BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2057
AUTHOR: Bonilla
AMENDED: June 11, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 18, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Alternate assessment.
SUMMARY
This bill adds as a state assessment a consortium alternate
performance assessment in English language arts and mathematics
for grades 3-8 and 11 that is aligned to the common core
standards, and authorizes school districts to administer either
a consortium field test or the existing California Alternate
Performance Assessment in the 2014-15 school year.
BACKGROUND
Current law:
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
requires students with exceptional needs to participate in
statewide assessments with appropriate accommodations when
necessary, and requires students who are unable to participate
in the assessments, even with accommodations, to be given an
alternate assessment. The California Alternate Performance
Assessment (CAPA) meets this requirement. (United States Code,
Title 20, Section 1412(a)(16) and Education Code � 60640).
Establishes the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress
to include all of the following:
1) A consortium summative assessment in English language arts
and mathematics for grades 3 to 8 and grade 11 that
measures the common core standards.
2) Science grade level assessments in grades 5, 8, and 10 that
measure the prior
science standards until a successor assessment that is
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aligned to the Next
Generation Science Standards is implemented.
3) The CAPA in grades 2-11 in English language arts and
mathematics, and science
in grades 5, 8, and 10 that measure the prior science
standards until a successor
assessment that is aligned to the Next Generation Science
Standards is implemented.
4) The Early Assessment Program.
5) A primary language assessment. (EC � 60640)
ANALYSIS
This bill adds as a state assessment a consortium alternate
performance assessment in English language arts and mathematics
for grades 3-8 and 11 that is aligned to the common core
standards, and authorizes school districts to administer either
a consortium field test or the existing California Alternate
Performance Assessment in the 2014-15 school year.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Adds a consortium alternate performance assessment in
English language arts and mathematics for grades 3-8 and 11
that measures the common core standards.
2) Authorizes schools to administer, in the 2014-15 school
year and subject to approval by the United States
Department of Education, either the consortium alternate
assessment field tests or the CAPA.
3) Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to
apply to the United States Department of Education for a
waiver of the requirement that all students participate in
the statewide assessments to instead allow students to
participate in the field test only (without also taking the
CAPA).
4) Requires the CDE to adopt a new alternate performance
assessment by the 2016-17 school year, and authorizes
schools to continue to administer the CAPA until a new
assessment is adopted.
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5) Prohibits the field test and results from being used for
any other purpose, including the calculation of an
accountability measure.
6) Requires the field tests to enable the consortium to gauge
the validity and reliability of the assessments and to
conduct all necessary psychometric procedures and studies,
including setting achievement standards, and to allow CDE
to conduct studies regarding full implementation of the
assessments.
7) Eliminates grade 2 from the alternate assessment
(consistent with current law).
8) Changes the name of the State's assessment system, from the
Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress to the
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) National Center and State Collaborative . The National
Center and State Collaborative (NCSC) is a project funded
by the United States Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs, and is led by five centers and
26 states to develop an alternate assessment based on
alternate achievement standards, and aligned to the common
core standards, for students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and 11. The
California Department of Education (CDE) has participated
in this consortium since October 2012.
In Spring 2014, 7,677 California students completed the NCSC
Phase 1 pilot test, far fewer than anticipated (more
participated but did not complete the test). This could be
due to the change in the test window from February to May;
some students participated in the pilot test and also the
CAPA, thereby taking two assessments within a short period
of time. Phase 2 pilot testing is scheduled for October
2014. The fully-developed NCSC assessment is expected to
be available Spring 2015; states are authorized to use the
Spring 2015 assessment as a field test or fully operational
assessment. However, performance standards will not be
established until Fall 2015. California has not committed
to participate in Phase 2 or the Spring 2015 administration
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of the assessment
2) It's complicated . It appears that school districts and
special education administrators have a positive impression
of the NCSC assessment, and desire to move toward the fully
operational NCSC assessment and to eliminate the California
Alternate Performance Assessment. However, the CDE reports
various concerns with the NCSC consortium, but does not
appear to have insurmountable concerns with the assessment
itself. According to CDE, it is hesitant to fully join the
consortium because it has not yet been provided cost
estimates for 2015-16, and has concerns about the long-term
governance of the consortium.
The NCSC Phase 2 pilot test is scheduled for October 2014, and
the assessment is expected to be available for full
administration or for use as a field test in Spring 2015.
