60604-60618
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 60604-60618
60604. (a) The Superintendent shall design and implement, consistent with the timetable and plan required pursuant to subdivision (b), a statewide pupil assessment program consistent with the testing requirements of this article in accordance with the objectives set forth in Section 60602. That program shall include all of the following: (1) A plan for producing valid, reliable, and comparable individual pupil scores in grades 2 to 11, inclusive, and a comprehensive analysis of these scores based on the results of the achievement test designated by the state board that assesses a broad range of basic academic skills pursuant to the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program established by Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640). (2) A method of working with publishers to ensure valid, reliable, and comparable individual, grade-level, school-level, district-level, county-level, and statewide scores in grades 2 to 11, inclusive. (3) Statewide academically rigorous content and performance standards that reflect the knowledge and skills that pupils will need in order to succeed in the information-based, global economy of the 21st century. These skills shall not include personal behavioral standards or skills, including, but not limited to, honesty, sociability, ethics, or self-esteem. (4) A statewide system that provides the results of testing in a manner that reflects the degree to which pupils are achieving the academically rigorous content and performance standards adopted by the state board. (5) The alignment of assessment with the statewide academically rigorous content and performance standards adopted by the state board. (6) The active, ongoing involvement of parents, classroom teachers, administrators, other educators, governing board members of school districts, and the public in all phases of the design and implementation of the statewide pupil assessment program. (7) The development of a contract or contracts with a publisher or publishers, after the approval of statewide academically rigorous content standards by the state board, for the development of performance standards and assessments of applied academic skills designed to test pupils' knowledge of academic skills and abilities to apply that knowledge and those skills in order to solve problems and communicate. (b) The Superintendent shall develop and annually update for the Legislature a five-year cost projection, implementation plan, and timetable for implementing the program described in subdivision (a). The annual update shall be submitted on or before March 1 of each year to the chairperson of the fiscal subcommittee considering budget appropriations in each house. The update shall explain any significant variations from the five-year cost projection for the current year budget and the proposed budget. (c) The Superintendent shall provide each school district with guidelines for professional development that are designed to assist classroom teachers to use the results of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter to modify instruction for the purpose of improving pupil learning. These guidelines shall be developed in consultation with classroom teachers and approved by the state board before dissemination. (d) The Superintendent and the state board shall consider comments and recommendations from school districts and the public in the development, adoption, and approval of assessment instruments. (e) The results of the achievement test administered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) shall be returned to the school district within the period of time specified by the state board. 60604.5. It is the intent of the Legislature that the reauthorization of the statewide pupil assessment program includes all of the following: (a) A plan for transitioning to a system of high-quality assessments, as defined in the federal Race to the Top guidance and regulations. (b) Alignment with the standards developed pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 60605.8. (c) Any common assessments aligned with the standards developed pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 60605.8. (d) Conforms to the assessment requirements of any reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act or any other federal law that effectively replaces that act. 60605. (a) (1) (A) Not later than January 1, 1998, the state board shall adopt statewide academically rigorous content standards, pursuant to the recommendations of the Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards, in the core curriculum areas of reading, writing, and mathematics to serve as the basis for assessing the academic achievement of individual pupils and of schools, school districts, and the California educational system. Not later than November 1, 1998, the state board shall adopt these standards in the core curriculum areas of history/social science and science. (B) The state board shall adopt statewide performance standards in the core curriculum areas of reading, writing, mathematics, history/social science, and science based on the recommendations made by the Superintendent of a contractor or contractors. (C) The state board shall require the contractor or contractors to submit performance standards to the Superintendent and the state board not later than a specified date that allows sufficient opportunity for the Superintendent to make a recommendation to the state board and for the state board to conduct regional hearings prior to the adoption of the performance standards. (2) (A) The state board may modify any proposed content standards or performance standards prior to adoption and may adopt content and performance standards in individual core curriculum areas as those standards are submitted to the state board. The state performance standards shall be established against specific grade level benchmarks of academic achievement for each subject area tested and shall be based on the knowledge and skills that pupils will need in order to succeed in the information-based, global economy of the 21st century. These skills shall not include personal behavioral standards or skills, including, but not limited to, honesty, sociability, ethics, or self-esteem. The standards adopted pursuant to this section shall be for the purpose of guiding state decisions regarding the development, adoption, and approval of assessment instruments pursuant to this chapter and does not mandate any actions or activities by school districts. (B) Because these standards are models, the adoption of these standards is not subject to the Administrative Procedure Act. This subparagraph is declaratory of existing law. (3) Before adopting academic content and performance standards, the state board shall hold regional hearings for the purpose of giving parents and other members of the public the opportunity to comment on the proposed standards. (b) (1) The state board shall ensure that the statewide assessment system adopted pursuant to this chapter yields valid, reliable individual pupil scores and, where applicable, aggregate school scores, school district scores, and statewide scores of pupils and assesses basic academic skills and content standards, including the use of a direct writing assessment or other applied academic skills if deemed valid and reliable and if resources are made available for their use. (2) This subdivision does not prevent the state board from developing or adopting an assessment