BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 1221
AUTHOR: Hancock
INTRODUCED: February 20, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: March 26, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : After school programs.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes new minimum grants and transportation
grants, authorizes summer-only programs to apply for federal
after school grants, makes funds for the family literacy grant
flexible by folding it into the larger pool of funding, deletes
the requirement to report test score data annually and instead
requires a new biennial report, requires grantees to report
program quality standards and evidence of quality improvement,
and requires grantees to submit social, behavioral, or skill
development outcome measures.
BACKGROUND
State funded after school programs
Current law establishes the After School Education and Safety
(ASES) program consisting of before and after school academic
enrichment. ASES programs receive direct grants, where
attendance is projected and grants are funded up- front, in
three one-year increments. Each school that establishes an ASES
program is eligible to receive a 3-year direct grant that is
awarded in three 1-year increments and is subject to semiannual
attendance reporting and other requirements.
Direct grants
The maximum total direct grant awarded annually for an after
school program is $112,500 for each regular school year for
elementary schools and $150,000 for middle or junior high
schools (based on a formula of $7.50 per student per day of
attendance, at a maximum of $37.50 per student per week).
The maximum total grant awarded annually for a before school
program is $37,500 for each regular school year for elementary
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schools and $49,000 for middle or junior high schools (based on
formula of $5 per student per day of attendance, at a maximum of
$25 per student per week).
Supplemental grants
Schools are eligible for a supplemental grant to operate a
three-hour program in excess of 180 days or during any
combination of summer, intersession, or vacation for the lesser
of $7.50 per student per day or 30% of the total grant amount
awarded to the
school per school year. Supplemental grants are also available
to operate a six-hour program providing a maximum of 30% of the
total grant amount.
(Education Code � 8482-8484.6)
Federal 21st Century
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st Century) is a
federally funded before and after school program that provides
disadvantaged K-12 student (50% or more eligibility for free and
reduced-price meals) with academic enrichment and support. The
ASES program and 21st Century programs are nearly identical and
can operate in tandem. Both programs are administered by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction. (EC � 8484.7-8484.9)
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes new minimum grants and transportation
grants, authorizes summer-only programs to apply for federal
after school grants, makes funds for the family literacy grant
flexible by folding it into the larger pool of funding, deletes
the requirement to report test score data annually and instead
requires a new biennial report, requires grantees to report
program quality standards and evidence of quality improvement,
and requires grantees to submit social, behavioral, or skill
development outcome measures. Specifically, this bill:
ASES
1) Establishes a new minimum grant to be calculated by
multiplying the per student, per day, rate (different rates
exist for after school and for before school) by 20
students being served for 180 regular schooldays.
2) Establishes a maximum total summer grant for programs
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operating for three hours of $33,750 for elementary schools
and $45,000 for middle or junior high schools. This
notwithstands existing grant amounts of the lesser of $7.50
per student per day or 30% of the total direct grant.
3) Modifies the maximum summer grant for programs operating
for six hours from a maximum of 30% of the total direct
grant to a maximum of either 30% of the total grant or
$33,750 for elementary schools and $45,000 for middle or
junior high schools.
4) Deletes the prohibition on summer grantees operating a six
hour program from receiving additional grant funds.
5) Changes references of "direct grants" to "after school
grants."
6) Changes references of "supplemental grants" to "summer
grants." This bill uses the existing definition of
supplement to define summer grants.
21st Century
7) Gives priority to grant applications that will provide
year-round expanded learning programs, and defines
year-round expanded learning programs as any combination of
summer programs complementing existing before and/or after
school programs operated by another grantee (or vice versa)
or programs offering full year programs. This allows
program operators to apply for only the summer component
rather than the entire year-round component.
8) Deletes federal grants for family literacy services
($20,000 per site) and reduces from 10 to 5 the minimum
percentage of federal funds that are to be available for
grants for equitable access or family literacy services.
Rather than providing grants specifically for family
literacy, this bill deems, in accordance with federal law,
federal funding for programs that promote parent
involvement and family literacy as allowable uses of funds
designated for technical assistance, evaluation and
training services.
Transportation
9) Authorizes funding for transportation to be provided to an
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ASES program operated at a schoolsite located in an extreme
rural census tract identified by the United States Census
as isolated.
Test scores and positive behavioral changes
10) Deletes from information required to be included in
applications for 21st Century grant funding the results of
student test scores and the high school exit exam.
