California's Education Code, the set of laws that govern public education in California, is continually evolving.

This section highlights noteworthy laws and policies that were enacted between 2009 and 2010. They are described below by topic, so some legislation may appear under multiple topics.

Much of the legislation was prompted by the state's application for grants under the federal Race to the Top competition, indicated below with the following icon:  

For more information on any of these laws and to see text of other education related laws, visit the Leginfo website and enter the bill number into the search field.

Scroll down or click on the links below for information about recent laws pertaining to the following issues areas:

• Federal Stimulus and the Race to the Top
  
• California's Data System
  
• Charter Schools
• School Interventions
• Standards-based education/Academic Performance Index (API)
• Student Transfers
• Teachers & Leaders 

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Federal Stimulus Including Race to the Top

SB X5 1 and SB X5 4  1/7/2010
These two bills endeavor to bring the state's education laws into conformance with what federal officials would like to see as part of the Race to the Top grant program. The bills touch on a number of key education reform areas, including standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, great teachers and leaders, and turning around the lowest-achieving schools.

SB 19 10/11/2009
Among other things, this bill removes the prohibition against using data from the burgeoning California Education Information System for purposes of pay, promotion, sanction, or evaluation of teachers. The bill thereby removes the "firewall" that federal Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said existed between California's personnel evaluations and student achievement data and thus addresses one of two eligibility criteria of the Race to the Top. .

AB 1130  10/11/2009
The current Academic Performance Index (API) system compares annual snapshots of test scores. Because a number of students enter and exit schools each year, these annual snapshots do not track the same students from year to year. AB 1130 states the Legislature's intent that the committee advising the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on the API recommend to the Superintendent and the State Board of Education a method of holding schools and districts accountable for the academic growth of the same students over time. The Legislature did not give the committee a deadline.

More on the Federal Stimulus

California's Data System

SBX5 2  1/7/2010
This bill requires the California Department of Education to establish (by July 1, 2010) a process for handling requests for data showing individual student growth from the emerging California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), enabling independent researchers and community groups to access achievement data.

The legislation also requires the California Department of Education to establish a process for local education agencies to create unique pupil identifiers for students in publicly-funded child care and development programs by January 1, 2011.

The bill also establishes the Legislature's intent to create a preschool through higher education (P-20) statewide longitudinal educational data system, and establishes legislative intent for requiring the necessary agencies to disclose records to the data system.

SBX5 1  1/7/2010
This makes statutory changes to facilitate the creation of an education data system linked across numerous state agencies and age groups and to allow federal reporting.

More on California's Data System

Charter Schools 

SB 191 10/11/2009
SB 319, passed in 2005, established a new basis for funding charter high schools that were converted to charter status in unified school districts. Prior to the passage of SB 319, charter high schools in unified districts were often found to have a greater entitlement to general purpose funding, paid out of district funds, than the district was entitled to receive. SB 319 required that the funding for these schools instead be based on the amount they received the year prior to their conversion, but did not provide for modification based on decreases in district funding. For conversions on or after January 1, 2010, SB 191 reverts to the old basis for funding-based on statewide averages of school district general purpose (revenue limit) funding per pupil. SB 191 does not preclude a charter school or unified school district from agreeing to an alternative funding formula.  

SB 592  10/11/2009
Current law prohibits an entity other than a school district from holding title to a school facility constructed under the Charter School Facilities (CSF) program. Some districts may be unwilling to assume title holder responsibility because of liability or other concerns. This legislation provides additional options for charter schools when school districts are reluctant to hold title to the facility.  

This bill allows local government entities, such as cities, counties, county boards of education, as well as charter schools, to hold title to a school facility constructed using state education bond funds under the CSF program. The bill also authorizes a charter school to request that a district transfer a facility title to the school or one of those other local government entities if the district held the title prior to January 1, 2010. A school district that receives such a request may transfer the title pursuant to terms and conditions that the charter school and district have agreed upon. 

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School Interventions

SBX5 1  1/7/2010
This bill authorizes the state to establish a list of low-achieving schools, and requires any school identified as persistently low-achieving to implement one of the four RTT interventions. It also authorized such schools to participate in a school-to-school partnership program by working with a mentor school.

