BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �






                         SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                                Carol Liu, Chair
                           2013-2014 Regular Session
                                        

          BILL NO:       SB 1016
          AUTHOR:        Wyland
          AMENDED:       March 20, 2014
          FISCAL COMM:   Yes            HEARING DATE:  April 30, 2014
          URGENCY:       Yes            CONSULTANT:Daniel Alvarez

           SUBJECT  :  Pupil instruction: common core academic content  
          standards and curriculum frameworks.
          
           SUMMARY  

          This bill, an urgency measure, repeals as of May 15, 2014,  
          statutes that appropriated $1.25 billion in 2013 to support  
          the implementation of the Common Core state standards, the  
          Next Generation Science Standards for California Public  
          Schools, and the California English Language Development  
          standards.  In addition, creates pilot programs that  
          measure effectiveness in the adopted common core academic  
          content standards and the curriculum frameworks that are  
          aligned to the common core standards, as specified.

           BACKGROUND  

          As part of the Budget Act of 2013 (Chapter 48, statutes of  
          2013), $1.25 billion in one-time Proposition 98 funding was  
          appropriated to school districts, county offices of  
          education, the state special schools, and charter schools  
          for instructional materials, professional development, and  
          technology costs associated with implementation of the  
          common core standards. These funds were allowed to be spent  
          at any time during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscal years. In  
          addition, these funds were distributed on an equal amount  
          per enrolled pupil.

          As a condition of receiving these funds, a school district,  
          county office of education, charter school, or state  
          special school is required to: Develop and adopt a plan  
          delineating how the funds will be spent. The plan must be  
          explained in a public meeting of the governing board of the  
          school district or county board of education, or governing  
          body of the charter school, before its adoption in a  





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          subsequent public meeting.  On or before July 1, 2015,  
          report detailed information to the California Department of  
          Education (CDE), including, but not limited to, specific  
          purchases made and the number of teachers, administrators,  
          or paraprofessional educators that received professional  
          development.

          The development of Common Core standards began as an  
          initiative of the Council of Chief State School Officers  
          and the National Governors Association. In August 2010, the  
          California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the  
          common core standards (in mathematics and English language  
          arts).
           ANALYSIS

           This bill, an urgency measure, repeals as of May 15, 2014,  
          statutes that appropriated $1.25 billion in 2013 to support  
          the implementation of the Common Core state standards, the  
          Next Generation Science Standards for California Public  
          Schools, and the California English Language Development  
          standards.  In addition, creates pilot programs that  
          measure effectiveness in the adopted common core academic  
          content standards and the curriculum frameworks that are  
          aligned to the common core standards, as specified.  More  
          specifically, this bill:

          1)   Repeals as of May 15, 2014, statute that appropriates  
               $1.25 billion for implementation of common core  
               standards, as specified.
                
          2)   Requires any funds, except as indicated in #3 below,  
               appropriated but not apportioned (allocated) by the  
               Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)  to be  
               apportioned by the by the SPI to school districts,  
               county offices of education, and charter schools using  
               an equal rate per unit of average daily attendance  
               (ADA).

          3)   Appropriates, as of May 15, 2014, the sum of $50  
               million to the SPI from any funds not already  
               apportioned pursuant to the repeal of Chapter 48 for  
               purposes of establishing pilot programs in urban,  
               suburban, and rural 
               school districts that measure the effectiveness of  
               both of the following:






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                  a)        The adopted common core academic content  
                    standards.

                  b)        The adopted curriculum frameworks that  
                    are aligned to the adopted common core academic  
                    content standards.

          1)   Requires a school district receiving funding from the  
               $50 million appropriation to do all of the following:

                  a)        Develop, on or before July 1, 2015, in  
                    consultation with parental organizations in the  
                    district, the pilot program.

                  b)        Review and revise, every six months, in  
                    consultation with parental organizations in the  
                    district, the pilot program.

                  c)        Submit to the State Department of  
                    Education the pilot program and any revisions to  
                    the pilot program for review.

                  d)        Make available to the public, the pilot  
                    program and any revisions to the pilot program.

           STAFF COMMENTS 

           1)   Need for the bill  .  The author's office indicates that  
               in preparation for implementation of common core  
               standards in English language arts and mathematics,  
               school districts will have large cost pressures  
               associated with the transition including new  
               instructional materials, professional development, and  
               upgrades to technology.  As other states have  
               experienced, there is a great deal of uncertainty with  
               the technology behind common core, as well as  
               assessment process. California should not be spending  
               a billion dollars on programs that have not yet been  
               demonstrated to work.  This measure immediately  
               suspends any of the $1.25 billion not already  
               appropriated and allocates $50 million for pilot  
               programs that would create the curriculum in  
               consultation with parental organizations.  

           2)   Apportionment (allocation) of funds has already  
               occurred  .  According to the California Department of  





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               Education website, the CDE plans to issue the first  
               apportionment (50 percent of funds) in August 2013,  
               and a second apportionment (50 percent of funds) in  
               October 2013.  At this point, school districts,  
               charter schools, county offices of education, and the  
               state's special schools have two fiscal years (2014-15  
               and 2015-16) in order to encumber these funds.  

           3)   Implementation of this measure will likely lead to  
               confusion.   The bill as drafted envisions immediate  
               repeal and suspension of $1.25 billion, and provide  
               for $50 million in pilot programs that emphasize  
               measurable effectiveness of adopted common core  
               standards and curriculum frameworks, with required  
               parental input, as specified.  However, local  
               educational agencies (LEAs) are well on their way  
               toward utilizing their share of funding toward the  
               broad goal of providing locally determined  
               professional development for teachers, administrators,  
               and paraprofessionals, purchase of instructional  
               materials, and technology-based instructional  
               endeavors with the underlying requirement that the  
               funds be used to support the integration of academic  
               content standards in instruction of the common core.   
               The change required in this measure could cause  
               confusion to LEAs, parents, and pupils who have worked  
               hard to adapt to the new standards.

           SUPPORT  

          None on file.

           OPPOSITION
           
          American Association of University Women
          California Teachers Association
          Students First