BILL ANALYSIS �
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 578|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 578
Author: Negrete McLeod (D)
Amended: 03/31/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-1, 3/23/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Liu, Price, Simitian,
Vargas
NOES: Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Hancock, Vacancy
SUBJECT : Foster youth: course credit
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill applies an existing requirement
regarding the provision of course credit specifically to
foster youth, requires the credit to be applied to the same
subject matter in which the coursework was taken by a
foster youth, and prohibits a school district from
requiring a foster youth to retake a course for which full
or partial credit was awarded.
ANALYSIS :
Existing Law
1. Requires each public school district and county office
of education to accept for credit full or partial
coursework satisfactorily completed by a pupil while
CONTINUED
SB 578
Page
2
attending a public school, juvenile court school, or
non-public non-sectarian school or agency.
2. Requires a school district to exempt a pupil in foster
care from all coursework and other requirements adopted by
a school district that are in addition to the statewide
coursework requirements if the pupil, while he or she is in
grade 11 or 12, transfers into the district from another
district or between high schools within the district,
unless the district makes a finding that the pupil is
reasonably able to complete the additional requirements in
time to graduate from high school while he or she remains
eligible for foster care.
This bill requires that course credit be applied to the
same subject matter in which the coursework was taken by a
foster youth, and prohibits a school district from
requiring a foster youth to retake a course for which full
or partial credit was awarded. Specifically, this bill:
1. Applies to foster youth the existing requirement that
full or partial credit be provided for coursework
satisfactorily completed while attending another school
district, a juvenile court school, or a nonpublic
non-sectarian school or agency even if the pupil did not
complete the entire course.
2. Requires the credit to be applied to the same subject
matter as the coursework completed in the prior school.
3. Prohibits a school district from requiring a pupil in
foster care to retake a course or portions of a course for
which the district has provided full or partial credit.
4. Encourages school districts and county offices of
education to develop, implement, or utilize credit recovery
programs that will permit a pupil in foster care to recoup
the necessary credit in the particular subject matter in
order to meet graduation requirements. This bill specifies
that a credit recover program includes, but is not limited
to, the following programs:
A. Online courses.
B. Electronic learning laboratories.
SB 578
Page
3
C. Computerized modules.
D. Independent study.
E. Direct instruction.
5. Defines "foster youth" to mean any child who has been
removed from his or her home pursuant to certain sections
of the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC), is the subject
of a petition filed under certain sections of the WIC, or
has been removed from his or her home and is the subject of
a petition filed under certain sections of the WIC.
Related Legislation
SB 69 (Runner)
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
"Current law requires schools to award students full or
partial credits for coursework satisfactorily completed
while attending a public school, juvenile court school, or
non-public, non-sectarian school. While statute requires
that these credits must be accepted, there is nothing in
statute requiring schools to apply the accepted credits
toward the core curriculum and graduation requirements.
Often the transferred credits are applied toward elective
requirements rather than to the core curriculum. This
practice often means that foster youth will lag behind
their peers, essentially losing months of academic progress
with each change in school placement due to no fault of
their own."
CPM:cm 4/8/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****
SB 578
Page
4