AB 1176: High school equivalency tests.
- Session Year: 2017-2018
- House: Assembly
- Latest Version Date: 2017-10-11
Existing law provides for the administration of a general educational development test. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide the test to, among others, persons confined in certain hospitals or correctional institutions. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, not to exceed one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to certain of these confined persons.
This bill would no longer limit that program from exceeding one hour per schoolday. The bill would replace all references in the Education Code of the general educational development test to a high school equivalency test.
Existing law provides for the administration of a general educational development test. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide the test to, among others, persons confined in certain hospitals or correctional institutions. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, not to exceed one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to certain of these confined persons.
This bill would no longer limit that program from exceeding one hour per schoolday. The bill would replace all references in the Education Code of the general educational development test to a high school equivalency test.
Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide provides for the administration of a general educational development test to test. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide the test to, among others, persons confined in certain hospitals or correctional institutions. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, not to exceed one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to certain of these confined persons.
This bill would no longer limit that program from exceeding one hour per schoolday. The bill would replace all references in the Education Code of the general educational development test to a high school equivalency test.
Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide a general educational development test to persons confined in certain hospitals or correctional institutions. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, not to exceed one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to certain of these confined persons.
This bill would no longer limit that program from exceeding one hour per schoolday.
The Superintendent shall issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to any person who has not completed high school and who meets all of the following requirements:
(a)Is a resident of this state or is a member of the armed services assigned to duty in this state.
(b)Has taken all or a portion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board and that is administered by a testing center approved by the department, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
(c)Meets one of the following:
(1)Is at least 18 years of age.
(2)Would have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of study toward graduation.
(3)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
(4)(A)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit prior to enrollment in the academic program described in this paragraph, and has successfully completed the academic program offered by a dropout recovery high school that provides the pupil with all of the following:
(i)Instruction aligned to state academic content standards.
(ii)The opportunity to complete the requirements for a high school diploma.
(iii)At least one year of instruction or instruction followed by services related to the academic program.
(B)For purposes of this paragraph, dropout recovery high school has the same meaning as set forth in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052.
SEC. 2.Section 51421 of the Education Code is amended to read:51421.(a)The Superintendent may charge a one-time only fee, established by the state board, to be submitted by an examinee when registering for the test sufficient in an amount not greater than the amount required to pay the cost of administering this article, including costs related to subdivision (b), and for the cost of providing services related to the completion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. The amount of each fee may not exceed twenty dollars ($20) per person.
(b)The examinee shall be responsible for submitting to the Superintendent both of the following requests:
(1)A request for a duplicate copy of the high school equivalency certificate.
(2)A request to forward a report of the results of a high school equivalency test approved by the state board to a postsecondary educational institution.
SEC. 3.Section 51422 of the Education Code is amended to read:51422.Each scoring contractor shall provide the Superintendent of Public Instruction with a set of results for each examinee who has taken all or a portion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. Each scoring contractor shall forward to the superintendent the fee established pursuant to Section 51421 for each examinee who has taken the general educational development test.
SEC. 4.Section 51423 of the Education Code is amended to read:51423.(a)(1)The Superintendent may provide for the administration of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies.
(2)Those agencies, upon request, shall reimburse the Superintendent in an amount sufficient to pay the cost of administering the test.
(b)Notwithstanding any other law, the Superintendent may grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a preparation program, for a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
The Superintendent shall issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to any person who has not completed high school and who meets all of the following requirements:
(a)Is a resident of this state or is a member of the armed services assigned to duty in this state.
(b)Has taken all or a portion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board and that is administered by a testing center approved by the department, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
(c)Meets one of the following:
(1)Is at least 18 years of age.
(2)Would have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of study toward graduation.
(3)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
(4)(A)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit prior to enrollment in the academic program described in this paragraph, and has successfully completed the academic program offered by a dropout recovery high school that provides the pupil with all of the following:
(i)Instruction aligned to state academic content standards.
(ii)The opportunity to complete the requirements for a high school diploma.
(iii)At least one year of instruction or instruction followed by services related to the academic program.
(B)For purposes of this paragraph, dropout recovery high school has the same meaning as set forth in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052.
