School accountability: academic performance: dropout recovery high schools.

Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with approval of the State Board of Education, to develop an Academic Performance Index (API) , as part of the Public School Performance Accountability Program, to measure the performance of schools, especially the academic performance of pupils. Existing law requires the Superintendent, with approval of the state board, to develop an alternative accountability system for specified types of schools and allows these schools to receive an API score, but prohibits them from being included in the API rankings of schools. Existing law requires the Superintendent and the state board, as part of the alternative accountability system for schools, or any successor system, to allow no more than 10 dropout recovery high schools to report the results of an individual pupil growth model, as specified, instead of reporting other indicators, and requires the Superintendent to review the individual pupil growth model proposed by a dropout recovery high school and certify that model if it meets specified criteria. Existing law defines a dropout recovery high school as a school offering instruction in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in which 50% or more of its pupils are designated as dropouts, as specified, and the school provides specified instruction. This bill would change the definition of a dropout recovery high school to mean a school offering instruction in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in which 50% or more of its pupils are either designated as dropouts, as specified, or left a school and were not otherwise enrolled in a school for a period of at least 180 days and the school provides specified instruction. The bill also would require a dropout recovery high school to submit to the Superintendent a certification that the high school meets the definition of a dropout recovery high school, as defined, and provide specified data in support of that designation. Existing law prohibits graduation rates for pupils in dropout recovery high schools, as defined, from being included in the API. This bill would revise the definition of dropout recovery high school for purposes of this provision to also include a high school in which 50% or more of its pupils left a school and were not otherwise enrolled in a school for a period of at least 180 days.