BILL NUMBER: SB 1795 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 17, 2004
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 19, 2004
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2004
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 17, 2004
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 24, 2004
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 29, 2004
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 16, 2004
INTRODUCED BY Senator Alarcon
FEBRUARY 20, 2004
An act to add Section 66204.1 to the Education Code, relating to
career preparation curriculum .
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1795, as amended, Alarcon. Pupil preparation.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
assist all school districts to ensure that all public high school
pupils have access to a core curriculum that meets the admission
requirements of the University of California and the California State
University.
This bill would require the superintendent to appoint an advisory
panel to develop standards-based rigorous curriculum. The bill would
specify the membership of the panel and would prohibit the panel
from convening unless private funds are provided to the panel to
carry out its duties. The bill would require the superintendent to
report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2007, regarding
the progress of the advisory panel, and would require the advisory
panel, within 90 days of developing the proposed curriculum to submit
the proposed curriculum to the superintendent to be forwarded to the
Legislature.
The bill would declare the intent of the Legislature that at the
time high schools inform their feeder middle schools regarding high
school graduation requirements, those schools shall also inform each
pupil and his or her parent or guardian about the admission
requirements of the University of California, California State
University, and certain career technical programs. The bill would
require each high school to advise each pupil and his or her parent
or guardian prior to entering high school of his or her right to
enroll in a curriculum that would allow those pupils to pursue those
options. By imposing additional duties on school districts, this
bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that by 2012
all high school pupils be enrolled in standards-based rigorous
curriculum that will prepare them to pursue an array of postsecondary
options, including career technical training and postsecondary
education.
The bill would require the superintendent, in cooperation with an
advisory panel, to define standards-based rigorous curriculum.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement, including the creation of a State Mandates Claims Fund
to pay the costs of mandates that do not exceed $1,000,000 statewide
and other procedures for claims whose statewide costs exceed
$1,000,000.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes no .
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of
SECTION 1. Section 66204.1 is added to the Education Code, to
read:
66204.1. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall
convene an advisory panel to develop a standards-based rigorous
curriculum. The majority of the panel shall be comprised of middle
and high school teachers with competence in a particular subject
matter, including teachers of career technical education, who are
currently teaching in middle and high school. The panel shall also
include advocates, members of the business community, administrators,
and parents and guardians. In addition, the superintendent shall
request the Systemwide Academic Senate of the University of
California and the Academic Senate of the California State University
to appoint professors to the panel who are employed at those
universities.
(b) The panel shall not convene, unless private funding is
provided to the panel to carry out its duties.
(c) The superintendent shall report to the Legislature, on or
before January 1, 2007, regarding the progress of the advisory panel.
Within 90 days following the development of the proposed
curriculum, the advisory panel shall submit the proposed curriculum
to the superintendent and the superintendent shall forward the
proposed curriculum to the Legislature. the following:
(a) Less than 10 percent of California public high schools have
reached an acceptable academic performance index (API) score of 800,
and only 40 percent of high schools reach their annual API growth
targets.
(b) The majority of California public high school pupils are not
reaching the academic levels needed to succeed in the workplace,
college, or as effective citizens.
(c) Appropriate preparation and more rigorous curriculum leads to
higher achievement levels for all pupils.
(d) Pupils in the lowest academic quartile who are enrolled in
college readiness curriculum achieve higher results on reading and
mathematics assessments than their counterparts who are enrolled in
less demanding courses.
(e) Career Technical Education pupils who are enrolled in a
rigorous college readiness curriculum reach higher reading
achievement levels than their counterparts who are enrolled in
low-level courses.
(f) Sixty-five percent of graduating high school pupils in
California do not successfully complete the curriculum required for
admission to the University of California and the California State
University, nor are they adequately prepared to do college level work
in the California Community Colleges.
(g) Without the curriculum necessary for college admission,
low-income and graduating seniors of color are disproportionately
ineligible to apply to the University of California or California
State University.
(h) A rigorous high school curriculum is the single most important
factor for college completion for entry into the rapidly expanding,
technically demanding careers of the modern economy.
SEC. 2. Section 66204.1 is added to the Education Code, to read:
66204.1. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that by 2012 all
high school pupils be enrolled in standards-based rigorous
curriculum that will prepare them to pursue an array of options upon
graduation, including additional sequential career technical
training, and postsecondary education, or to immediately join the
21st century workforce.
(b) In order to ensure that all pupils are able to meet the goals
described in subdivision (a), school districts shall identify pupils
in the 5th grade who need additional assistance in meeting the
proficient performance standard on the California Standards Test.
Information that may be used to identify pupils who need additional
assistance may include, but need not be limited to, prior performance
on the California Standards Test, referral for supplemental
instruction, and teacher records. Middle grade teachers may use this
information to assist pupils identified pursuant to this subdivision
to meet the proficient performance standard.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that at the time high
schools inform their feeder middle schools regarding high school
graduation requirements, those high schools shall also inform each
pupil and his or her parent or guardian prior to entering high school
about the admission requirements of the University of California and
California State University and career technical programs that are
part of the standards-based rigorous curriculum.
(d) Each high school shall inform each pupil and his or her parent
or guardian prior to entering high school of his or her right to
enroll in a curriculum that allows a pupil to pursue the options
described in subdivision (a).
(e) (1) Each high school shall accommodate each pupil who requests
to pursue the educational options described in subdivision (a) by
methods including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Reorganizing class offerings.
(B) Offering combination classes.
(C) Increasing the rigor of classroom curricula.
(D) Reorganizing class schedules.
(E) Increasing on-line courses.
(F) Increasing the number of class offerings.
(2) The superintendent may work with high schools to implement
this subdivision, focusing on the schools that offer the fewest
college preparatory classes.
(3) This subdivision shall be implemented within existing
resources available to high schools.
(f) The superintendent shall, in cooperation with an advisory
panel, define defining "standards-based rigorous curriculum." The
panel shall be comprised of a majority of middle and high school
teachers with subject matter competence, including career technical
education teachers, who are currently teaching in middle and high
school. This panel shall include professors employed by the
University of California and California State University, advocates,
members of the business community, administrators, and parents and
guardians.
SEC. 3. Notwithstanding Section 17610 of the Government Code, if
the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains
costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and
school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7
(commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
Government Code. If the statewide cost of the claim for
reimbursement does not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000),
reimbursement shall be made from the State Mandates Claims Fund.