BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 432
AUTHOR: Price & Liu
INTRODUCED: February 21, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 24, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Daniel Alvarez
SUBJECT : School accountability: advisory committee:
creativity index.
SUMMARY
Requires the Academic Performance Index (API) advisory
committee to develop a public measurement of activities in
public school classrooms that foster creativity,
innovation, and problem solving.
BACKGROUND
Current law establishes the Academic Performance Index
(API), which summarizes a school's or a local educational
agency's (LEA's) academic performance and progress on
statewide assessments. The API is a single number ranging
from 200 to 1,000 and is required to include a variety of
indicators, including results of the Standardized Testing
and Reporting Program (STAR) tests, attendance rates, and
high school graduation rates. Existing law requires that
achievement test scores constitute at least 60% of the API.
However, the only indicators used so far to calculate the
API have been test scores, so, in practice, test scores
constitute 100% of the API.
(Education Code � 52052)
Existing law also establishes the API advisory committee to
advise the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on
all appropriate matters relative to the creation of the
API. (EC � 52052.5)
ANALYSIS
Requires the Academic Performance Index (API) advisory
committee to develop a public measurement of activities in
SB 432
Page 2
public school classrooms that foster creativity,
innovation, and problem solving. Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the advisory committee to consult with
California employers in innovative industries and
businesses, including but not limited to, science,
technology, mathematics, engineering, and arts
education.
2) Requires the advisory committee to also consult
with educators and with career technical education
experts to identify best classroom practices and
activities to develop creative skills in pupils.
3) Requires the advisory committee to encourage the
development of broadly applicable creative skills, in
addition, to knowledge, to give pupils and businesses
the ability to succeed in a competitive global
economy.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) According to the author , many public schools provide
opportunities for creative work that engages and
motivates students, and has been proven to narrow
academic achievement gaps among student groups.
Although 80 percent of American corporate leaders
indicate creativity is an essential skill for the 21st
century workforce, current measures of school success
do not tell us how well schools are preparing students
to develop creativity. Current law does not provide
for an index or measurement reflecting the
availability of these opportunities in public schools.
This bill represents a major step towards holding
schools accountable for the creative and innovative
dimensions of education.
2) Other efforts . This bill is modeled after 2009
Massachusetts legislation that established a special
commission to develop a "Creative Challenge Index" for
the Commonwealth that will provide an
easy-to-understand rating of schools based on the
creative and innovative activities they offer.
Schools that provide many opportunities for creative
work in the arts, music, drama, and dance would rank
higher on the index compared with schools that provide
SB 432
Page 3
fewer such opportunities. Advocates of the
Massachusetts effort hope the index will a) inspire
teachers of science, history, math, English and other
core subjects to design lesson plans that fit into
existing curriculum and require creative student work
and b) encourage schools to establish and maintain
activities such as arts education, debate clubs,
science fairs, theater performance, or film making.
3) Staff recommends an amendment requiring the Academic
Performance Index advisory committee to report and
make recommendations to the State Superintendent of
Public Instruction by January 1, 2015 or sooner on the
development of a public measurement or index pursuant
to this section.
SUPPORT
Adobe Education
California Alliance for Arts Education
California State PTA
OPPOSITION
None on file.