BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
John Vasconcellos, Chair
2003-2004 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 816
AUTHOR: Reyes
AMENDED: June 16, 2004
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June, 23, 2004
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Tanya Lieberman
NOTE: This bill has been amended to replace its contents
and this is the first time the bill is being heard in its
current form.
SUBJECT : Consolidated application for categorical programs
SUMMARY
This bill allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to add categorical programs to the consolidated
application, and allows the SPI to use data from
categorical programs to monitor student outcomes as part of
the revised compliance system.
BACKGROUND
Current law (SB 374, O'Connell, Chapter 724, Statutes of
2001) requires the SPI to establish the process and
frequency for conducting reviews of school district
achievement and compliance with state and federal
categorical program requirements. Current law requires the
SPI to establish the content of these instruments,
including any criteria for differentiating these reviews
based on the achievement of pupils, as demonstrated by the
Academic Performance Index and evidence of district
compliance with state and federal law. Current law
requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to review the
content of these instruments for consistency with SBE
policy.
Current law establishes the Consolidated Application
through which school districts apply for participation in
eighteen categorical programs. Schools that receive
funding from consolidated application programs are required
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to assure that schoolsite councils have developed and
approved a Single Plan for Pupil Achievement (SPPA) for
schools participating in programs funded through the
consolidated application process, and any other programs
that they chose to include.
The State Department of Education (SDE) currently operates
the Coordinated Compliance Review (CCR), a review of
compliance with laws authorizing 18 state and federal
categorical programs. Each local education agency is
reviewed once every four years by state staff and local
administrators trained to review one or more of these
programs.
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Allows the SPI, with the approval of the SBE, to add
categorical programs which provide for state
monitoring of compliance to be added to the
consolidated application.
2) Adds "available data pertaining to the effectiveness
of categorical programs" as a measure which the SPI
can use to establish the content of instruments used
to monitor student outcomes as part of the compliance
system.
3) Requires the SPI to conduct a review of each
categorical program, based upon an analysis of
available data including student achievement data and
test results. Requires the SPI to determine whether a
program is in compliance with state and federal law.
4) Requires the SPI to identify corrective action to be
taken, if appropriate, and assist a school district to
develop and complete a corrective action plan.
5) Eliminates a provision which states that the SPPA is
required in lieu of the Program Quality Review, which
has been eliminated.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) SDE compliance monitoring system undergoing reform.
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The SDE compliance monitoring system is in the process
of being redesigned, under the authority granted by SB
374. The new system will differentiate monitoring of
local educational agencies based on compliance history
and student outcomes, and involve technical assistance
with local educational agencies to improve student
outcomes through improved implementation of
categorical programs. According to the author, SDE
has conducted approximately twenty regional and
statewide orientation and input sessions on the
proposed new monitoring system, and plans to hold a
training on the new system this fall. The program is
expected to be implemented in January, 2005.
2) Data from categorical programs . This bill authorizes
the SDE to use "available data pertaining to the
effectiveness of categorical programs" to establish
measures of student outcomes used in the new
compliance monitoring system. SDE indicates that they
currently maintain 25 databases to measure categorical
program effectiveness, including data from the
Standardized Testing and Reporting program (STAR),
Healthy Kids Surveys, and Desired Results measurements
for child development programs.
SUPPORT
Superintendent of Public Instruction
OPPOSITION
None received