AB 1854, as amended, Linder. Examination fees: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examination Fee Grant Program.
Existing law authorizes a system of incentives to encourage high schools to operate International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs, and to encourage pupils in these schools to enroll in, attempt, and pass the International Baccalaureate course of study and examinations that lead to the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, from funds appropriated for the purpose of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, to annually allocate to each school district, on behalf of each high school or middle school within the district that offers the program, up to $25,000 for each participating high school and middle school to cover the costs of professional development required by the program and to help pay the test fees for low- and middle-income pupils in need of financial assistance.
Existing law authorizes a school district receiving economic impact aid funds to expend any portion of those funds to pay for all or part of the costs of one or more advanced placement examinations that are charged to economically disadvantaged pupils, as defined.
This bill would, subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act, establish a grant program, administered by the State Department of Education, for the purpose of awarding grants to cover the costs of advanced placement examination fees or International Baccalaureate examination fees, or both, for eligible economically disadvantaged or foster youth high school pupils, as defined. The bill would authorize a school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert to apply to the department for grant funding under the program based on the number of economically disadvantaged or foster
youth high school pupils in the school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert who will take the next offered advanced placement or International Baccalaureate examinations and would require that grants be expended only to pay the fees required of eligible economically disadvantaged or foster youth high school pupils to take an advanced placement or International Baccalaureate examination, or both. The bill would authorize an eligible economically disadvantage or foster youth high school pupil enrolled in an advanced placement or International Baccalaureate course, or both, to apply to the designated school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert staff for a grant to pay the examination fee, as provided.begin delete The bill would require funding priority be given to advanced placement examination fees if there is insufficient funding allocated to the grant program in a given fiscal year.end delete
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 53400)
2is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
3to read:
4
(a) Subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act
9for this purpose, there is hereby established a grant program for
10the purpose of awarding grants to cover the costs of advanced
11placement (AP) examination fees or International Baccalaureate
12(IB) examination fees, or both, for eligible economically
P3 1disadvantaged or foster youth high school pupils. The department
2shall administer this program.
3(b) (1) As used in this section, “eligible economically
4disadvantaged high school pupil” means a pupil in high school
5who is eligible for a state or federal free or reduced-price meal
6program.
7(2) As used in this section, “eligible foster youth” has the same
8meaning as “foster youth,” as that term is defined in Section
942238.01.
10(c) A school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert may apply to the
11department for grant funding pursuant to this section, based on the
12number of economically disadvantaged or foster youth high school
13pupils in the school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert enrolled in AP
14courses or IB courses, or in both, who will take the next offered
15AP or IB examinations. A school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert
that
16applies to the department for this purpose shall designate school
17districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert staff to whom pupils may submit
18applications for grants and shall institute a plan to notify pupils of
19the availability of financial assistance pursuant to this section.
20Grants shall be expended only to pay the fees required of eligible
21economically disadvantaged or foster youth high school pupils to
22take an AP or IB examination, or both.
23(d) An eligible economically disadvantaged or foster youth high
24school pupil who is enrolled in an AP or IB course, or both, may
25apply to the designated school districtbegin insert or charter schoolend insert
staff for
26a grant pursuant to this section. A pupil who receives a grant shall
27only pay five dollars ($5) of the examination fee.
28(e) School districts and county superintendents of schools may
29join together and form collaboratives or consortia in order to
30participate in the grant program established by this section.
31(f) Grants provided pursuant to this section may not be used to
32supplant fee waivers available to low-income pupils who take AP
33or IB examinations.
34(g) If the totalbegin delete school districtend delete applicationsbegin insert
from school districts
35and charter schoolsend insert exceed the total funds available pursuant to
36this section, the department shall prorate the grants based upon
37the ratio of the total amount requested to the total amount allocated
38in the annual Budget Act or another statute for this purpose.
39begin delete Funding priority shall be given to AP examination fees if there is
P4 1insufficient funding allocated for the grant program in a given
2fiscal year.end delete
3(h) To facilitate program administration and school districtbegin insert or
4charter schoolend insert reimbursement, the department may enter into a
5contract with the provider of AP or IB
examinations. For purposes
6of the contract authorized pursuant to this subdivision, the
7department is exempt from the requirements of Part 2 (commencing
8with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code
9and from the requirements of Article 6 (commencing with Section
10999) of Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans Code.
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