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.
Sponsored bills
(1) The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make a provision applicable. Existing law requires that a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, who has attended high school in California for 3 or more years, who has graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent thereof, who has registered at or attends an accredited institution of higher education in California not earlier than the fall semester or quarter of the 2001–02 academic year, and who, if he or she is an alien without lawful immigration status, has filed a prescribed affidavit is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California Community Colleges and the California State University. This bill would amend the Donahoe Higher Education Act, as of January 1, 2013, to require the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and to request the regents, to establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above-described provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student aid programs administered by these segments to the full extent permitted by federal law, except as provided. This provision would apply to the University of California only if the regents, by appropriate resolution, act to make it applicable. This bill would provide that students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, are eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would require the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable those students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the above provision to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. This bill would prohibit students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under the provision described above from being eligible for Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards unless specified conditions are met. The bill would make these provisions operative as of January 1, 2013. (2) Existing federal law requires that a state may provide that an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States is eligible for any state or local public benefit for which that alien would otherwise be ineligible under a specified federal law only through enactment of a state law that affirmatively provides for that eligibility. This bill would find and declare that the amendments to the Donahoe Higher Education Act described above are state laws within the meaning of this federal provision. (3) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction, for prescribed fees, at community college campuses throughout the state. Existing law authorizes the waiver of these fees for, among others, students who are eligible under income standards established by the board of governors. This bill, as of January 1, 2013, would require community college districts to waive the fees of students who are exempt from nonresident tuition under the provision described in (1) above, and who otherwise qualify for a waiver under this provision, under regulations and procedures adopted by the board of governors. Because the bill would impose new duties on community college districts with respect to determining eligibility for fee waivers, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
(1) Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards, as defined, and authorizes the state board to establish criteria for that purpose. Existing law sets forth a schedule for the submission of instructional materials to the state board for adoption. Notwithstanding this schedule, existing law prohibits the state board from adopting instructional materials or following the procedures related to that adoption until the 2015–16 school year. This bill would delete the schedule for submission of instructional materials for foreign languages and health and the exception to the requirement that criteria for the evaluation of instructional materials be approved when curriculum frameworks are approved or at least 30 months before the date that the materials are to be approved for adoption. (2) Existing law establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission and requires the commission to develop internationally benchmarked academic content standards, at least 85% of which are required to be the common core academic standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium or another specified interstate collaboration. Existing law requires the state board by August 2, 2010, to either adopt the standards proposed by the commission or reject them. This bill would require the state board to adopt revised curriculum frameworks and evaluation criteria that are aligned to the common core academic content standards developed by the consortium and adopted by the board for mathematics and English language arts no later than May 30, 2013, and May 30, 2014, respectively. The bill would require state board policies to ensure that the English language arts curriculum frameworks for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and instructional materials for kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, include the English language development standards as adopted by the state board in 1997 and revised thereafter, and English language development strategies in the core subjects of mathematics, science, and history-social science. The bill also would require state board policies to ensure that curriculum frameworks for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and instructional materials for kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, include strategies to address the needs of pupils with disabilities in the 4 core subjects of mathematics, science, history-social science, and English language arts. The bill would require the curriculum frameworks to describe the manner in which content can be delivered to intentionally build pupil creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and communication into and across each content area. (3) Existing law requires the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission to recommend curriculum frameworks for adoption by the state board, develop criteria for evaluating instructional materials, study and evaluate instructional materials submitted for adoption, recommend to the state board instructional materials that it approves for adoption, and review specified educational films or video recordings. This bill would rename the commission the Instructional Quality Commission and would make conforming changes. The bill also would delete the requirement that the commission review specified educational films or video recordings. The bill would require the criteria developed for evaluating instructional materials to include specified directions to publishers and would require the commission to perform additional prescribed functions. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to ensure that school districts are provided with as many standards-aligned instructional material options as possible. The bill would require the Superintendent to develop model professional development modules, as specified, and to report to the state board on the development of those modules. (4) Existing law, the Leroy Greene California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act (hereafter the Greene Act) , requires the Superintendent to design and implement a statewide pupil assessment program, and requires school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to administer to each of its pupils in grades 2 to 11, inclusive, certain achievement tests, including a standards-based achievement test pursuant to the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. Existing law makes the Greene Act inoperative on July 1, 2013, and repeals it on January 1, 2014. This bill would require the Superintendent to develop recommendations, to be reported to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of both houses of the Legislature on or before November 1, 2012, for the reauthorization of the statewide pupil assessment program and would require the recommendations to include a plan for transitioning to a system of high-quality assessments. The bill would require the recommendations to consider including specified characteristics in the reauthorized assessment system. The bill would define, for purposes of the Greene Act, formative assessment, high-quality assessment, and interim assessment. The bill would make the Greene Act inoperative on July 1, 2014, and would repeal the act as of January 1, 2015. By extending the time period during which school districts are required to perform various duties relating to the administration of achievement tests, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) This bill would require the State Department of Education to use certain federal funds, and any other available state and federal funds, to implement the provisions of this bill. (6) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Existing law authorizes a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated signs that display information directly related to public service and include, among other things, destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination of those signs, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to specified conditions. This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program that would allow up to 25 buses operated by the City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system for the first 2 years of the pilot program, and up to 30 buses thereafter, to be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising subject to certain conditions, including a display area of not greater than 4,464 square inches. The bill would require the City of Santa Monica to submit a specified report to the Legislature and the Department of the California Highway Patrol by July 1, 2016, on the incidence of adverse impacts, if any. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations, including making findings and declarations concerning the need for special legislation.
Existing law prohibits employment discrimination based on sex or disability. Existing law prohibits an employer from refusing to allow a female employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition to take a leave for a reasonable time of up to 4 months before returning to work. This bill would also prohibit an employer from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes that leave, as specified. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 12945 of the Government Code proposed by AB 592, to be operative only if AB 592 and this bill are both enacted, both bills become effective on or before January 1, 2012, and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law requires the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to any member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States, as defined, for any academic term attended at one of these institutions within 2 years of leaving active duty. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to foster youth or former foster youth, as defined. By revising requirements relating to student eligibility for priority registration at community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Existing law, part of the hazardous waste control law, requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt regulations to establish a process by which chemicals or chemical ingredients in products may be identified and prioritized for consideration as being chemicals of concern and to adopt regulations to establish a process by which chemicals of concern may be evaluated. The department is prohibited from duplicating or adopting conflicting regulations for regulated product categories. A violation of the hazardous waste control law is a crime. The bill would enact the Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act, which would, except as specified, prohibit, on and after July 1, 2013, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any bottle or cup that contains bisphenol A, at a detectable level above 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) , if the bottle or cup is designed or intended to be filled with any liquid, food, or beverage intended primarily for consumption by children 3 years of age or younger. This prohibition would not apply to a product subject to a regulatory response by the department, on the date that a prescribed notice is posted regarding the department's adoption of the regulatory response. The bill would also require manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative when replacing bisphenolA in containers in accordance with this bill.
Existing law provides that at the initial detention or placement, or any subsequent change in placement of a foster child, the local educational agency serving the foster child shall allow the foster child to continue his or her education in the school of origin for the duration of the jurisdiction of the court. However, if the educational liaison for foster children and the person holding the right to make educational decisions for the foster child agree that the best interests of the foster child would best be served by waiver of this right and transfer to a school other than the school of origin, the foster child shall immediately be enrolled in the new school. Existing law requires the new school to immediately enroll the foster child even if he or she is unable to produce clothing or records normally required for enrollment, such as previous academic records, medical records, proof of residency, other documentation, or school uniforms. Existing law prohibits the governing authority of a school or other institution from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil of any private or public elementary or secondary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center, unless prior to the pupil's first admission to that institution the pupil has been fully immunized against specified diseases. This bill would specify that the new school is required to immediately enroll the foster child even if he or she is unable to produce medical records, including, but not limited to, records or other proof of immunization history. The bill would make a conforming change by requiring the governing authority to admit a foster child whose immunization records are not available or are missing and prohibiting this change from altering specified obligations of the governing authority. The bill would state the Legislature's intent to reconcile the provisions of the Health and Safety Code with those of the Education Code. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes.
This measure would recognize October 2011 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and urge all Californians to take a stand against domestic violence.
This measure would urge the United States government to consider the California jobs and economic stimulus provided by the California floriculture industry when advancing free trade agreements, specifically with Colombia.