BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1719
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1719 (Weber and Buchanan)
As Amended August 19, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |56-18|(May 28, 2014) |SENATE: |25-11|(August 21, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Requires, no later than July 1, 2017, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to provide the
Legislature with an evaluation of kindergarten program
implementation in the state, including part-day and full-day
kindergarten programs. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the evaluation to include the following:
a) Recommended best practices for providing full-day
kindergarten programs.
b) A sample of local educational agencies' (LEAs) full day
and part-day kindergarten programs from across the state.
Expresses the intent of the Legislature that this sample be
representative of the diversity of the state, and shall
include both urban and rural and small and large LEAs
within the school districts.
2)Specifies that this bill shall not become operative until the
Legislature makes an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or
in any other statute.
3)Requires the report to be submitted in accordance with the
process required under the Government Code Section 9795.
4)Requires, beginning with the 2015-16 school year, a LEA to
provide an annual report to the California Department of the
Education (CDE) that contains information on the type of
kindergarten program offered by the LEA, including part-day,
full-day, or both, in a manner determined by the CDE.
5)Sunsets on July 1, 2017, and repeals on January 1, 2018,
unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or
AB 1719
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before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends the dates on which
it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
The Senate amendments strike the requirement for the SPI to
conduct a feasibility and implementation plan for providing
full-day kindergarten programs in all public schools and instead
require the SPI to conduct an evaluation of kindergarten
programs in the state.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, approximately $240,000 (General Fund) in one-time
contract costs for the CDE to conduct a kindergarten program
evaluation, based on a diverse sampling of part-day and full-day
kindergarten programs, as specified. Potentially significant
workload increase to monitor contract over 10 months. Minor
workload increase to elementary schools to annually report on
the type of kindergarten programs they run. This activity is
unlikely to result in significant enough costs to file a mandate
claim.
COMMENTS : Prior versions of this bill would have required
school districts to implement full-day kindergarten programs.
The current version of the bill requires the SPI to, by July 1,
2017, conduct an evaluation of kindergarten program
implementation in the state, including full-day and part-day
kindergarten programs. The bill also requires LEAs to submit
annual information to the CDE on the kindergarten programs
offered within the LEAs.
In 2005, WestEd released a policy brief titled, Full-Day
Kindergarten: Expanding learning opportunities. In that brief
they compiled data from several studies on full-day
kindergarten. Full-day kindergarten can provide teachers with
more time to have both formal and informal interactions,
including more time for small-group and individual activities.
WestEd found that students in full-day kindergarten tend to be
better prepared for primary-grade learning than those in
half-day programs. They do better with the transition to first
grade, show significant gains in school socialization, and are
equipped with stronger learning skills. Studies also show that
full-day kindergarten students show faster gains on literacy and
language measures when compared to half-day kindergarten
students, a finding of particular importance for the growing
numbers of English learners. Moreover, such gains may last over
time. One study, for example, showed higher reading achievement
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persisting through third grade and in some cases through seventh
grade, a benefit that bolsters students' overall school
performance.
Prior to 2005, school districts interested in offering an
extended-day program (more than four hours) must seek a waiver
from the State Board of Education. AB 2407 (Bermudez), Chapter
946, Statutes of 2004, eliminated the requirement to seek a
waiver. A survey of full-day kindergarten in California
conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) in
2009 found that full-day classes increased substantially
following the enactment of AB 2407. In 2000-01, 11% of
kindergarteners attended full-day kindergarten programs. In
2007-08, 43% of kindergarteners attended full-day kindergarten,
with lower-performing and economically disadvantaged schools
more likely to offer full-day programs. PPIC noted that
California's enrollment of kindergarteners in full-day programs
lagged behind those of other states. According to PPIC,
two-thirds of all kindergarteners nationally attend full-day
programs.
According to the Education Commission of the States, while all
states permit full-day kindergarten on some level, as of 2010,
11 states, including Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, and West Virginia require that full-day kindergarten
be offered. In New Jersey, schools in certain districts called
"Abbott" districts, who receive additional financial assistance
due to a Supreme Court order in Abbott v. Burke ((1997) 149 N.J.
145, 693 A.2d 417), are required to offer full-day kindergarten.
Some states offer funding to implement full-day kindergarten
but do not require it.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0004927