The four interventions are:  

• TURNAROUND MODEL: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
• RESTART MODEL: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.
• SCHOOL CLOSURE: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district.
• TRANSFORMATION MODEL: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies. In districts with nine or more persistently low achieving schools, not more than one-half of these schools can use this model.

SBX5 4  1/7/2010
This bill requires local education agencies to implement one of the four RTT interventions at certain schools if at least half of the parents petition it to do so, but limits the provision to no more than 75 schools statewide.

Standards-based education/Academic Performance Index (API)

SBX5 1  1/7/2010
This bill requires recommendations, by 2013, on establishing a method for measuring group and individual academic performance growth in the API by using individual pupil results from the longitudinal data system.

It also expressed legislative intent that the state testing program include a plan for transitioning to the kinds of high-quality assessments defined by the Race to the Top guidelines.

SB 651  10/11/2009
This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit an annual dropout report to the governor, Legislature, and State Board of Education beginning on or before August 1, 2011. The report must contain information on dropout rates, graduation rates, pupil promotion rates, course enrollment patterns, and behavioral data. The bill also requires that, starting July 1, 2011, the Academic Performance Index (API) for a school or school district include test scores and other data from pupils who were referred to alternative education programs and include school and school district dropout rates. Existing law required this only if school districts received a per-pupil allocation for implementation of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.

AB 1130  10/11/2009
The current Academic Performance Index (API) system compares annual snapshots of test scores. Because a number of students enter and exit schools each year, these annual snapshots do not track the same students from year to year. AB 1130 states the Legislature's intent that the committee advising the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on the API recommend to the Superintendent and the State Board of Education a method of holding schools and districts accountable for the academic growth of the same students over time. The Legislature did not give the committee a deadline.

More on Standards-based Education

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Student Transfers

SBX5 4  1/7/2010
This bill allows students in any of the 1,000 lowest performing schools, based on API, to apply to enroll in a higher performing school elsewhere in the state. "Districts of enrollment" will adopt written standards for applications and acceptance, and may not consider a pupil's family income. "Districts of residence" and "districts of enrollment" are allowed to prohibit transfers under certain circumstances.

SB 680  10/11/2009
This bill extends and expands the School District of Choice program, which allows districts to accept inter-district transfers according to specified criteria.

Teachers & Leaders

SBX5 1  1/7/2010
This bill establishes the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Career Technical Education Educator (STEM-CTE) Credentialing Program. Under this program, by June 2010, the state must establish a process for authorizing alternative route educator preparation programs in those areas, and must allow community-based organizations to provide those preparation programs.

AB 239  10/11/2009
This bill requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to issue a clear credential to teachers and service providers (such as school counselors) who attain certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS); authorizes the CTC to issue an English learner certification (the Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development or CLAD) to applicants who attain English as a New Language certification from the NBPTS; and authorizes school districts to offer district intern programs in Special Education to teach pupils at all levels of disability. These actions streamline the teacher credentialing process and increase access to special education credential programs. The intent of these policy changes is to help the state with its teacher shortage, which is particularly acute in math, science, and Special Education.

SB 751  10/11/2009
This bill (1) streamlines California's credential application process for out-of-state teachers who were trained outside the United States and (2) establishes requirements for local education agencies that provide test preparation courses for teachers seeking a subsequent credential.

California's credential application process for teachers prepared outside of the United States currently requires all such applicants to obtain a foreign transcript evaluation. This bill would remove that requirement for teachers from other countries who have already earned a valid corresponding credential in another U.S. state.

The bill also requires LEAs that offer test preparation courses to ensure that the programs meet certain subject-matter knowledge requirements.

They must ensure that the program meets the domains for subject matter understanding and skill adopted by the CTC in the content area and provide general information to teacher participants on the requirements for adding a new credential type.

The bill also authorizes a school district, COE, or charter school to contract with other entities, including the California Subject Matter Projects administered by the University of California, to provide intensive examination preparation courses.

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