SEC. 2.Section 51421 of the Education Code is amended to read:51421.(a)The Superintendent may charge a one-time only fee, established by the state board, to be submitted by an examinee when registering for the test sufficient in an amount not greater than the amount required to pay the cost of administering this article, including costs related to subdivision (b), and for the cost of providing services related to the completion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. The amount of each fee may not exceed twenty dollars ($20) per person.
(b)The examinee shall be responsible for submitting to the Superintendent both of the following requests:
(1)A request for a duplicate copy of the high school equivalency certificate.
(2)A request to forward a report of the results of a high school equivalency test approved by the state board to a postsecondary educational institution.
SEC. 3.Section 51422 of the Education Code is amended to read:51422.Each scoring contractor shall provide the Superintendent of Public Instruction with a set of results for each examinee who has taken all or a portion of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. Each scoring contractor shall forward to the superintendent the fee established pursuant to Section 51421 for each examinee who has taken the general educational development test.
SEC. 4.Section 51423 of the Education Code is amended to read:51423.(a)(1)The Superintendent may provide for the administration of a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies.
(2)Those agencies, upon request, shall reimburse the Superintendent in an amount sufficient to pay the cost of administering the test.
(b)Notwithstanding any other law, the Superintendent may grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a preparation program, for a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
The Superintendent shall issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to any person who has not completed high school and who meets all of the following requirements:
(a)Is a resident of this state or is a member of the armed services assigned to duty in this state.
(b)Has taken all or a portion of a general educational development high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board and that is administered by a testing center approved by the department, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
(c)Meets one of the following:
(1)Is at least 18 years of age.
(2)Would have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of study toward graduation.
(3)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
(4)(A)Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit prior to enrollment in the academic program described in this paragraph, and has successfully completed the academic program offered by a dropout recovery high school that provides the pupil with all of the following:
(i)Instruction aligned to state academic content standards.
(ii)The opportunity to complete the requirements for a high school diploma.
(iii)At least one year of instruction or instruction followed by services related to the academic program.
(B)For purposes of this paragraph, dropout recovery high school has the same meaning as set forth in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052.
SEC. 2.Section 51421 of the Education Code is amended to read:51421.(a)The Superintendent may charge a one-time only fee, established by the state board, to be submitted by an examinee when registering for the test sufficient in an amount not greater than the amount required to pay the cost of administering this article, including costs related to subdivision (b), and for the cost of providing services related to the completion of the general educational development test. a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. The amount of each fee may not exceed twenty dollars ($20) per person.
(b)The examinee shall be responsible for submitting to the Superintendent both of the following requests:
(1)A request for a duplicate copy of the high school equivalency certificate.
(2)A request to forward a report of the results of a general educational development test high school equivalency test approved by the state board to a postsecondary educational institution.
SEC. 3.Section 51422 of the Education Code is amended to read:51422.Each scoring contractor shall provide the Superintendent of Public Instruction with a set of results for each examinee who has taken all or a portion of the general educational development test. a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board. Each scoring contractor shall forward to the superintendent the fee established pursuant to Section 51421 for each examinee who has taken the general educational development test.
SECTION 1.SEC. 4.Section 51423 of the Education Code is amended to read:51423.(a)(1)The Superintendent may provide for the administration of the general educational development test a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies.
(2)Those agencies, upon request, shall reimburse the Superintendent in an amount sufficient to pay the cost of administering the test.
(b)Notwithstanding any other law, the Superintendent may grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program program, for a high school equivalency test that has been approved by the state board, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
(a)(1)The Superintendent may provide for the administration of the general educational development test to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies.
(2)Those agencies, upon request, shall reimburse the Superintendent in an amount sufficient to pay the cost of administering the test.
