Academic content standards: English language development standards.

Existing law requires each school district that has one or more pupils who are English learners to assess the English language development of each of those pupils upon initial enrollment in order to determine the level of proficiency of those pupils, and thereafter to assess each of those pupils annually until the pupil is redesignated as English proficient. Existing law requires the State Board of Education to approve standards for English language development for pupils whose primary language is a language other than English. Existing law further requires that these standards be comparable in rigor and specificity to the statewide academically rigorous content standards for English language arts. This bill would make a clarifying change to the provisions relating to the standards for English language development. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language development standards adopted pursuant to existing law to the state board-approved academic content standards for English language arts. The bill would require the Superintendent to convene a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum, and assessment to assist the Superintendent in updating, revising, and aligning the English language development standards. The bill would also require the Superintendent to present the updated, revised, and aligned English language development standards to the state board on or before August 31, 2012. The bill would further require the state board to adopt, reject, or revise the standards presented by the Superintendent on or before September 30, 2012. The bill would require the Superintendent and the state board to present to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating the English language development standards adopted pursuant to this bill into the state public education system. The bill would also express the intent of the Legislature that the State Department of Education consider the work of the group of experts when developing any new English language acquisition assessments. The bill would require the department to use certain federal funds to implement these provisions of the bill. The bill would repeal these provisions on July 1, 2013.