California has not yet committed to participating beyond
the pilot tests that were administered in Spring 2014 (the
decision is made by the State Board of Education). The
deadline is July 1, to submit a letter of intent to
participate in Spring 2015 testing. The State Board of
Education is scheduled to meet on July 9-10; the agenda was
not available at the time this analysis was completed.
Staff recommends an amendment to require CDE to update
districts, county offices and charter schools, and policy
and fiscal committees of the Legislature, by February 1,
2015, on the status of NCSC assessments and any concerns
with consortium, recommendations for moving forward if
different than timelines in this bill. The CDE should also
be required to provide notification, until an alternate
assessment is fully implemented, anytime there is a change
in timeline or status of the assessment or consortium.
3) What about 2015-16 ? This bill authorizes, subject to
federal approval, the administration of either the NCSC
field test or the CAPA in the 2014-15 school year. This
bill requires the CDE to adopt a new alternate performance
assessment in English language arts and mathematics no
later than the 2016-17 school year, and authorizes the CAPA
to be administered until that time. The NCSC field test
will not be available beyond the 2014-15 school year.
Unless California administers the fully-developed NCSC
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assessment in the 2015-16 school year, students will once
again take the CAPA in the 2015-16 school year.
The NCSC anticipates being available for full implementation in
the 2014-15 school year, but California has not committed
to administering the NCSC in the 2014-15 school year,
either as a field test or full administration.
4) Options . (a) California has the option to proceed with the
NCSC assessment and administer it in the 2014-15 school
year either as a field test or as a fully-operational
assessment. (b) The CDE has apparently just recently
discovered another consortium that is developing an
alternate assessment. California may choose to participate
in a consortium other than NCSC. Staff has no information
relative to the progress toward development of another
alternate assessment or if that assessment would be
appropriate for California. (c) California may choose to
develop its own assessment, which could be a hybrid of NCSC
and CAPA, but would likely take 2-3 years to be fully
operational.
The State moved forward with the Smarter Balanced assessments
despite many concerns and risks. The same approach should
be provided to the alternate assessment to provide
consistency and stability to students and schools, and to
facilitate compliance with Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). Staff recommended amendments: (a)
Require the administration of the NCSC field test in Spring
2015, without an option to administer the CAPA (therefore
there is no need to seek a federal waiver to avoid
double-testing). (b) Require the full implementation of
the NCSC assessment in the 2015-16 school year.
5) Accountability . This bill requires the consortium
assessment administered in the 2014-15 school year to be a
field test only, for specified purposes, and prohibits the
field test and results from being used for any other
purpose, including the calculation of an accountability
measure. This is consistent with respect to the Smarter
Balanced assessments, the results of which will not be used
for accountability until the 2015-16 school year.
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6) Performance standards . This bill requires the field tests
to enable the consortium to gauge the validity and
reliability of the assessments and to conduct all necessary
psychometric procedures and studies, including setting
achievement standards. The State Board of Education (SBE)
has historically had the role of developing performance
standards, but recently relinquished that role relative to
the Smarter Balanced assessments. The SBE is required to
review performance standards every five years for
assessments other than the Smarter Balanced assessments.
The NCSC is expected to establish performance standards in
Fall 2015.
7) Technical amendments . This bill requires the CDE to adopt
new alternate performance assessments in English language
arts and mathematics no later than the 2016-17 school year.
It is the role of the SBE, rather than the CDE, to adopt
assessments. This bill should be amended to clarify that
the Superintendent is to identify an appropriate alternate
assessment and recommend its adoption, and the SBE is to
act upon that recommendation.
This bill provides for an alternate performance assessment
that measures the common core standards. The
cross-reference to the section of the Education Code
specific to those standards should also include a reference
to the section relating to the revision of the common core
standards in mathematics
(EC � 60605.11).
8) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, the prior version of this bill would impose
minor absorbable costs to local education agencies to
reconvene individual educational program (IEP) teams and
modify IEP plans that specifically call for administration
of the CAPA.
9) Related legislation . AB 2600 (Bonilla) changes the name of
the State's assessment system, from the Measurement of
Academic Performance and Progress to the California
Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. AB 2600 is
pending on the Senate Floor.
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SUPPORT
California School Boards Association
California State PTA
Mt. Diablo Unified School District Community Advisory Committee
for Special Education
State SELPA Administrators of California
Torrance Unified School District
OPPOSITION
None on current version.