College Opportunities for
All California Students," fewer than half (45 percent) of
the state's comprehensive high schools provided all
students a sufficiently rigorous academic curriculum
because they failed to offer enough college preparatory
(a-g) classes to enable all students to take them. These
shortages are reportedly much more likely in schools where
African American and Latino students are in the majority.
In its January 2010 report, "Conditions, Opportunities, and
Outcomes in California Public Schools," it was noted that
in 22.8 percent of high schools, more than 20 percent of
college preparatory courses are taught by teachers teaching
outside their subject area expertise.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/18/11)
Advancement Project
Association of California School Administrators
California Association of International Baccalaureate World
Schools
California Immigrant Policy Center
College Board
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
current law encourages but does not require students to
take challenging AP and honors courses. Access to these
courses/programs continues to be limited because there are
no standards or requirements for schools to satisfy. In
addition, the author's office contends that the CCC and the
CSU do not have a consistent process and/or policy in place
to award credits for students who have completed IB
courses.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 8/18/11
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley,
Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng,
Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines,
Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman,
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Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Huber,
Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell,
Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan,
Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams,
Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bonilla, Cedillo, Gorell, Hill, Torres,
Valadao
CPM:mw 8/18/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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