(b)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Superintendent may grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, not to exceed one hour per schoolday, program as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
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Date
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Status
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|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2017 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 663, Statutes of 2017. |
| Oct 11, 2017 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep 25, 2017 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 12 p.m. |
| Sep 14, 2017 | In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. |
| Sep 14, 2017 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. |
| Sep 12, 2017 | Ordered to special consent calendar. |
| Sep 5, 2017 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Sep 1, 2017 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (September 1). |
| Jun 26, 2017 | In committee: Referred to suspense file. |
| Jun 14, 2017 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| May 24, 2017 | Referred to Com. on ED. |
| May 11, 2017 | In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. |
| May 11, 2017 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 1483.) |
| May 4, 2017 | Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. |
| May 3, 2017 | From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 3). |
| Apr 19, 2017 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr 18, 2017 | Read second time and amended. |
| Apr 17, 2017 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 5). |
| Mar 9, 2017 | Referred to Com. on ED. |
| Feb 19, 2017 | From printer. May be heard in committee March 21. |
| Feb 17, 2017 | Read first time. To print. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
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Votes
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2017 | Special Consent Calendar # AB1176 | Senate Floor |
Passed |
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| Sep 1, 2017 | Do pass | Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Jun 26, 2017 | Placed on suspense file | Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Jun 14, 2017 | Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar | Senate Standing Committee on Education |
Passed |
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| May 11, 2017 | AB 1176 MULLIN Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session | Assembly Floor |
Passed |
|
| May 3, 2017 | Do pass. To Consent Calendar. | Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Apr 5, 2017 | Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar | Assembly Standing Committee on Education |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| Alliance for Boys and Men of Color | ** Support | Sep 2, 2017 |
| American Civil Liberties Union of California | ** Support | Apr 3, 2017 |
| California Catholic Conference | ** Support | Sep 2, 2017 |
| Each One Reach One | ** Support | Sep 2, 2017 |
| JobTrain | ** Support | Sep 2, 2017 |
| Social Justice Learning Institute | ** Support | Sep 2, 2017 |
| Story For All | ** Support | Apr 3, 2017 |
Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | AB |
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1176
:
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 7-0, 6/14/17
AYES: Allen, Wilk, Galgiani, Leyva, Mendoza, Pan, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 9/1/17
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Bradford, Hill, Nielsen, Wiener
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 5/11/17 (Consent) - See last page for vote
DIGEST:
This bill eliminates the existing one hour per schoolday limit on a general educational development test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility, and updates terminology from “general educational development” to “high school equivalency.”
Existing law:
- Provides that a California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in California. (Education Code § 51425)
- Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report to any person who has not completed high school and who meets the following requirements:
- Is a resident of California or member of armed services assigned to duty in California.
- Has taken all or a portion of a general educational development test that has been approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) and that is administered by a testing center approved by the California Department of Education (CDE), with a score determined by SBE to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
- Meets one of the following:
- Is at least 18 years old.
- Would have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of study toward graduation.
- Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
- Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit prior to enrollment in a specified academic program, and has successfully completed the academic program offered by a dropout recovery high school, as specified.
(EC § 51420)
- Authorizes the SPI to provide for the administration of the general educational development test to people confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies. (EC 54123)
- Authorizes the SPI to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, of no more than one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high
school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency. (EC § 54123) - Requires the county board of education to adopt and enforce the adopted course of study, authorizes the county board to adopt and enforce a course of study that enhances instruction in mathematics and English language arts for student attending juvenile court schools, and states legislative intent that students in juvenile court schools have a rigorous curriculum that includes a course of study preparing them for high school graduation and career entry and fulfilling the requirements for admission to the University of California and the California State University. (EC § 48645.3)
This bill:
- Eliminates the existing one hour per schoolday limit on a high school equivalency test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility who are at least 17 years of age and have accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by age 18.
- Deletes reference to a “general educational development test” and instead references a “high school equivalency test.”
Comments
- One hour limit. Existing law requires juvenile court schools to provide a course of study leading to a high school diploma. A minimum day program for juvenile court schools is 240 minutes. Existing law authorizes county offices of education that have been granted a waiver from the SPI to provide up to one hour per schoolday of preparation for the high school equivalency test to students in juvenile court schools. This bill eliminates the one hour per schoolday limitation. The one hour limitation was added to statute to address concerns that juvenile court schools would shift the focus from high school diplomas to high school equivalency. This bill does not change the requirement for juvenile court schools to provide a full course of study, nor does it eliminate the requirement for a county office of education to obtain a waiver from the SPI to provide a high school equivalency test preparation program.
