SB 172 (Liu) Page 2 of 2

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair

2015 - 2016 Regular Session

SB 172 (Liu) - Pupil testing: high school exit examination: suspension

Version: April 6, 2015 / Policy Vote: ED. 6 - 2
Urgency: No / Mandate: No
Hearing Date: May 4, 2015 / Consultant: Jillian Kissee

This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Bill Summary:

This bill suspends the administration of the high school exit examination, and the requirement that students pass this exam as a condition of graduation from high school, during the 2016-17 through 2018-19 school years, or when the high school exit exam is no longer available.
This bill also requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to convene an advisory panel to provide recommendations on the continuation of high school exit exam and on alternative pathways to satisfy the high school graduation requirements.

Fiscal Impact:

·  The suspension of the high school exit examination results in estimated savings of up to mid tens of millions in Proposition 98 General Fund and Federal fund savings over a multi-year period.

·  CDE estimates that this bill will result in one-time costs between $123,000 and $200,000 to convene an advisory panel, depending on the number of panel members. The recommendations that derive from this panel could create a potentially significant cost pressure to implement them.

Background:

Academic content standards describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject and grade from kindergarten through high school. Current law established the Academic Content Standards Commission to develop the California Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics. The State Board of Education adopted these standards in 2010 and since then many other states across the nation have adopted them as well.


Statewide student assessments measure student progress towards meeting academic content standards. AB 484 (Bonilla, Ch. 489, 2013) revamped the state’s assessment system by eliminating several assessments that were aligned to prior academic content standards, transitioning to assessments that are aligned to the common core standards in English language arts and mathematics, and requiring existing assessments for English language development and primary language to be revised for alignment with the common core standards. AB 484 did not affect the high school exit exam statutes and this exam remains aligned to the state’s previous academic content standards.

Current law requires students, as a condition of graduating from high school, to successfully complete specified coursework, any locally-imposed graduation requirements, and pass the high school exit exam. This bill suspends the requirement to pass the exit exam. The high school graduation requirements would therefore be the coursework required by the state and any locally-imposed requirements.

According to CDE, the contract for the high school exit exam will expire on October 31, 2015. CDE maintains that the Department of General Services is prohibiting CDE from extending the contract for this exam, and is requiring CDE to issue a Request for Proposal. If initiated immediately, a new contract will not be in place to ensure administration of the exam in July. Absent any action, the high school exit exam will not be available and therefore not be administered to students beginning July 2015, yet the requirement to pass the exit exam remains. This bill suspends the requirement to pass the exit exam during specified school years, or when the exit exam is no longer available.

Proposed Law:

This bill suspends the administration of the high school exit examination, and the requirement that students pass this exam as a condition of graduation from high school, during the 2016-17 through 2018-19 school years, or when the high school exit exam is no longer available.

This bill also requires CDE to convene an advisory panel, with specified members, to provide recommendations on the continuation of high school exit exam and on alternative pathways to satisfy the high school graduation requirements.

Related Legislation:

1.  AB 484 (Bonilla, 2013) among other things, eliminated the state’s previous assessment system, the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, and instead established the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which includes assessments that are aligned to the common core standards.

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