BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 247
AUTHOR: Liu
INTRODUCED: February 12, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 10, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Student assessments: grade 2.
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the requirement that assessments be
administered to pupils in second grade pursuant to the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, beginning
July 1, 2014, requires the California Department of Education to
make available to school districts existing diagnostic
assessments that are appropriate for grade 2, and extends the
STAR Program by two years to July 1, 2016.
BACKGROUND
Current law requires each school district, charter school, and
county office of education to administer designated achievement
tests to each pupil in grades 2 through 11 as part of the STAR
Program. The STAR Program is scheduled to sunset on July 1,
2014. (Education Code � 60640 and � 60601)
The STAR Program requires pupils to be tested in English
language arts, mathematics, science and history-social science
at specific grade levels. The STAR Program includes the
California Standards Tests (CSTs), the California Alternate
Performance Assessment (CAPA) and the California Modified
Assessment (CMA) administered to certain pupils with
disabilities, and a national norm-referenced test in Spanish
that is administered to Spanish speaking English learners who
have been in school in the U.S. less than 12 months or who are
receiving instruction in Spanish.
STAR test results are available statewide, by county, school
district, schoolsite, and for individual pupils. These tests
results provide information about the performance level the
pupils' scores in each subject (advanced, proficient, basic,
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below basic and far below basic).
ANALYSIS
This bill eliminates the requirement that assessments be
administered to pupils in second grade pursuant to the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, beginning
July 1, 2014, requires the California Department of Education
(CDE) to make available to school districts existing diagnostic
assessments that are appropriate for grade 2, and extends the
STAR Program by two years to July 1, 2016. Specifically, this
bill:
1) Eliminates the requirement that assessments be administered
to students in grade 2 pursuant to the STAR Program,
beginning July 1, 2014.
2) Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), by
November 1, 2014, to identify and make available to school
districts information about existing diagnostic assessments
in English language arts and mathematics that are
appropriate for use in grade 2.
3) Extends the sunset on the STAR Program by two years, from
July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2016.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, "This bill
addresses one component of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction's recommendations for the transition to a new
assessment system. Changing the state's assessment system
has significant implications for schools, teachers and
students. SB 247 is a moderate approach that allows the
Legislature time to fully consider how any transition to
new assessments should be implemented while ensuring all
students are prepared for those assessments."
2) Assessment system . Refer to Page 6 for a table of
California's state assessment system.
Many elements of the STAR Program are used by California to meet
the assessment and accountability requirements of the
federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which requires
states to administer a standards-aligned achievement test
in reading and mathematics to all students in grades 3-8
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and grade 10. NCLB also requires science testing in grades
5, 8, and 10. Testing of grade 2 students is not necessary
to meet federal requirements.
The following table summarizes testing requirements under
California's STAR Program.
----------------------------------------------------------
| | Assessment | Grade Level Tested |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
|STAR |English Language Arts | 2-11 |
|Progra|(Reading) | |
|m | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |English Language Arts | 2-11 |
| |(Reading) CAPA | |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |English Language Arts | 3-11 |
| |(Reading) CMA | |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |Mathematics |2-8 and EOC in grades |
| | | 9-11 |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |Mathematics CAPA | 2-11 |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |Mathematics CMA | 3-11 |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |Science | 5, 8, and EOC in |
| | | grades 9-11 |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |History-Social Science | 8-11 |
|------+----------------------------+----------------------|
| |Primary Language Assessment |2 -11 |
| |(Spanish) | |
----------------------------------------------------------
EOC = End-of-course exam
Results from grade 2 California Standards Tests, California
Modified Assessment and California Alternate Performance
Assessment, in English language arts and mathematics, are
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used in calculations for the state's Academic Performance
Index.
3) Why do we assess in grade 2 ? Test results for individual
pupils are provided to schoolsite personnel and parents of
the pupil. These results include information about the
performance level the pupil scored in each subject area
tested. There is reasonable concern that, without second
grade testing, parents and teachers will not have this data
early in a pupil's educational career which is important
for making adjustments to that student's instruction.
4) Current assessments vs. diagnostics . The California
Standards Tests measure achievement of California's former
(not common core) content standards in English language
arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science.
Diagnostic assessments are currently available, and some
school districts are undoubtedly administering diagnostic
assessments in addition to assessments required by the STAR
Program. However, it is not necessarily easy for every
district to transition from grade 2 STAR tests to
diagnostic assessments because of concerns about alignment
with California's standards, the possible need for
professional development, as well as the cost to districts
to develop or purchase and administer those assessments.
Further, this bill affects all assessments given in grade
2, including the primary language assessment and the
California Alternate Performance Assessment, which may not
be available as appropriate diagnostic assessments.
The bill eliminates the requirement that districts administer
state assessments in grade 2, which also eliminates state
funding to districts to administer those assessments. It
is possible that districts could choose to continue to
administer the grade 2 STAR tests, or use a diagnostic
assessment, but at the district's expense.
