BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1866
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1866 (Bocanegra)
As Amended May 27, 2014
Majority vote
EDUCATION 6-0 APPROPRIATIONS 13-0
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|Ayes:|Buchanan, Olsen, Ch�vez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Gonzalez, Nazarian, | |Bradford, |
| |Williams | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Eggman, Gomez, Holden, |
| | | |Linder, Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Weber |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Adds new data elements to the pupil attendance data
that the California Department of Education (CDE) is required to
collect and report through the California Longitudinal Pupil
Achievement Data System (CALPADS) subject to the receipt of
federal funds for this purpose. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires CALPADS to include the following data for K-12
pupils:
a) Rates of chronic absenteeism and the number of chronic
absentees;
b) Rates of truancy and the number of truants;
c) Rates of habitual truancy and the number of habitual
truants; and
d) Rates of chronic truancy and the number of chronic
truants.
2)Requires these data to be incorporated into a currently
required annual report on dropouts and a newly-required annual
report on elementary school truancy and chronic absenteeism.
3)Defines "chronic absentee" to mean a pupil who is subject to
compulsory full-time education or compulsory continuation
education and who is absent for 10% or more of the school days
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in a school year, as measured from the date of enrollment to
the date that the data is submitted to CALPADS.
4)Requires "rates of absence" to be calculated on the basis of
the following:
a) The number of school days enrolled;
b) The number of school days on which the pupil had an
unexcused absence of more than 30 minutes but less than a
full day;
c) The number of school days on which the pupil had a full
day of excused absence; and
d) Whether the pupil has been designated a habitual truant.
5)Requires local education agencies to submit the attendance
data and other indicators as identified by the department to
the CDE at least four times per year, on dates to be
determined by the CDE.
6)Deletes the provision that the collection and reporting of
pupil attendance data by CALPADS be implemented only if
federal funds are appropriated specifically for this purpose.
7)Provides that these requirements shall become operative only
if legislation is enacted in this year that establishes an
annual report on elementary school truancy and chronic
absenteeism that takes effect on or before January 1, 2015.
8)Makes its requirements contingent of the receipt of federal
funds for these purposes.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires CALPADS to collect data on K-12 rates of absence and
chronic absentees, provided federal funding is appropriated
for this purpose.
2)Defines "truant" as a pupil who is absent from school without
a valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or
absent for more than a 30-minute period on three occasions in
one school year, or any combination thereof.
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3)Defines "habitual truant" as a pupil who has been reported as
a truant three or more times per school year.
4)Defines "chronic truant" as a pupil who is absent from school
without a valid excuse for 10% or more of the schooldays in
one school year.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Ongoing administrative costs to the CDE for collection,
certification and reporting of absenteeism and truancy data in
CALPADS. CDE estimates ongoing costs in the range of $200,000
to $400,000. These costs also assume training and technical
assistance CDE would provide to local education agencies in
the collection and certification of data.
2)Potential, likely minor, state-mandated costs for local
education agencies to meet the data reporting requirements of
the bill. Enactment of this bill is contingent upon funding.
COMMENTS : CALPADS was established to enable California to meet
federal requirements delineated in the No Child Left Behind Act
of 2001, and became operative in 2009. CALPADS tracks
individual pupil enrollment history and achievement data,
including demographic information, program participation, grade
level, enrollment, course enrollment and completion, discipline,
and statewide assessment data. It is used for state and local
program evaluation, to create state- and federally-required
reports, and to give local education agencies immediate access
to information on new pupils.
Arguments in support. According to the author's office,
"Truancy and chronic absenteeism have reached epidemic
proportions in California," and the lack of a statewide
reporting system hampers efforts to analyze the problem and
create effective strategies to address it. Truancy and chronic
absenteeism are early indicators of poor educational outcomes,
including dropping out of school. A statewide data collection
and reporting system would foster more consistent collection and
use of attendance data at the local level as well as allow for a
statewide perspective to help identify areas of need and best
practices.
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Related legislation. This bill is one of a package of five
bills sponsored by Attorney General Kamala Harris that deal with
truancy. The other bills are:
1)AB 1672 (Holden) of the current legislative session, which
requires School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs) to report
annually on referral rates to county offices of education and
expands these reports to include information on student
enrollment, absence and truancy rates, district attorney
referrals and SARB intervention outcomes.
2)AB 1643 (Buchanan) of the current legislative session, which
requires that every county create a SARB.
3)AB 2141 (Hall) of the current legislative session, which
requires that when a parent or student is referred to a
district attorney's office or any other agency engaged in
prosecution or charges are considered to enforce state school
attendance laws, the prosecuting agency must provide a report
on the outcome of the referral.
4)SB 1107 (Monning) of the current legislative session, which
requires the Attorney General to issue an annual report on
elementary school truancy and chronic absenteeism.
AB 1672, AB 1643, and AB 2141 are currently pending in the
Assembly. SB 1107 was held in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
This bill provides that it would become operative only upon the
receipt of federal funding and only if legislation is enacted to
require an annual report on elementary school truancy and
chronic absenteeism. Enactment of SB 1107 would fulfill the
latter requirement.
Analysis Prepared by : Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0003872
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