Existing law requires, to be eligible to take the high school equivalency test, a person to be at least 17 years of age and have accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit (the minimum units needed to meet state high school graduation requirements is 130 units). It appears unlikely that this bill would lead students in juvenile court schools who are 17 years of age and have fewer than 100 units to abandon coursework leading to a high school diploma in favor of pursuing a high school equivalency certificate. Students who are under the age of 18 and who have passed the high school equivalency test must have the consent of the person who has the right to make educational decisions for that student in order to disenroll from school upon passage of the test. - Updating terminology. This bill changes references in the Education Code from “general educational development” to “high school equivalency” to reflect the existence of more than one test. In prior years, only one test was approved by California, the General Educational Development (GED), and the name of that test became synonymous with a high school equivalency certificate. California has approved the use of three high school equivalency tests: the GED, High School Equivalency Test, and Test Assessing Secondary Completion.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill is not expected to result in any significant costs for local educational agencies. However, the CDE indicates that these changes will result in an increase in waiver requests from county offices of education which will drive new workload at a cost of $117,000 General Fund per year.
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
California Catholic Conference
Each One Reach One
JobTrain
Social Justice Learning Institute
OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/31/17)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 5/11/17
AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Travis Allen, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dababneh, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gomez, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle, O'Donnell, Patterson
9/2/17 13:37:37
**** END ****
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2017 - 2018 Regular Session
AB 1176 (Mullin) - High school equivalency tests
Version: April 18, 2017 | Policy Vote: ED. 7 - 0 |
Urgency: No | Mandate: No |
Hearing Date: June 26, 2017 | Consultant: Lenin Del Castillo |
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary:
This bill eliminates the one hour per school day limit on the provision of a general educational development (GED) test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility, and also updates terminology from “general education development” to high school equivalency.”
Fiscal Impact:
The bill’s elimination of the existing one hour per school-day limit on GED test preparation and its revision of terminology from “general educational development” to “high school equivalency” are not expected to result in any significant costs for local educational agencies. However, the California Department of Education indicates that these changes will result in an increase in waiver requests from county offices of education which will drive new workload at a cost of $117,000 General Fund per year.
Background:
Existing law provides that a California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in California. Existing law also requires juvenile court schools to provide a course of study leading to a high school diploma.
Further, Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is authorized to provide for the administration of the general educational development test to people confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies. The SPI is also authorized to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, of no more than one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency.
Proposed Law:
This bill eliminates the existing one hour per schoolday limit on a high school equivalency test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility who are at least 17 years of age and have accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by age 18. This bill also deletes reference to a “general educational development test” and instead references a “high school equivalency test.”
Related Legislation:
AB 1124 (Cervantes) authorizes the education rights holder of a student in a juvenile court school to voluntarily defer the issuance of a high school diploma so that a student may take additional coursework beyond the minimum state requirements for high school graduation. AB 1124 is pending in the Senate Education Committee.
Staff Comments:
County offices of education are authorized to get a waiver from the SPI to provide up to one hour per school day of preparation for the high school equivalency test to students in juvenile court schools. This one hour limitation was added to address concerns that juvenile court schools would shift focus from high school diplomas to high school equivalency. This bill does not change the requirement for these schools to provide a full course of study, nor does it eliminate the requirement for a county office of education to obtain a waiver from the SPI to provide a high school equivalency test preparation program.
-- END --
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Benjamin Allen, Chair
2017 - 2018 Regular
Bill No: AB 1176 Hearing Date: June 14, 2017
Author: | |||
Version: | April 18, 2017 | ||
Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | Lynn Lorber | ||
Subject: High school equivalency tests
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the existing one hour per schoolday limit on a general educational development test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility, and updates terminology from “general educational development” to “high school equivalency.”
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
- Provides that a California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in California. (Education Code § 51425)
- Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report to any person who has not completed high school and who meets the following requirements:
- Is a resident of California or member of armed services assigned to duty in California.
- Has taken all or a portion of a general educational development test that has been approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) and that is administered by a testing center approved by the California Department of Education, with a score determined by SBE to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
- Meets one of the following:
- Is at least 18 years old.
