(Sept. 15, 2015, 5:30 a.m.) -- Democrat majorities in the Assembly and state Senate, including LB area Assemblymembers Patrick O'Donnell and Anthony Rendon and state Senator Ricardo Lara, have approved a bill (SB 172) that will suspend CA's High School Exit Exam and the requirement that students must pass it to graduate during the 2015-16 and 2017-18 school years AND -- in a sweeping amendment added in the Assembly at the request of the Governor's office -- will require school districts retroactively to grant a diploma to any student who completed grade 12 in the 2003-04 school year forward who met all graduation requirements except passage of the exit exam.

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On the state Senate floor on Sept. 10, the bill's author, Senator Carol Liu (D, Sunland/Tujunga-Upland), said her measure doesn't eliminate the CAHSEE, it only "suspends" it while a new exam aligned to "common core" standards is being developed, and said the retroactive verbiage was added because "we cannot in good conscience continue a graduation requirement that no one can meet."

Two days earlier on the Assembly floor, Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D, Concord) said the retroactive verbiage was added at the request of the Governor's office to "further clarify that the requirement to issue diplomas to students that met all graduation requirements other than passage of the exit exam applies retroactively to all students." Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R., Escondido) rose and opposed the amendments. No other Assemblymembers spoke; Assemblyman O'Donnell (who chairs the Assembly Education Committee) remained silent...and Dems prevailed on a 49-25 vote (6 not voting.) Senator Lara concurred in final Senate passage of the bill with Assembly amendments (24-14, 2 not voting.) \>[Scroll down for further.]

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The bill simultaneously requires the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an "advisory panel" to provide recommendations on continuing the exit exam and on "alternative pathways" to satisfy high school graduation requirements. The advisory panel is required to consist of, but not be limited to, secondary teachers; school administrators; school board members; parents; a student chosen from among the two finalists not appointed by the Governor to serve as the student member on the State Bd. of Education; representatives of a dropout recovery charter school; measurement experts; and individuals with expertise in assessing English learners and students with disabilities.

In seeking passage of her bill, Senator Liu stated, "Senate Bill 172 does not permanently eliminate the exit exam requirement, nor does it specify a successor exam. It simply suspends the requirement to pass the exit exam while the issue are being studied. The exit exam served a valuable purpose but it's not aligned to current academic standards. SB 172 will help define the next step "

In oposition, Senator Bob Huff (R, Brea) said, "We suspended the STAR exam. We're suspending the CAHSEE exam. And until we get the Common Core aligned, parents and students are sort of in limbo, and colleges, as to what our students are actually accomplishing...I think it's a dumb move. I urge a "no" vote."

They were the only two speakers before the vote, passing the bill 24-14 (2 not voting) along party lines. Total time spent discussing/debating on the bill on final passage in the Assembly: less than a minute. Total time debating the bill on final passage in the state Senate: a little over three minutes.

SB 172 went to the Governor on Sept. 11, who has twelve days to sign it, let it become law without his signature, or veto it. [Since his office requested inclusion of the retroactive provision, we presume he won't veto it.]

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To view the Senate legislative analysis on final floor passage (Sept. 10), click here.

To view the bill text sent to the Governor, click here

SB 172 was presented to the Governor on September 11; he has twelve days in which to sign it into law, let it become law without his signature...or veto it [and is unlikely to veto it since it contains the retroactive provision his office requested.]

So...what's the process for a new "common core" aligned exit exam, if any? SB 172 states:

...No later than March 1, 2016, the [state] Superintendent [of Public Instruction] shall submit to the state board recommendations on expanding the CAASPP [California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress] for consideration at a regularly scheduled public meeting. The Superintendent shall also submit these recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature and to the Director of Finance in accordance with all of the following:

(1) In consultation with stakeholders, including, but not necessarily limited to, California teachers, individuals with expertise in assessing English learners and pupils with disabilities, parents, and measurement experts, the Superintendent shall make recommendations regarding assessments, including the grade level, content, and type of assessment. These recommendations shall take into consideration the assessments already administered or planned pursuant to subdivision (b). The Superintendent shall consider the use of consortium-developed assessments, various item types, computer-based testing, and a timeline for implementation.

(2) The recommendations shall consider assessments in subjects, including, but not necessarily limited to, history-social science, technology, visual and performing arts, and other subjects as appropriate, as well as English language arts, mathematics, and science assessments to augment the assessments required under subdivision (b), and the use of various assessment options, including, but not necessarily limited to, computer-based tests, locally scored performance tasks, and portfolios...

...(6) The Superintendent shall convene an advisory panel, consisting of, but not necessarily limited to, secondary teachers, school administrators, school board members, parents, a student chosen from among the two finalists who were not appointed by the Governor to serve as the student member on the state board pursuant to Section 33000.5, representatives of a dropout recovery charter school operating pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 47605.1, measurement experts, and individuals with expertise in assessing English learners and pupils with disabilities, to provide recommendations to the Superintendent on the continuation of the high school exit examination, described in Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 60850), and on alternative pathways to satisfy the high school graduation requirements pursuant to Sections 51224.5 and 51225.3.

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As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, in late August the state legislature passed SB 725 exempting students in the recently graduated class of 2015 who 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 it wasn't/isn't aligned with new "common core.")