BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1497
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Date of Hearing: June 27, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
SB 1497 (Negrete McLeod) - As Amended: April 24, 2012
SENATE VOTE : 37-0
SUBJECT : Pupil data: dropouts: report
SUMMARY : Prohibits a pupil from being counted more than once
when computing dropout rates for the Annual Report on Dropouts
in California and when compiling data for the California
Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
EXISTING LAW establishes CALPADS, which contains student
demographic, program participation, grade level, enrollment,
course enrollment and completion, discipline, and statewide
assessment data. CALPADS is designed to facilitate program
evaluation, assessment of student achievement over time, the
calculation of more accurate dropout and graduation rates, the
efficient creation of reports to meet state and federal
reporting requirements, and the ability to create ad hoc reports
and respond to questions. Data for CALPADS is collected from
local education agencies (LEAs), which are required to retain
and report specified individual pupil and staff records.
Existing law also requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to submit, by August 1
each year, an Annual Report of Dropouts in California. This
report is to include the following
information:
1. One-year dropout rates for each of grades 7-12.
2. Four-year cohort dropout rates for grades 9-12.
3. Two-or three-year cohort dropout rates for middle
schools.
4. Grades 9-10 promotion rates.
5. Percentage of high school pupils for each of grades 9-12
who are on track to earn sufficient credits to graduate.
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6. The average number of school moves that pupils make
between grades 6-12.
7. "Full year" dropout rates for alternative schools,
including dropout recovery high schools.
8. An explanation of the method used to calculate "full
year" dropout rates for alternative schools.
9. Passage rates on the high school exit exam.
10. Other available data relating to dropout or graduation
rates or pupil progress toward high school graduation.
Existing law also requires the report to include all of the
following when cohort dropout rates can be calculated accurately
using longitudinal data:
1)Rates at which pupils graduate in four, five, and six years.
2)Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed
coursework that met admission criteria for the University of
California and the California State University (completed a-g
courses).
3)Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed
at least two classes in career technical education (CTE).
4)Percentage of high school graduates and dropouts who completed
both a-g and CTE courses.
5)Behavioral data by school and district, including suspensions
and expulsions.
6)Truancy rates.
7)Rates of pupils to earn a General Education Degree.
8)Chronic absentee rates.
Dropout rates are determined using a four-year cohort; a cohort
dropout rate is the number of cohort students who dropped out of
school over the course of four years divided by the number of
first time 9th graders from full four years prior plus students
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who transfer in and minus students who transfer out during the
last four years.
The California Department of Education (CDE) began reporting
cohort graduation and dropout rates on its DataQuest Web site in
August 2011, beginning with 2009-10 data. Only the four year
cohort graduation rates were available for the first Annual
Report on Dropouts (class of 2009-10). Five year cohort rates
will be available for the class of 2010-11, and six year cohort
rates will be available for the class of 2011-12.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Students who are initially
part of a given 4-year cohort who drop out are removed from the
cohort so that if they reenroll and dropout again, they are
counted as a dropout from their original cohort but are not
counted as a dropout a second time. Confusion occurs when
dropouts who reenroll after the graduation date of their cohort
and then drop out again. These students should not be counted
as a dropout a second time even though they are outside of the
original cohort. This is particularly important as states
attempt to raise graduation rates as a component of Adequate
Yearly Progress. The risk of entering program improvement
because the school or district is willing to reengage students
who demonstrate a 4 in 5 likelihood of dropping out again should
not be a consequence of this nation's education policy."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California School Boards Association
San Francisco Unified School District
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087