- Would have graduated from high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of study toward graduation.
- Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency.
- Is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit prior to enrollment in a specified academic program, and has successfully completed the academic program offered by a dropout recovery high school, as specified. (EC § 51420)
- Is at least 18 years old.
- Is a resident of California or member of armed services assigned to duty in California.
- Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to provide for the administration of the general educational development test to people confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies. (EC 54123)
- Authorizes the SPI to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a general educational development test preparation program, of no more than one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency. (EC § 54123)
- Requires the county board of education to adopt and enforce the adopted course of study, authorizes the county board to adopt and enforce a course of study that enhances instruction in mathematics and English language arts for student attending juvenile court schools, and states legislative intent that students in juvenile court schools have a rigorous curriculum that includes a course of study preparing them for high school graduation and career entry and fulfilling the requirements for admission to the University of California and the California State University. (EC § 48645.3)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
- Eliminates the existing one hour per schoolday limit on a high school equivalency test preparation program for people confined to a hospital or correctional facility who are at least 17 years of age and have accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by age 18.
- Deletes reference to a “general educational development test” and instead references a “high school equivalency test.”
STAFF COMMENTS
- Need for the bill. According to the author, “Currently, the time allotted to education for youth in detention facilities is focused on instruction for the high school diploma. However, a significant number of youth who are 17 years of age and not on track to graduate high school by the age of 18 may have little chance of obtaining a high school diploma due to insufficient credits. For such youth it would be beneficial to pursue a high school equivalency credential, but the existing one hour limitation on General Educational Development test preparation per school day has hindered these youth from doing so.”
- One hour limit. Existing law requires juvenile court schools to provide a course of study leading to a high school diploma. A minimum day program for juvenile court schools is 240 minutes. Existing law authorizes county offices of education that have been granted a waiver from the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to provide up to one hour per schoolday of preparation for the high school equivalency test to students in juvenile court schools. This bill eliminates the one hour per schoolday limitation. The one hour limitation was added to statute to address concerns that juvenile court schools would shift the focus from high school diplomas to high school equivalency. This bill does not change the requirement for juvenile court schools to provide a full course of study, nor does it eliminate the requirement for a county office of education to obtain a waiver from the SPI to provide a high school equivalency test preparation program.
Existing law requires, to be eligible to take the high school equivalency test, a person to be at least 17 years of age and have accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit (the minimum units needed to meet state high school graduation requirements is 130 units). It appears unlikely that this bill would lead students in juvenile court schools who are 17 years of age and have fewer than 100 units to abandon coursework leading to a high school diploma in favor of pursuing a high school equivalency certificate. Students who are under the age of 18 and who have passed the high school equivalency test must have the consent of the person who has the right to make educational decisions for that student in order to disenroll from school upon passage of the test. - Updating terminology. This bill changes references in the Education Code from “general educational development” to “high school equivalency” to reflect the existence of more than one test. In prior years, only one test was approved by California, the General Educational Development (GED), and the name of that test became synonymous with a high school equivalency certificate. California has approved the use of three high school equivalency tests: the GED, High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC).
- Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill would impose no additional state costs.
- Related legislation. AB 1124 (Cervantes) authorizes the education rights holder of a student in a juvenile court school to voluntarily defer the issuance of a high school diploma so that a student may take additional coursework beyond the minimum state requirements for high school graduation. AB 1124 is pending in this Committee.
SUPPORT
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
California Catholic Conference
Each One Reach One
JobTrain
Social Justice Learning Institute
OPPOSITION
None received
-- END --
Date of Hearing: May 3, 2017
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1176
Author:(Mullin) – As Amended Ver:April 18, 2017
Policy Committee: | Education | Vote: | 7 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill removes the one-hour per school day limit on the provision of a general educational development (GED) test for pupils confined to a state or county hospital or correctional institution. Specifically, this bill:
- Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a program, for a high school equivalency (GED) test without regard to the length of the program, during the regular school day, removing the current one-hour limitation on such programs.
- Applies to pupils who are least 17 years of age, have accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and are confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency.
FISCAL EFFECT:
No additional state cost.