11) Deletes as one of the criterion used in determining
priority for 21st Century funding for programs that
previously received funding, demonstration of positive
outcomes regarding performance on the high school exit
exam, graduation rates, schoolday attendance, and positive
behavioral changes.
12) Deletes from outcome-based data to be submitted annually to
the California Department of Education (CDE) for evaluation
of 21st Century programs, academic performance, performance
on the high school exit exam, graduation rates and positive
behavioral changes.
Program quality and effectiveness
13) Requires programs to submit evidence of a program quality
improvement process that is based on the CDE's guidance on
program quality standards.
14) Adds program quality standards as an additional measure to
demonstrate program effectiveness.
15) Modifies the requirement regarding the submission of
measures for demonstrating program effectiveness to delete
reference to performance on the high school exit exam and
standardized tests, homework completion rates, and clarify
that measures of positive behavioral changes may be
reported to the extent student level data is available.
(See Author's amendments comment.)
16) Deletes from measurable outcomes that may be used to
demonstrate program effectiveness, improvement in
performance on standardized tests including performance
levels (below basic and far below basic).
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17) Requires the CDE to submit a biennial report to the
Legislature related to the students attending expanded
learning programs, and the quality of those programs. This
bill requires the report to include data using the
statewide unique student identifier and authorizes the
inclusion of aggregate reporting of all of the following:
a) The number, geographical distribution
and type of sites and grantees.
b) Student attendance in the program and
regular schoolday.
c) Statewide test and assessment scores.
d) Student demographics and
characteristics.
e) Student behavior changes and skill
development.
f) The quality of the program based on
CDE's guidance on program quality standards.
18) Deletes the requirement that measures of 21st Century
program effectiveness be used for three consecutive years.
19) Specifies that the unique statewide student identifiers
(unduplicated) are to be used for data demonstrating
program effectiveness.
Miscellaneous
20) Modifies the academic assistance component of programs from
being aligned, to being coordinated with, the regular
academic programs of the students.
21) Deletes providing assistance to students to pass the high
school exit exam as one of the purposes of the 21st Century
program, and replaces it with providing support for college
and career readiness.
22) Adds a definition in ASES provisions for "expanded
learning" to reflect terminology used in the field, and for
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"summer grant" which is currently referred to as a
supplemental grant.
23) Adds to existing intent language regarding 21st Century
programs complementing ASES programs to include the intent
to provide year-round opportunities for expanded learning.
24) Deletes references to outdated reports and evaluations,
funding for an obsolete report, and requirements to adopt
criteria for program evaluation and review. This bill also
deletes reference to the outdated Standardized Testing and
Reporting (STAR) program and instead references statewide
test and assessment scores.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Minimum grant . This bill establishes a new minimum grant
amount based on existing per student rates multiplied by 20
students. The purpose of a minimum grant is to assist
small programs with attendance too low to generate grant
funding sufficient to operate a viable program. Federal
21st Century statutes cap the minimum grant at $50,000, and
the formula established in this bill would result in
minimum grants of $27,000 (based on rates for 20 students).
However, this bill places no parameters on minimum grants,
such as a process to prevent several small programs from
serving a geographic area that could have one program
serving more students (and possibly using the
transportation grant proposed by this bill). Should an
applicant be required to serve a minimum number of
students? Should there be a cap on the number of minimum
grants awarded, or a cap on total funds allocated for
minimum grants, especially if these grants are to be
provided within existing ASES and 21st Century funds?
2) Transportation funds . This bill authorizes funding for
transportation to be provided to an ASES program operated
at a schoolsite located in an extreme rural census tract
identified by the United States Census as isolated.
Author's amendments (see Comment #6) propose to instead
authorize isolated programs, as identified by less than 11
people per square mile, to receive up to $25,000 annually
per site. After school programs do not currently receive
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funding specifically for transportation, although 21st
Century "equity" funds may be used transportation. Should
there be a cap on the number of transportation grants
awarded, or a cap on total funds allocated for
transportation, especially if these grants are to be
provided within existing ASES and 21st Century funds?
3) Summer grant . This bill establishes a maximum total summer
grant for programs operating for three hours and modifies
the maximum summer grant for programs operating for six
hours to reference dollar amounts in addition to a
percentage of the direct grant to correspond with other
changes made by this bill that authorize summer-only
programs to apply for 21st Century funds (those programs
will not have a direct grant from which to calculate a
summer grant).
