Student College and Career Readiness to Improve With Passage of SB 1458

  

 

SACRAMENTO - The Linked Learning Alliance applauds Governor Jerry Brown for signing SB 1458, a measure authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) which expands accountability criteria for California public schools to include factors to measure college and career readiness.

  

"This is a big step in improving the expectations we have for schools and the outcomes we want for students," said Christopher Cabaldon, Executive Director of the Linked Learning Alliance. "We thank Senator Darrell Steinberg for his longstanding commitment and hard work to improve our state accountability system. We also deeply appreciate Governor Jerry Brown for standing up for all students with his signature on this important bill."

  

SB 1458 alters the structure of California's Academic Performance Index (API) by setting a 60% limit for standardized test performance for high schools. With the current API, standardized tests constitute 100% of the accountability measure. The remaining 40% must include graduation rates as well as other college and career readiness factors that reflect the expectations of public education and the needs of the state's workforce. Promotion rates for grades 7-12 may also be included. In primary and middle schools, standardized test performance would comprise at least 60% of the API.

  

SB 1458's Impact on California's API

 

 

  

  

"There is exciting work underway in California and across the nation to develop and use valid, reliable, and stable indicators of college and career readiness," said David Plank, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), "SB 1458 will push California public schools to use strategies like Linked Learning that improve student engagement and completion, broaden the scope of student learning, and improve students' preparation for success in college and careers."

 

The bill requires the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) submit, for approval by the State Board of Education, valid, reliable, and stable measures of college and career readiness. SB 1458 encourages the SPI to develop school quality reviews to complement the API. The review process would feature locally convened panels to visit schools, observe teachers, interview pupils and examine pupil work. The bill also requires that the SPI report to the Legislature, by October 1, 2013, on alternative methods, in place of decile rank, for determining eligibility, preferences, or priorities for statutory programs currently using decile rank as a determining factor.

 

Implementation Timeline

 

 

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The Linked Learning Alliance is a statewide coalition of education, industry, and community organizations dedicated to improving California's high schools and preparing students for postsecondary education and career.  

http://www.linkedlearning.org