COMMENTS:
- Background. Existing law authorizes the SPI to issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report to any person who has not completed high, and specifies that a California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in the state. The SPI is also authorized to provide for the administration of the GED test to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies, and grant a waiver to a county office of education (COE) to provide a GED test preparation program, of no more than one hour per school day, as part of any other instructional program during the regular school day to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency.
- Purpose. According to the author, “Currently the time allotted to education for these youth is focused on instruction for the high school diploma. However, a significant number of youth who are 17 years of age, and not on track to graduate from high school by the age of 18 due to insufficient credits, may have little chance of obtaining a high school diploma. It would be beneficial for these youth to receive more GED test instructional time to allow them the opportunity to complete the high school equivalency program, but the one hour limitation on such instruction has hindered their ability to do so. This bill seeks to remove the one hour limitation on GED test instruction to improve the chances for these youth to obtain a high school equivalency certificate.”
- Related Legislation. AB 1124 (Cervantes), requires that, prior to issuing a student enrolled in a juvenile court school a diploma for fulfilling state graduation requirements, the COE review the student’s education records and determine whether the student can reasonably meet any local graduation requirement that are in excess of those required by the state within four years. This bill will be heard in this Committee today.
SB 304 (Portantino) of this Legislative Session, requires the joint transition planning policy to include specified components, including an individualized transition plan for each pupil detained for more than 4 consecutive schooldays and a transition portfolio for each pupil. This bill was heard May 1, 2017, in Senate Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by: Daisy Gonzales / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: April 5, 2017
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1176 (
Author:Mullin) – As Introduced Ver:February 17, 2017
SUBJECT: High school equivalency certificates: general educational development test: confined persons
SUMMARY: Removes the one-hour per schoolday limit on the provision of a general educational development (GED) test preparation program for pupils confined to a state or county hospital or correctional institution. Specifically, this bill:
- Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to grant a waiver to a county office of education to provide a GED test program without regard to the length of the program, during the regular schoolday, removing the current one-hour limitation on such programs.
- Applies to pupils who are least 17 years of age, have accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and are confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency.
EXISTING LAW:
- Authorizes the SPI to issue a California high school equivalency certificate and an official score report to any person who has not completed high school and who meets the following requirements:
- Is a resident of the state or member of armed services assigned to duty in state
- Has taken all or a portion of a GED test that has been approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) with a score determined by SBE to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates
- Is at least 18 years old or at least 17 years of age with less than 100 units of high school credit and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correctional agency. (EC 51420)
- Specifies that a California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in the state. (EC 51425)
- Authorizes the SPI to provide for the administration of the GED test to persons confined to state or county hospitals or to institutions maintained by state or county correctional agencies. (EC 54123)
- Authorizes the SPI to grant a waiver to a county office of education (COE) to provide a GED test preparation program, of no more than one hour per schoolday, as part of any other instructional program during the regular schoolday to a person who is at least 17 years of age, has accumulated insufficient units of high school credit to graduate from high school by 18 years of age, and is confined to a state or county hospital or to an institution maintained by a state or county correction agency. (EC 54123)
- Defines juvenile court schools as public schools or classes in any juvenile hall, juvenile home, day center, juvenile ranch, juvenile camp, regional youth educational facility, or Orange County youth correctional center, or in any group home housing 25 or more children and operating one or more additional sites under a central administration, with acceptable school structures at one or more centrally located sites to serve the single or composite populations of juvenile court school students. (EC 48645)
- Requires the county board of education to provide for the administration and operation of juvenile court schools by the county superintendent of schools or by contract with the respective governing boards of the elementary, high school, or unified school district in which the juvenile court school is located. (EC 48645.2)
- Prohibits the denial of enrollment or readmission to a public school for a pupil solely on the basis of the pupil’s contact with the juvenile justice system. (EC 48645.5)
- Requires the immediate enrollment in a public school of a pupil who has had contact with the juvenile system. (EC Section 48645.5)
- Encourages local educational agencies (LEAs) to enter into memoranda of understanding and create joint policies, systems, including data sharing systems, transition centers, and other joint structures, create uniform systems for calculating and awarding course credit, and allow for the immediate enrollment of pupils transferring from juvenile court schools. (EC 48646)
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. According to the author, “Existing law requires COEs to provide a course of regular education toward the high school diploma, to youth in detention or mental health facilities. With the approval of the SPI, current law allows for no more than one hour of instructional time to be used for GED test preparation.
