BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2303
AUTHOR: Bloom
AMENDED: June 18, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 25, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Kathleen
Chavira
SUBJECT : State Recognition of Multiple Pathways to
Biliteracy.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the State Recognition Program of
Multiple Pathways to be administered by the California
Department of Education (CDE) for purposes of recognizing
school districts and county offices of education
demonstrating excellence in providing and supporting
multiple opportunities for students in grades 1-12 to
attain high achievement and linguistic biliteracy through
biliteracy programs. The bill also authorizes the use of
alternate assessments for the purpose of the State Seal of
Biliteracy (SSB).
BACKGROUND
Current law establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy which
provides recognition to high school students who have
demonstrated proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing
in one or more languages in addition to English. Each
school district, county office of education (COE), or
direct-funded charter school that confers the SSB is
required to maintain appropriate records in order to
identify students who have met the established criteria for
the award and to affix the SSB insignia to the diploma or
transcript of each qualifying student. (EC � 51460)
Current law requires high school graduates to meet all of
the following criteria to be eligible for the SSB:
AB 2303
Page 2
1 Complete all English language arts requirements for
graduation with an overall grade point average of 2.0
or above in those classes
2 Pass the California Standards Test in English
language arts administered in grade 11 at the
proficient level or above.
3 Demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages in
addition to English, through one of the following
methods:
a) Pass a foreign language Advanced
Placement (AP) examination with a score of 3 or
higher or an International Baccalaureate
examination with a score or 4 or higher.
b) Successfully complete a four-year high
school course of study in a foreign (world)
language, and attain an overall grade point
average of 3.0 or above in that course of study.
c) Pass a school district language
examination that, at a minimum, assesses
speaking, reading, and writing in a language
other than English at the proficient level or
higher, if no AP examination or off-the-shelf
language test exists, and the school district can
certify to the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SSPI) that the test meets the rigor
of a four-year high school course of study in
that foreign (world) language. If a school
district offers an examination in a language in
which an AP examination or off-the-shelf language
test does exist, the school district language
examination must be approved by the SSPI for the
purpose of determining proficiency in a language
other than English.
d) Passing the Scholastic Assessment Test II
AB 2303
Page 3
foreign language examination with a score of 600
or higher. (EC �51461)
If the primary language of a pupil in any of grades 9-12
inclusive is other than English, the student is also
required to attain the early advanced proficiency level on
the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) as
well as meet criteria listed above in 1, 2, and 3.
The State Board of Education (SBE) adopted common core
state standards in English language arts and mathematics on
August 2, 2010. Current law requires the SBE to adopt
revised frameworks that are aligned to the common core
standards in English language arts by May 30, 2014. (EC �
60207)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Establishes the State Recognition Program of Multiple
Pathways to Biliteracy, a voluntary program, to be
administered annually by the CDE beginning January 1,
2016, for purposes of recognizing school districts and
county offices of education demonstrating excellence
in providing and supporting multiple opportunities to
attain high achievement and linguistic biliteracy
through biliteracy programs. More specifically it:
a) Outlines a timeline for
implementation by the CDE.
b) Requires the CDE to use
appropriate state and federal dollars for
implementation.
c) Requires the CDE to recognize a
school district or county office of education
that meets specified criteria which includes,
maintenance of a well-articulated state seal of
biliteracy program for at least two years and
AB 2303
Page 4
that there be no outstanding English learner
compliance findings from the most recent federal
and state program monitoring, along with numerous
other detailed and prescriptive program
eligibility requirements.
d) Authorizes a school district or
county office of education, for purposes of
demonstrating qualification for the recognition
program, to implement any comprehensive program
for the study of world languages including but
not limited to FLEX, FLES, Transitional
Bilingual, Developmental Bilingual, Immersion,
Native Speakers Courses, Heritage Language, World
Language Classes, and Study Abroad International
Student Exchange Programs, and outlines in
extensive detail the components to be included in
each of these programs.
e) Provides that this program only be
implemented to the extent monies are available to
the CDE for this purpose from any source
including state, federal, and other nonstate
funding.
2) Establishes alternative assessments to the California
Standards Test in English Language arts for purposes
of meeting the requirements for a student to receive a
State Seal of Biliteracy. Specifically it:
a) Requires that, if the California
Standards Test in English Language Arts is not
approved , the school district is required to
administer an assessment aligned to the summative
assessment for English language arts in grade 11
being field tested in the 2013-14 year and the
student must pass this assessment at the
proficient level or above.
b) Requires that, if a State adopted
assessment has not been fully implemented the
AB 2303
Page 5
school district is required to select an
assessment aligned to English language arts
standard for grade 11 and the student must pass
this assessment at the proficient level or above.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Purpose of the bill . According to the author, the
intent of this bill is to honor school districts and
county offices of education who have invested in and
designed articulated and comprehensive multiple
pathways to biliteracy. Preparing students for
college, careers, employment and participation in the
21st century requires multiple pathways and varied
language opportunities, yet, according to the author,
current language programs are inadequate. According
to the Center for Applied Linguistics 2008 national
survey of public and private schools, the percentage
of elementary schools offering foreign language
decreased significantly from 24 percent to 15 percent
in the decades from 1997-2008. In California, the
number of English Learners that received biliteracy
education in dual language settings dropped from 30
percent in 1998 to 5 percent in 2013. This bill
encourages school districts to offer a program that
allows and inspires pupils to obtain the State Seal of
Biliteracy. In so doing, school districts will be
encouraging their pupils to learn and acquire other
languages with the hope of creating school
environments that welcome, accept, and value the
cultural and linguistic diversity of California's
pupils.
2) State Seal of Biliteracy . The State Seal of
Biliteracy (SSB), established by AB 815 (Brownley,
Chapter 618, Statutes of 2011), became effective
January 1, 2012. According to the CDE, this year over
21,000 insignias were awarded to qualifying students
in over 500 high schools, which is more than double
the number of seals awarded in the first year.
AB 2303
Page 6
In 2011, California joined the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium (SBAC) as a governing state for
the purpose of developing assessments that are aligned
to the common core standards, which were adopted by
the State Board on August 2010. As a condition of
becoming a governing member state, California
committed to administering the SBAC assessments to
pupils beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Current
law requires districts, charter schools and county
offices of education to administer field tests and
pilot tests of the SBAC assessments only in the
2013-14 school year. (Education Code � 60640)
As noted in the background of this analysis, one of
the requirements to receive the SSB is that a student
pass the California Standards Test in English language
arts (ELA) administered in grade 11 at the proficient
level or above. This bill is attempting to do two
things in response. First, it is intended to modify
current law to ensure that any new state adopted
standards aligned English language arts test can be
used for the purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy.
Second, it is attempting to address an issue for
students who are graduating in 2014-15, who, because
of the transition, may not have had an ELA test
administered to them, or may have no individual
results available, for grade 11. As drafted, the bill
could be interpreted to allow for the use of any
assessment deemed to be standards aligned for this
purpose.
Staff recommends the bill be amended to delete lines
15 through 33 on page 10, and to insert the following:
"(2) Passing a state adopted standards aligned test in
English language arts administered in grade 11 at the
proficient level or above, except that, for the
academic year 2014-15, passing the most recently
available state adopted standards aligned English
language arts test for that student at the proficient
AB 2303
Page 7
level or above."
SUPPORT
Association of California School Administrators
California Federation of Teachers
California School Boards Association
Californians Together
Public Advocates
OPPOSITION
None received.