BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
SB 547 (Steinberg)
Hearing Date: 05/16/2011 Amended: 05/04/2011
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Education 7-3
_________________________________________________________________
____
BILL SUMMARY: SB 547 would make changes to the Academic
Performance Index (API). Specifically, this bill would:
1) Reduce the proportion of the API value that relies on the
results of the California Standards Tests (CST) and the
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).
2) Require the State Board of Education (SBE), in consultation
with the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), to
develop an API that measures the preparedness of a school's
pupils for success in postsecondary education and career by
January 1, 2014, as specified.
3) Expand the information to be reported and improvements to
be demonstrated by school districts to include preparedness
of its pupils for success in postsecondary education and
career, as measured by the API.
_________________________________________________________________
____
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
API redesign
$150 $150 General
New API factors Potentially substantial costs; new
mandates likely General
_________________________________________________________________
____
STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Current law establishes the Public School Performance
Accountability Program under which the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI), with approval of the State Board of Education
(SBE), is required to develop an Academic Performance Index
SB 547 (Steinberg)
Page 1
(API) to measure the performance of schools. The API was
proposed as a means of combining multiple indicators of school
performance into one easy-to-compare index. The API is required
to consist of a variety of indicators including, but not limited
to, the results of the achievement test, attendance rates for
pupils in elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary
schools, and the graduation rates for pupils in secondary
schools.
Current law also requires that the results of the California
Standards Tests and the California High School Exit Exam
constitute at least 60 percent of the API. (Education Code �
52052)
This bill would change the API, making it less dependent on
standardized test scores. Specifically it: 1) Reduces the
proportion from at least 60% to a minimum of 40% for schools
serving students in grades K-8; and 2) Establishes a maximum
proportion of 40% for schools serving students in grades 9-12.
The full costs of this bill cannot be determined because they
depend heavily on how the alternative structures are
implemented, and which other factors are chosen for inclusion in
the new API.
This bill requires that the SBE, in consultation with the SPI
and the Public School Advisory Accountability committee,
incorporate into API, and other aspects of the state's
accountability system as appropriate, a measure or measures of
high school graduates' preparedness for success in college and
career by January 1, 2014. The CDE estimates that convening
working groups and holding numerous meetings required to
overhaul the API, and to discuss inclusion of the measures
required for consideration, would cost $300,000 or more.
This bill requires that measures considered for incorporation in
the API include, but not be limited to:
a) Rates of completion of a course of study that
fulfills California's 4-year public postsecondary
institution's requirements and pre-requisites for
admission.
b) Rates of administration of college preparedness
assessments and rates at which assessed students
demonstrate they do not need remedial coursework.
SB 547 (Steinberg)
Page 2
c) Rates of enrollment and satisfactory performance
in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or
concurrent enrollment programs.
d) Pupil GPAs in the first year of full-time
postsecondary enrollment.
e) Rates of enrollment in a community college
transfer curriculum.
f) Rates of enrollment in a community college
course of technical study leading to a professional
certificate.
g) Rates of satisfactory completion of career
pathways.
h) Rates at which students earn certificates,
licenses, or the equivalent in designated occupations for
which they are issued while in high school.
i) Performance of students on valid and reliable
assessments including portfolio assessments designed to
assess skills and knowledge required to be successful in a
specified occupation or in the general workforce.
j) Rates of employment of graduates in occupations
with a career ladder.
aa) Rates of employment of graduates in an
apprenticeship program.
bb) Earnings of graduates.
cc) Rates at which graduates secure employment, as
specified.
dd) Other measures such as enlistment in the Armed
Forces, California Conservation Corps or other volunteer
service organizations.
This bill requires only that these measures be considered for
inclusion in the API. However, to the extent that the committee
decides to include these factors, there will be additional
SB 547 (Steinberg)
Page 3
costs. Those costs include, but are not limited to, determining
how to collect necessary data, deciding how to weigh that data
in the API, and training school district and CDE staff to
collect data.
This bill specifically requires that the SBE not be limited in
its redesign of the API by the scope of the California
Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) or other
relevant data systems. To the extent that the committee adopts
measures for which data is not currently collected and requires
schools to collect this data, this bill will create potentially
reimbursable state-mandated costs. It is unclear how the data
required to implement some of these measures, if included in the
API, will be collected.
For example, schools do not collect information on college
performance of their former students, and it is unclear if or
how a school could request a specific student's performance
information from a university. Mandates to collect and report
specific information on students and former students not
currently collected by schools would be substantial, and the
exact amount would depend on the data point decided upon for
inclusion in the API.