BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2440
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
AB 2440 (Hagman) - As Amended: March 12, 2014
SUBJECT : Pupil assessments: Measurement of Academic
Performance and Progress: school district opt out
SUMMARY : Authorizes school districts to delay until the
2015-16 school year the administration of any assessment aligned
to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language
arts and mathematics and either to administer no standardized
test or to administer instead an assessment pursuant to the
provisions of the former Standardized Testing and Reporting
Program (STAR).
EXISTING LAW
1)Establishes, commencing with the 2013-14 school year, the
Measurement of Academic Performance (MAPP), to include a
consortium summative assessment in English language arts and
mathematics for grades 3 to 8, inclusive, and grade 11 aligned
to the CCSS. following:
2)Requires the 2013-14 assessment in English language arts and
mathematics to be a pilot test only, to enable the consortium
to gauge the validity and reliability of the assessments and
to conduct all necessary psychometric procedures and studies,
including, but not necessarily limited to, achievement
standard setting, and to allow the CDE to conduct studies
regarding full implementation of the assessment system.
3)Provides that the results of the pilot test shall not be used
for any other purpose, including the calculation of an
accountability measure.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : California adopted the CCSS by a vote of the State
Board of Education in 2010, joining 43 other states and the
District of Columbia. The common core is a set of standards in
English language arts and mathematics that outline what pupils
should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level.
In California, the CCSS replace academic content standards that
AB 2440
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were adopted in 1997. The STAR testing program was aligned to
those standards. The adoption of the CCSS requires the
development of new assessments that are aligned to the new
standards.
California is currently a governing state for the Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) , which is a multistate
consortium working to develop a common student assessment system
aligned with the CCSS for English language arts/literacy and
mathematics. The assessment system includes a computer adaptive
summative test for grades 3-8 and 11 that provides student
performance and growth information to meet state and federal
accountability requirements. The Smarter Balanced assessments
will be pilot tested in the 2013-14 school year and administered
in the 2014-15 school year.
Period of transition. The adoption of the CCSS requires several
"downstream" changes, including the development of new
curricula, new instructional materials, professional development
for teachers, and new assessments-all aligned to the new
standards. In recognition of this, the current year budget
appropriated $1.250 billion (about $209 per pupil) in one-time
money to assist local education in implementing the new
standards. These funds may be used for professional
development, instructional material, and enhancements of
technology needed to administer the new assessments.
As part of the transition, California has suspended the
administration of statewide standardized assessments in the
current year, because the former assessments are not aligned to
the new standards. Meanwhile, the new assessments are being
pilot tested this year, and will be administered beginning next
year. Because the administration of a statewide assessment
program is required by federal law, California needed to secure
a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to suspend
assessments this year to avoid being penalized with the loss of
federal funding.
This bill allows LEAs to suspend testing for an additional year
(2014-15). Without another waiver (which, according to the CDE
is highly unlikely), LEAs that opt out of the state wide
assessment program next year risk losing federal Title I funds.
In addition, federal funding to the CDE would be put at risk,
meaning that the CDE could suffer the consequences of a local
decision over which it has no control.
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Arguments in support. The author's office argues that many
districts will not be ready to administer the assessments in
2014-15. The optional one-year delay "will give districts more
time to train their teachers, equip their campuses and classroom
with the technology they will need to administer these tests,
and give their students more exposure to the material on which
they will be tested and technology that will be used."
Arguments in opposition. Opponents argue this bill creates an
unequal playing field with regard to student outcomes and
achievement and violates the notion that all school districts
should be measured in the same manner and held accountable for
the same standards. In addition, it's important for students to
be exposed to the new tests so they will be better prepared for
them when they are incorporated back in to the state's
accountability system.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None received
Opposition
Association of California School Administrators
California School Boards Association
Analysis Prepared by : Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087