BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1497
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1497 (Negrete McLeod)
As Amended April 24, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :37-0
EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Norby, Ammiano, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Buchanan, Butler, Carter, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Eng, Halderman, Williams | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| | | |Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Solorio, Wagner |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Prohibits a pupil who has dropped out of school,
re-enrolled, and dropped out again 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:
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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.
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
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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 ninth graders from full four years prior plus
students 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 Assembly Appropriations
Committee, no additional General Fund/ Proposition 98 (GF/98)
costs to the state to implement this measure.
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."
Analysis Prepared by : Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087
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