Special education: inclusive education.

(1) Existing law requires school districts, county offices of education, and special education local plan areas to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those pupils with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, and with special education and related services as reflected in an individualized education program. This bill would establish the Supporting Inclusive Practices project, to be administered by the State Department of Education through the provision of grant funds, upon appropriation, to department-designated lead local educational agencies, as defined. The bill would require the project to have certain goals, including increasing opportunities for pupils with disabilities to meaningfully participate in general education. The bill would require the department, in awarding grant funds, to prioritize local educational agencies that are identified as not meeting specified standards pursuant to federal and state law. The bill would require a local educational agency that receives a grant to provide the department with specified data. The bill would require, on or before June 30 of each year until any and all funds appropriated for these purposes have been expended, the project to submit a report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as provided. The bill would require the project to, among other requirements, create and disseminate technical assistance that includes developing and disseminating guidance on building state and local capacity to establish and sustain inclusive education practices. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2022, the department and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to develop and disseminate joint guidance clarifying the ways in which inclusive classrooms and placements may be staffed under current law, as provided. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2022, the department and the commission to submit a report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature with recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes necessary to eliminate barriers to the staffing of inclusive placements. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2022, to issue guidance clarifying ways in which early education inclusive placements may be expanded and established under current law to increase access and quality across programs, as provided. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, on or before January 1, 2022, to submit a report to the Legislature on any recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes to eliminate barriers to the establishment and expansion of early education inclusive placements, as provided. (2) Existing law establishes in state government the Instructional Quality Commission, which is required to be composed of, as part of its membership, 13 public members, as provided. Existing law requires at least 7 of the 13 public members to be persons who have become recognized authorities or experienced practitioners in their field, as provided. This bill would require at least one of those members to be a recognized authority or experienced practitioner in the principles and strategies of universal design for learning, as defined. Existing law requires the commission to, among other things, study and evaluate instructional materials submitted for adoption and recommend instructional materials for adoption to the State Board of Equalization. This bill would require the commission, in establishing evaluation criteria for the adoption of instructional materials, to assess the extent to which instructional materials submitted for state adoption use as a foundation the principles and strategies of universal design for learning, as defined, throughout the core instructional program designed for all pupils.