Currently the time allotted to education for these youth is focused on instruction for the high school diploma. However, a significant number of youth who are 17 years of age, and not on track to graduate from high school by the age of 18 due to insufficient credits, may have little chance of obtaining a high school diploma.
It would be beneficial for these youth to receive more GED test instructional time to allow them the opportunity to complete the high school equivalency program, but the one hour limitation on such instruction has hindered their ability to do so. This bill seeks to remove the one hour limitation on GED test instruction to improve the chances for these youth to obtain a high school equivalency certificate.”
High school equivalency. The high school equivalency tests are for adults who do not have a high school diploma. Those who pass the test receive a California high school equivalency certificate. In California, persons who are 18 years of age or older may take a high school equivalency test. Some 17-year-olds who meet specific criteria for testing may also take the test. The tests cover five subjects: reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. A California high school equivalency certificate is deemed to be a high school diploma for the purpose of meeting the requirements of employment by all state and local public agencies in the state.
California has approved the use of three high school equivalency tests, the General Educational Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) for the purpose of receiving a California High School Equivalency Certificate. The committee may wish to consider whether the bill should be inclusive of all approved high school equivalency tests, not simply the GED.
Staff recommends the bill be amended to replace references to “general educational development (GED) test, with “high school equivalency test approved by the State Board of Education”.
Purpose of juvenile court schools. According to CDE, the purpose of juvenile court schools is to provide mandated, compulsory public education services for juvenile offenders who are under the protection or authority of the county juvenile justice system and are incarcerated in juvenile halls, juvenile homes, day centers, juvenile ranches, juvenile camps, or regional youth educational facilities. Juvenile court schools are operated through the county office of education.
The juvenile court school provides for students to complete a course of study leading to a high school diploma. A minimum day program for juvenile court schools is 240 minutes. Students must take all required public education assessments.
Upon release, or after the court terminates jurisdiction, students of ages sixteen to eighteen who are not exempt from compulsory school attendance are required to continue their public education. These students are provided planning and transition services critical to a successful transfer back to a public school.
Population and length of stay in juvenile justice facilities and schools varies.
According to CDE, as of October 2010, there were 83 Juvenile Court Schools in California reporting an enrollment of 9,010 students. However, many students attend juvenile court schools for a short period of time, so this “point in time” number does not reflect the total number of students served on an annual basis. Demographic reports for prior school years indicate that the total number of students served by juvenile court schools over the entire year averaged over 42,000 pupils.
Data from the Board of State and Community Corrections’ 2015 fourth quarter report shows a statewide average length of stay in juvenile justice facilities of 29.7 days (some youth remain for longer periods of time while others spend less than 29.7 days in juvenile detention). According to this same report, the statewide average daily population was 3,284 for juvenile halls, 1,868 for juvenile camps and ranches, and 1,194 for other facilities, for a daily population total of 6,347 youth.
Deficiencies in juvenile court school outcomes and transition. A number of studies have found poor educational outcomes and problems with transition back to school districts for these students:
- 2016 report published by the Youth Law Center found that many students do not re-enroll in school after leaving a juvenile court school. In the 2013-2014 school year, juvenile court schools students had a dropout rate of 38%, compared to the statewide adjusted dropout rate of 12%. Ten counties had court school dropout rates of 60% or higher and another five had dropout rates ranging from 40% to 59%.
- 2013 analysis of the National Bureau for Economic Research found that, compared to students who were charged with a crime but not incarcerated, juvenile incarceration is estimated to decrease the chances of high school graduation by 13% and increase the chances of adult incarceration by 22 %.
- report by the CDE on students served with Title I, Part D funds in At-Risk, Neglected, and Juvenile Detention programs found that only 21% of juvenile court school students were enrolled at their local school within 30 days after being released.
- 2010 report by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University found that "reenrollment of youth in schools following discharge from a juvenile correctional facility has been a perennial challenge as schools and school districts have resisted reenrollment of formerly incarcerated youth."
