(Aug. 31, 2015) -- The CA legislature recently passed, and Governor Brown signed, a bill (SB 725) exempting students in the recently graduated class of 2015, who've met all other graduation requirements, from having to pass the CA High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to obtain their diploma because the exit exam wasn't aligned with new "common core" standards. (The bill exempted 2015 seniors who hadn't previously passed CAHSEE by May of their senior year and were trying to retake it in July but couldn't because the CA Dept. of Education had suspended it as the test wasn't/isn't aligned with new "common core.") So...what about students in the Class of 2016 and beyond? Currently, the CAHSEE is in Sac'to limbo in the state legislature's hands. The fate of the exit exam hasn't been conclusively determined by state lawmakers, but there are moves underway that could significantly change things for coming high school graduates. State lawmakers could wait for educators' consensus on a "common core" version of the test now being vetted and ultimately require students now being taught the "common core" curriculum to pass a newly aligned exam. However some state lawmakers and some in the educational establishment have indicated a willingness to consider some "alternative" pathways to qualify for a CA high school diploma...or possibly scrap CA's high school exit exam entirely. [Scroll down for further.] |
Long Beach Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, Long Beach) is effectively at Sacramento ground zero on the issue. A teacher (and former LB Councilman) elected to the state legislature in 2014 with strong support from teachers unions, the Assembly Dem leadership tapped O'Donnell in his first term to chair the Assembly Education Committee. In July, Assemblyman O'Donnell and Dems on the Educaton Committee voted to advance, and Repubs voted against, SB 172, a bill that would suspend the CAHSEE for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years and require the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an advisory panel of secondary teachers, school administrators, school board members, parents, the state board of education's student member, measurement experts, and individuals with expertise in assessing English learners and pupils with disabilities to make recommendations on continuing the CAHSEE and on "alternative pathways" to satisfy high school graduation requirements. The bill also adds these recommendations to those the Sup't of Public Instruction must make by March 1, 2016 to the State Board of Education (SBE) regarding expansion of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) (testing that replaced former statewide standardized testing which the state legislature eliminated in 2013.) To view SB 172's text as currently amended, click here. [Scroll down for further.]
Earlier this year, SB 172 cleared the state Senate on a party line vote: Dems in favor including LB area state Senator Ricardo Lara (D, Long Beach-Huntington Park); Repubs opposed including state Senator Janet Nguyen (R, SE LB/western OC.) SB 172 is currently "in suspense" (being held) in the Assembly Appropriations Committee with no further action expected this year. The bill could advance later this fall or in 2016, with or without amendments...or state lawmakers could do something else. LBUSD's administration is keeping a close watch on developments. The Assembly Education Committee's legislative analysis includes a list of SB 172's supporters and opponents which we provide below along with analysis text. Supporters of the bill include the LB Area Chamber of Commerce, the CA State PTA, the CA Teachers Association and the CA School Boards Association...although LBUSD's school board hasn't taken a voted position on the bill. [Assembly Education Committee legislative analysis text] Scroll down for further
When originally enacted, the CA High School Exit exam was considered a bipartisan centerpiece of educational reform, signed into law by then Governor Gray Davis (a Dem.) Supporters said it showed parents and taxpayers that CA high school graduates who received a diploma could demonstrate certain basic skills. Students were given multiple chances to pass the test, starting in the 10th grade; most passed it on their first try or on subsequent tries...but some didn't. Supporters say the exam encourages students to work harder and requires school districts to intensify efforts to close a demographic achievement gap. Opponents argue the exam disproportionately impacts English learners and low income students and discourages them from staying in school. Studies on the High School Exit Exam have reached differing conclusions. In a separate but related development, in October 2013, the state legislature passed and Governor Brown signed AB 484 that ended CA's Standardized Testing and Reporting program (STAR tests.), The action eliminated Academic Performance Index scores which many parents and students used to see how well their local school performed, in terms of student's standardized test scores, compared to other schools. In its place, a new "California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress" (CAASPP), aligned to common core standards, was created. Initial school and student scores on the new CAASPP haven't been released publicly (shared thus far only with school administrators.) However CA's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, is required to report by March 1, 2016 to the State Board of Education (SBE) on expanding the CAASPP. The Long Beach Unified School District was among those supporting the elimination of CA's standardized testing program in 2013.
LBUSD also joined a number of CA school districts (including Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Oakland) in seeking and obtaining a waiver from the U.S. Dept. of Education from some requirements that other CA school districts must meet under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act." The federal law sets tough (some argue too inflexible) standards that schools nationwide must meet to show they're successfully educating all of their students. LBUSD's administration and the LB school board have been on record for some time in urging Congress to amend the "No Child Left Behind Act" to allow greater flexibility, different standards and local control over how schools and student performance should be measured. The No Child Left Behind Act, also considered a school reform measure when enacted in 2002, is due for reauthorization, and has drawn criticism from some who argue it should be amended to allow a more flexible measurement system to measure school and student performance (arguments paralleling those surrounding CA's exit exam and state standardized testing.) Controversy over the federal bill is further amplified by criticism of new "common core" standards. In July 2015 the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would give states more flexibility in setting their standards for measure schools and student performance; it awaits action in the House of Representatives. Developing...with further to follow on LBREPORT.com The text above includes edits for clarity since its original posting. blog comments powered by Disqus Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends:
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