Amended in Senate March 24, 2014

Senate Bill No. 1248

Introduced by Senator Lara

February 20, 2014

An act to add begin delete and repeal end delete Article 3 (commencing with Section 32320) begin delete of end delete begin insert to end insert Chapter 3 of Part 19 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to public schools.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1248, as amended, Lara. Academic begin delete achievement gap: task force. end delete begin insert Achievement Gap Advisory Committee. end insert

Existing law establishes the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 to, among other things, ensure that each child in California receives a high quality education consistent with all statewide content and performance standards, as specified.

This bill would begin delete require the State Department of Education to establish a blue ribbon task force on the achievement gap in California’s public schools, end delete begin insert provide for the establishment of the Academic Achievement Gap Advisory Committee as an advisory committee to the State Board of Education. The bill would require the committee to, among other things, monitor the implementation of the local control funding formula, common core academic content standards, and Academic Performance Index standards, as they relate to closing the achievement gap, as defined, for pupils of color. The bill would require the committee end insert to be comprised of begin delete 10 end delete begin insert 12 end insert members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the begin delete department, end delete begin insert State Department of Education, end insert as specified. begin delete The bill would require the task force, on or before January 1, 2017, to report specified information to the Legislature and the department relating to closing the academic achievement gap between pupils of color and their peers. The bill would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2019. end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Article 3 (commencing with Section 32320) is
added to Chapter 3 of Part 19 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read:

 

Article 3.  begin delete Blue Ribbon Task Force on the end delete begin insert Academic end insert
Achievement Gap begin insert Advisory Committee end insert

 

begin delete

32320.  

(a) A blue ribbon task force on the achievement gap
in California’s public schools shall be established by the
department, to be comprised of 12 members appointed as follows:

(1) Four members shall be appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules.

(2) Four members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly.

(3) Two members shall be appointed by the department.

(b) The task force shall issue a written report that contains
specific findings and recommendations relating to all of the
following:

(1) Closing the academic achievement gap between pupils of
color and their peers.

(2) Improving high school and graduation rates for pupils of
color.

(3) Evaluating the impact of common core academic content
standards on the academic performance of pupils of color.

(4) Addressing the college enrollment gaps between pupils of
color and their peers.

(c) (1) On or before January 1, 2017, the task force shall submit
a report to the Legislature and the department on the
recommendations developed pursuant to subdivision (b).

(2) The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section
9795 of the Government Code.

(d) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this
article is repealed on January 1, 2019.

end delete begin insert

begin insert 32320. end insert   

(a) The Academic Achievement Gap Advisory
Committee shall be established by the state board to advise the
state board pursuant to this article. The committee shall be tasked
with all of the following:

(1) Monitoring the implementation of the local control funding
formula, common core academic content standards, and Academic
Performance Index standards, as they relate to closing the
achievement gap for pupils of color.

(2) Providing ongoing recommendations to the state board
regarding how and if school districts are making progress in
closing the achievement gap in their schools.

(3) Providing recommendations as to the best practices being
used by school districts to close the achievement gap in their
schools.

(b) The committee shall have access to local control and
accountability plan data and aggregate data on pupil achievement
for purposes of implementing the provisions of this article.

end insert begin insert

begin insert 32321. end insert   

The committee shall be comprised of 12 members
representing school boards, school administrators, educational
justice advocates, and policy experts, to be appointed as follows:

(a) Five members shall be appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules.

(b) Five members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly.

(c) Two members shall be appointed by the department.

end insert begin insert

begin insert 32322. end insert   

For purposes of this article, “achievement gap” means
the following:

(a) The gap between pupils of color and their peers in test
scores, enrollment in advanced placement courses, high school
completion rates, and enrollment in four-year colleges.

(b) The disparity between the academic performance of white
pupils and other ethnic groups, English learners and native English
speakers, and socioeconomically disadvantaged and
nondisadvantaged pupils.

end insert