Juvenile court school transition workgroup report AB 2276 (Bocanegra, Chapter 901, Statutes of 2014) required the SPI, in consultation with the Board of State and Community Corrections, to convene a statewide group with stakeholders from the community, advocacy organizations, and education and probation department leaders to develop a model and study existing successful county programs and policies for the immediate transfer of educational records, uniform systems for calculating and awarding credits, transition planning, and the immediate enrollment of pupils who are being transferred from juvenile court schools.
This report, issued in March 2017, referenced issues relevant to this bill, including Finding 7: Course content between juvenile court and comprehensive schools is inconsistent in content and quality. Inconsistent course content and quality between juvenile court and comprehensive schools results in inappropriate course placement for transitioning pupils. Extensive use by juvenile court schools of non-traditional/alternative means of earning course credit further complicates the process of awarding course credits and placing the pupil in the proper courses.
The recommendations included the following:
- Credits earned in a juvenile court school should be based on content, quality, and rigor consistent with that found in the school districts in that county.
- All district courses, including A-G courses, should be available to pupils in a juvenile court school.
- Coursework, placement, and instructional strategies in the juvenile court school should be appropriate to the individual pupil's academic needs and abilities while also taking into consideration the unique needs and challenges experienced by pupils of differing ethnicities, genders, gender identification, sexual orientation, and language proficiencies.
- All juvenile court school pupils should have access to alternative means of earning course credits.
- The CDE and COEs should examine the feasibility of awarding credits to juvenile court pupils based on subject mastery in addition to seat time.
- All juvenile court school pupils should have access to credit recovery programs whether through online or direct instruction.
Arguments in support. Supporters state that student populations such as boys, students of color, foster youth, and students of low income are disproportionately represented in California’s juvenile justice system, and are less likely to have a traditional education pathway. Students who have experienced significant interruption in their education may not be able to earn a high school diploma before they reach the age of 18. In such cases, preparing for a high school equivalency certificate while in confinement may be the best alternative to ensure a positive educational outcome that will increase the likelihood for a successful transition upon release.
Prior and similar legislation.
AB 1124 (Cervantes) of this Session, requires that, prior to issuing a student enrolled in a juvenile court school a diploma for fulfilling state graduation requirements, the COE review the student’s education records and determine whether the student can reasonably meet any local graduation requirement that are in excess of those required by the state within four years. This bill is pending before this committee.
SB 304 (Portantino) of this Session, requires the joint transition planning policy to include specified components, including an individualized transition plan for each pupil detained for more than 4 consecutive schooldays and a transition portfolio for each pupil. This bill is pending in Senate Public Safety.
AB 2306 (Frazier), Chapter 464, Statutes of 2016 requires school districts to exempt former juvenile court school students who transfer into school districts after their second year in high school from local graduation requirements that exceed those of the state, and requires a county office of education to issue a diploma of graduation to a pupil who completes statewide coursework requirements for graduation while attending a juvenile court school.
SB 1088 (Price), Chapter 381, Statutes of 2012 prohibits a school district from denying enrollment or readmission of a pupil solely on the basis that he/she had contact with the juvenile justice system.
AB 2276 (Bocanegra), Chapter 901, Statutes of 2014 requires a pupil who has had contact with the juvenile justice system to be immediately enrolled in a public school, and required the SPI, in consultation with the Board of State and Community Corrections, to convene a statewide group of stakeholders to study and report on juvenile court school transition.
AB 622 (Mullin) Chapter 269, Statutes of 2007 authorizes the SPI to grant a waiver to county offices of education to provide up to one hour of GED test preparation as part of the regular course of instruction during the regular school day to confined or incarcerated students who are at least 17 years of age and have insufficient units of high school credit to graduate by 18 years of age, and requires the SPI to award a California high school equivalency certificate to a pupil who passes the GED test, is confined or incarcerated, and is 17 years old with fewer than 100 units of high school credit.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
American Civil Liberties Union of California
California Catholic Conference
Each One Reach One
JobTrain
Social Justice Learning Institute
Story For All
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by: Debbie Look / ED. / (916) 319-2087
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):