4) Family literacy grant . This bill authorizes funds
designated for technical assistance, evaluation and
training services to be used for programs that promote
parent involvement and family literacy. California has
elected, but is not required, to designate funds
specifically for family literacy. This bill collapses that
designated funding into the larger pool of funding,
providing flexibility to grantees to meet the needs of
their program participants.
5) Quality standards . This bill requires programs to submit
evidence of a program quality improvement process that is
based on CDE's guidance on program quality standards. A
workgroup of the California AfterSchool Network Quality
Committee developed 12 quality standards for expanded
learning programs that were adopted by the CDE in January
2014. A "Phase II" workgroup has since begun the
development of indicators of quality standards and a matrix
of existing
quality assessment tools. Recommendations for indicators
is expected on June 30, 2014.
http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/sites/main/files/file-atta
chments/quality_standards_report_v12.3_0.pdf
6) Author's amendments . The author intends to amend this bill
as follows:
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a) Strike the authority to report measures of
positive behavioral changes and skill development, for
purposes of demonstrating program effectiveness, and
instead:
i) Require programs to submit social,
behavioral, or skill development outcome measures
by unique statewide student identifiers, based on
a list of field-recognized and research-based
tools and assessments developed by the California
Department of Education (CDE). (See #4 above)
ii) Include as outcomes related to specific
social-emotional competencies social skills,
self-control, empathy, perseverance, conflict
resolution, and school-connectedness.
iii) Require the menu of tools and
assessments to lend themselves to program
evaluation and continuous improvement processes
to be easily combined to match the focus and
context of the wide variation of funded expanded
learning programs.
iv) Prohibit any one tool or assessment to
be given priority, and requires the list to be
reviewed and updated annually to include future
additions used in the field and validated by
research.
v) Require the CDE to implement this
reporting requirement by the 2015-16 school year.
b) Authorize up to $25,000 per site annually for
transportation in isolated programs (see below), as
determined by the local community.
c) Strike reference to an extreme rural census tract
identified as isolated, and instead reference an area
that has a population density of less than 11 people
per square mile (relative to additional funding for
transportation).
7) Behavior and skill development . This bill clarifies that
measures of positive behavioral changes and skill
development may be reported for purposes of demonstrating
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program effectiveness. Author's amendments propose to
instead require programs to submit social, behavioral, or
skill development outcome measures by unique statewide
student identifiers, based on a list of field-recognized
and research-based tools and assessments developed by CDE.
As indicated in Comment #5, a workgroup is currently
developing indicators of quality standards and a matrix of
existing quality assessment tools. Recommendations for
indicators are expected on June 30, 2014.
8) Test scores . This bill deletes the results of student
test scores and/or the high school exit exam from the list
of information required to be included in applications for
21st Century grant funding, as one of the criterion used in
determining priority for 21st Century funding, and as
outcome-based data submitted to the CDE. Instead, this
bill requires the CDE to report biennially regarding the
students attending, and program quality of expanded
learning programs, and authorizes the inclusion of
aggregate reporting of statewide test and assessment
scores. This may be particularly beneficial during the
next few years of transition to a new student assessment
system.
9) New report . This bill requires the CDE to submit a
biennial report to the Legislature related to the students
attending expanded learning programs and the quality of
those programs. Grantees are currently required to submit
annual attendance data to the CDE, as funding is based on
attendance, and a one-time evaluation of after school
programs was completed in 2011. Currently, the Legislature
does not receive any reports relative to after school
programs. This bill requires the report to include data
using the statewide unique student identifier and
authorizes the inclusion of aggregate reporting of all of
the following:
a) The number, geographical distribution and type of
sites and grantees.
b) Student attendance in the program and regular
schoolday.
c) Statewide test and assessment scores.
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d) Student demographics and characteristics.
e) Student behavior changes and skill development.
f) The quality of the program based on CDE's
guidance on program quality standards.
SUPPORT
After School Coalition
Alameda County Superintendent of Schools
Aspiranet
Boys and Girls Club of North San Mateo County
Building Educated Leaders for Life
California Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs
California Library Association
California School-Age Consortium
Central Valley Afterschool Foundation
Families In Schools
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
GreatSchools
InnerCity Struggle
LA's BEST
Mission Readiness
Partnership for Children & Youth
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Vice President
Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Children's Initiative
Think Together
Youth Alliance
An individual
OPPOSITION
None on file.