5) Extend or transition ? This bill extends the sunset on the
STAR Program to enable school districts to continue to
administer STAR tests in grades 3-11, with the support of
state funding, beyond the July 1, 2014 sunset date. This
is necessary to enable schools, parents and the state to
gain achievement data from the results of those
assessments, absent the transition to different
assessments.
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The Superintendent of Public Instruction has released
recommendations for the transition to a new system of
assessments that are aligned to the common core standards,
and is sponsoring legislation (AB 484, Bonilla) to
implement that transition. The recommendations include,
among other things, the suspension of all STAR assessments
that are not required for federal accountability purposes
and the Early Assessment Program, and the transition in the
2014-15 school year to the Smarter Balanced assessments
that are aligned to the common core standards in English
language arts and mathematics. Many California schools are
currently piloting the Smarter Balanced assessments.
The Legislature has not fully considered the transition plan nor
the legislation. This bill provides another option for the
transition to a new assessment system. This Committee's
March 13, 2013, informational hearing relative to the
common core assessments explored the many issues that
accompany the transition to a new assessment system, such
as the availability of updated instructional materials,
professional development, sufficient technology, and a lack
of resources for districts to address all of those issues.
6) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis of prior legislation, this bill would
result in:
a) General Fund (Prop 98) savings of approximately
$2 million by eliminating second grade testing in the
STAR program. Of this cost, approximately $800,000
GF/98 is annual apportionment savings. Currently, the
state provides $2.52 per pupil for the administration
of each STAR assessment.
b) Minor, absorbable GF administrative costs to the
CDE to identify and make available information to
school districts regarding existing second grade
assessments.
c) Potential, annual GF/98 cost pressure, likely in
excess of $920,000, to school districts to purchase
and administer diagnostic assessments in ELA and
mathematics (to the extent districts are not currently
providing diagnostic assessments).
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7) Related legislation . AB 484 (Bonilla) suspends, beginning
in the 2013-14 school year, all STAR assessments that are
not required for federal accountability purposes and the
Early Assessment Program. AB 484 is scheduled to be heard
by the Assembly Education Committee on April 17.
8) Legislative history of grade 2 STAR testing . The STAR
Program was created in 1997 by SB 376 (Alpert, Ch. 828) and
authorized assessments in grades 2-11 until January 1,
2002. SB 233 (Alpert, Ch. 722, 2001) reauthorized the STAR
Program until January 1, 2005.
SB 1448 (Alpert, Ch. 233, 2004) reauthorized the STAR Program
until January 1, 2011, with the exception of second grade
testing which was to be phased out over a three year period
(until July 1, 2007). AB 356 (Hancock, 2004), among other
things, would have provided for a diagnostic assessment,
rather than standardized testing, in grade 2 as part of the
STAR program. AB 356 was held on the Senate Floor (no vote
was taken).
SB 740 (Hancock, 2011) eliminated the requirement for grade 2
STAR tests and required the California Department of
Education to make available to school districts existing
diagnostic assessments that are appropriate for grade 2.
SB 740 was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee's
suspense file.
SB 800 (Hancock, 2009) was nearly identical to SB 740 (Hancock,
2011). SB 800 failed passage in this Committee on a 4-5
vote on April 15, 2009.
AB 476 (Torlakson, 2009) at one time would have eliminated STAR
testing in the second grade. At the time of enrollment, AB
476 required the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
contract for an independent evaluation of the STAR Program.
AB 476 was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message
read:
The objectives of this bill are duplicative of work
already being done by a variety of sources. Not only
have there been reviews of California's standards and
assessment system by the United States Department of
Education's peer review process, the California
Department of Education has a process which has
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included an independent alignment study and review of
test items by various content and test development
experts. Finally, this bill circumvents the State
Board of Education in the selection of the independent
evaluator and approving the evaluation and its
recommendations.
SB 1 of the Fifth Extraordinary Session (Steinberg, Ch. 2,
2010) extended the STAR Program for grades 2-11 until July
1, 2013.
AB 1353 (Huff, 2007) would have extended second grade
assessments to January 1, 2011, but was not heard. Later
in 2007, SB 80 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Ch.
174) extended second grade testing until July 1, 2011.
SUPPORT
California Federation of Teachers
DJM Associates
OPPOSITION
None on file.
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|Note: Results include individual, school, district, county, and state with |
|the following exceptions: EAPindividual only; NAEP-national and state only; |
|CHSPE- individual, school, and district only; and GED-individual only. |
|Legend: |
|STAR-Standardized Testing and Reporting Program CMA-California |
|Modified Assessment CELDT-California English Language |
|Development Test |
|CSTs-California Standards Tests |
|STS-Standards-based Tests in Spanish CAHSEE-California |
|High School Exit Examination |
|CAPA-California Alternate Performance Assessment EAP-Early |
|Assessment Program PFT-Physical Fitness Test |
|CHSPE-California High School Proficiency Examination GED-General |
|Educational Development NAEP-National Assessment of |
|Educational Progress |
| |
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