instrument that also contains assessments of basic academic skills. (c) To the extent feasible and as otherwise required, the state board shall ensure that assessments developed, or contracted for pursuant to Section 60642.5, by the state are aligned with the statewide content and performance standards adopted pursuant to subdivision (a). The department, with the approval of the state board, periodically shall contract for a review of the achievement test for conformance with these standards. (d) After adopting statewide content and performance standards, the state board shall review the existing curriculum frameworks for conformity with the new statewide standards and shall modify the curriculum frameworks where appropriate to bring them into alignment with the standards. (e) The state board shall adopt regulations for the conduct and administration of the testing and assessment program. (f) The state board shall adopt a regulation for minimum security procedures that test and assessment publishers and school districts must follow to ensure the security and integrity of test and assessment questions and materials. (g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2011. 60605.1. (a) No later than June 1, 2001, the State Board of Education shall adopt content standards, pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in the curriculum area of visual and performing arts. (b) The content standards are intended to provide a framework for programs that a school may offer in the instruction of visual or performing arts. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a school to follow the content standards. (c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as mandating an assessment of pupils in visual or performing arts. 60605.2. (a) No later than December 1, 2004, the State Board of Education shall adopt model content standards, pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in the curriculum area of physical education. (b) The model content standards are intended to provide a framework for programs that a school may offer in the instruction of physical education. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a school to follow the model content standards. 60605.3. (a) On or before June 1, 2009, the State Board of Education shall adopt content standards, pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for teaching foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. (b) The content standards shall support the goals of Section 51212 and subdivision (c) of Section 51220 by including all of the following: (1) A summary of the language goals which recognizes that instruction may begin in elementary or secondary school. (2) A description of individual language skills that should be taught and attained at each level. (3) Course content that is aligned with findings from research on second language acquisition and education. (4) Course content that is aligned with the admission requirements for the California State University and the University of California. (c) The content standards may be used by school districts to develop language programs and course assessments but are not mandatory. 60605.5. (a) On or before November 15, 2001, the State Board of Education shall adopt a performance standards system that includes the following components: (1) Performance levels. (2) Performance level descriptors. (3) Test administration data from the applicable State Board of Education adopted tests. (4) Exemplars of pupil performance that exemplify the content and performance standards. (b) The State Board of Education shall ensure that the performance standards system is aligned to the state's academically rigorous content standards. 60605.6. Subject to the availability of funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, the Superintendent, upon approval of the state board, shall contract for the development and distribution of workbooks, as follows: (a) One workbook to be distributed to all pupils in grade 10. This workbook shall contain information on the proficiency levels that must be demonstrated by pupils on the high school exit examination described in Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 60850). The workbook also shall contain sample questions, with explanations describing how these sample questions test pupil knowledge of the language arts and mathematics content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605. (b) Separate workbooks for each of grades 2 to 11, inclusive. Each pupil in grades 2 to 11, inclusive, who is required to take the achievement tests described in Section 60642.5 shall receive a copy of the workbook designed for the same grade level in which the pupil is enrolled. These workbooks shall contain material to assist pupils and their parents with standards-based learning, including the grade appropriate academic content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605 and sample questions that require knowledge of these standards to answer. The workbooks also shall describe how the sample questions test knowledge of the state board adopted academic content standards. 60605.7. The Superintendent, the state board, and any other entity or individual designated by the Governor shall participate in the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers or any associated or related interstate collaboration to jointly develop common high-quality standards or assessments aligned with the common set of standards. 60605.8. (a) There is hereby established the Academic Content Standards Commission. The commission shall consist of 21 members, appointed as follows: (1) Eleven members appointed by the Governor. (2) Five members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. (3) Five members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (b) Members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. (c) Not less than half of the members appointed by each of the appointing authorities pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be current public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers. (d) The commission shall develop academic content standards in language arts and mathematics. The standards shall be internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school graduation. Unless otherwise allowed by the Secretary of the United States Department of Education, at least 85 percent of these standards shall be the common core academic standards developed by the consortium or interstate collaboration set forth in Section 60605.7. (e) Pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Act, Article 9 (commencing with Sec. 11120) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, all meetings and hearings of the commission shall be open and available to the public. (f) On or before July 15, 2010, the commission shall present its recommended academic content standards to the state board. (g) On or before August 2, 2010, the state board shall do either of the following: (1) Adopt the academic content standards as proposed by the commission. (2) Reject the academic content standards as proposed by the commission. If the state board rejects the standards it shall provide a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed standards were rejected. (h) The Superintendent and state board shall present to the Governor and to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating the academic content standards adopted pursuant to this section into the state educational system. 60605.9. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the limitation in paragraph (6) of subdivision (c) of Section 60200, which requires that other criteria be approved at least 30 months prior to the date that the materials are to be approved for adoption, shall not apply to instructional materials adopted by the state board that are aligned with the content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8 in each of the content areas for which standards are revised or adopted. 60606. (a) After adopting an assessment of applied academic skills for use in grades 4, 5, 8, and 10 pursuant to Section 60605, the state board shall submit the instrument, once designated or adopted, for review by the Statewide Pupil Assessment Review Panel, which is hereby established. (b) The panel shall consist of six members. Three members shall be appointed by the Governor, one member shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, one member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member shall be appointed by the Superintendent. A majority of the panel shall consist of parents whose children attend public schools in the state in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. (c) Panel members shall serve two-year terms, without compensation. No panel member shall serve more than two consecutive terms. (d) The panel shall review the instrument specified in subdivision (a) in order to ensure that the content of the instrument complies with the requirements of Section 60614. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the panel may meet in closed session with a publisher for the purpose of addressing questions and clarifying issues that relate to ensuring that the content of the publisher's test or assessment, as the case may be, complies with the requirements of Section 60614. (e) The panel shall report its findings and recommendations to the state board within 10 days of its receipt of the instrument. If the panel fails to report within the required 10 days, the test or assessment shall be deemed acceptable to the panel. 60607. (a) Each pupil shall have an individual record of accomplishment by the end of grade 12 that includes the results of the achievement test required and administered annually as part of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program established pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640), results of end-of-course exams he or she has taken, and the vocational education certification exams he or she chose to take. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that school districts and schools use the results of the academic achievement tests administered annually as part of the statewide pupil assessment program to provide support to pupils and parents or guardians in order to assist pupils in strengthening their development as learners, and thereby to improve their academic achievement and performance in subsequent assessments. (c) (1) Any pupil results or a record of accomplishment shall be private, and may not be released to any person, other than the pupil' s parent or guardian and a teacher, counselor, or administrator directly involved with the pupil, without the express written consent of either the parent or guardian of the pupil if the pupil is a minor, or the pupil if the pupil has reached the age of majority or is emancipated. (2) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a pupil or his or her parent or guardian may authorize the release of pupil results or a record of accomplishment to a postsecondary educational institution for the purposes of credit, placement, or admission. (B) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the results of an individual pupil on the California Standards Test may be released to a postsecondary educational institution for the purposes of credit, placement, or admission. 60608. The governing board of each district shall, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, conduct a testing program pursuant to this chapter and may also administer other tests. 60610. At the request of the State Board of Education, and in accordance with rules and regulations that the board may adopt, each county superintendent of schools shall cooperate with and assist school districts under his or her jurisdiction in carrying out the testing programs of those districts and other duties imposed on school districts by this chapter. 60611. (a) A city, county, city and county, district superintendent of schools, or principal or teacher of any elementary or secondary school, including a charter school, shall not carry on any program of specific preparation of pupils for the statewide pupil assessment program or a particular test used therein. (b) A city, county, city and county, district superintendent of schools, principal, or a teacher of an elementary or secondary school, including a charter school, may use instructional materials provided by the department or its agents in the academic preparation of pupils for the statewide pupil assessment if those instructional materials are embedded in an instructional program that is intended to improve pupil learning. 60612. Upon adoption or approval of assessments pursuant to this chapter, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prepare and make available to parents, teachers, pupils, administrators, school board members, and the public easily understood materials describing the nature and purposes of the assessments, the systems of scoring, and the uses to which the assessments will be put. 60613. A school district is an agent of the State Department of Education for the purpose of administering a test or assessment required pursuant to this article. No action may be brought or maintained against any school district or its officers or employees acting in accordance with the instructions of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or the State Board of Education. 60614. Notwithstanding Section 51513, no test, examination, or assessment given as part of the statewide pupil assessment program shall contain any questions or items that solicit or invite disclosure of a pupil's, or his or her parents' or guardians', personal beliefs or practices in sex, family life, morality, or religion nor shall it contain any question designed to evaluate personal behavioral characteristics, including, but not limited to, honesty, integrity, sociability, or self esteem. 60615. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parent's or guardian's written request to school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter shall be granted. 60616. Any achievement test adopted by the state board pursuant to this chapter may be reviewed by any Member of the Legislature or any member of the governing board of a school district, if the member agrees in writing prior to the review to maintain the confidentiality of the test. 60617. The governing board of any school district may meet in closed session only to review the actual contents of any approved or adopted assessment, provided the governing board agrees by resolution to accept any terms or conditions for that review that are established by rules and regulations of the State Board of Education. The purpose of this provision is to maintain the confidentiality of the assessments under review. 60618. (a) The academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 60605 that are used as standards for the purposes of this article are to be considered model standards for any other purpose. (b) School districts may use these model standards as a guideline in developing district standards.