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SB-594 Pupil instruction: English Learner Roadmap Initiative.(2019-2020)

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Date Published: 05/17/2019 12:40 PM
SB594:v95#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Senate  May 17, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  April 30, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  April 23, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  March 28, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 594

Introduced by Senator Rubio

February 22, 2019

An act to add Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 425) to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction, and making an appropriation therefor. instruction.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 594, as amended, Rubio. Pupil instruction: English Learner Roadmap Initiative.
Existing law establishes the State Board of Education, and requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law requires the state board to determine all questions of policy within its powers. Pursuant to these powers, the state board has adopted a policy known as the California English Learner Roadmap policy, also known as the EL Roadmap, for the stated purpose of assisting the State Department of Education in providing guidance to local educational agencies with respect to educating English learners attending California public schools.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns the department numerous duties relating to the governance and funding of local educational agencies. Existing law also establishes the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) as a statewide agency that works collaboratively with other statewide agencies, county offices of education, and stakeholders with the goal of improving pupil outcomes.
This bill would establish the English Learner Roadmap Initiative under the administration of the department and the CCEE. The bill would require the department and the CCEE to establish a process, administered by the department, to select, subject to the approval of the executive director of the state board, a county office of education with expertise relating to English learners and the EL Roadmap to serve as the lead agency to conduct specified activities required by the bill. The bill would require the lead agency, commencing with the 2020–21 school year, to award grants to local educational agencies for purposes related to implementing the EL Roadmap, as specified. The bill would specify criteria to be applied by the department, the CCEE, and the lead agency in determining which applicants would receive the grants. The bill would specify that the number of grants to be awarded by the lead agency, as well as the amounts and durations of the grants, would be contingent on the level of funding received and the number and quality of the applications.
The bill would require grant recipients to submit to the department and the CCEE annual written reviews of their efforts under the program. The bill would also require the department and the CCEE to submit, on or before January 1, 2024, a written report to the Legislature regarding the program.

The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 in each of 3 fiscal years beginning with the 2020–21 fiscal year from the General Fund to the department for allocation pursuant to the program. To the extent that these funds are allocated to local educational agencies, these funds would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

The bill would declare that the implementation of these provisions is contingent upon the enactment of an appropriation for its purposes in the Budget Act or another statute.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: YESNO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The State Board of Education adopted the California English Learner Roadmap policy on July 12, 2017, to assist the State Department of Education in providing guidance to local educational agencies in welcoming, understanding, and educating the diverse population of pupils who are English learners attending California public schools.
(b) The California English Learner Roadmap policy is designed to strengthen comprehensive educational policies, programs, and practices for English learners, and it explicitly focuses on English learners in the context of the state’s efforts to improve the educational system, the quality of teaching and learning, and educational outcomes.
(c) If the California English Learner Roadmap policy is properly articulated and coordinated with other efforts to improve learning outcomes in this state, it will enable the state’s large population of English learners to attain college- and career-ready standards.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 425) is added to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER  5.5. California English Learner Roadmap Initiative

425.
 (a) The California English Learner Roadmap Initiative is hereby established under the administration of the department and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE).
(b) As used in this chapter:
(1) “EL Roadmap” means the California English Learner Roadmap policy adopted by the state board in 2017.
(2) “Program” means the California English Learner Roadmap Initiative established by this chapter.
(c) The purposes served by the program include, but are not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(1) Building capacity in school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for implementation of the EL Roadmap.
(2) Including the EL Roadmap at every level of the statewide system of support.
(3) Establishing connections to the local control and accountability plan and the plan adopted pursuant to Title III of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (as reauthorized by Public Law 114-95), leading to meaningful goals and outcomes requiring full access to curriculum, assuring meaningful progress toward attaining academic English proficiency, and closing gaps in academic achievement for pupils who are English learners.
(4) Implementing instructional programs that effectively develop academic content knowledge, discipline, specific practices, academic language, and bilingual and biliterate proficiency.
(5) Identifying and emphasizing high-quality models for professional development regarding the EL Roadmap, including, but not necessarily limited to, providing coaching for principals and the implementation of other models to best meet the needs of school leaders.
(6) Establishing alignment and articulation of the EL Roadmap across and within state and school district systems.

426.
 (a) The department and the CCEE shall administer the program.
(b) (1) The department and the CCEE shall establish a process, administered by the department, to select, subject to the approval of the executive director of the state board, a county office of education with expertise relating to English learners and the EL Roadmap to serve as the lead agency to conduct the activities required pursuant to this section.
(2) The department shall allocate funds to the lead agency county office of education, and the lead agency shall administer grants to local educational agencies to assist in the implementation of regional efforts relating to the EL Roadmap and to highlight best practices and exemplary programs or models from throughout the state that can be scaled and learned from. The lead agency county office of education shall collaborate with the regional county office of education English learner specialists.
(3) Commencing with the 2020–21 school year, the lead agency shall award grants to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria determined by the department. The number of grants to be awarded by the lead agency, and the amounts and durations of those grants, shall be contingent on the level of funding received and the number and quality of the applications.
(c) The criteria to be applied by the department, the CCEE, and the lead agency county office of education in determining which of the applicants shall receive a grant for purposes of conducting activities required of the lead agency under the program shall include all of the following:
(1) Demonstrated expertise in the principles and elements of the EL Roadmap.
(2) Demonstrated expertise in instruction, services, and programs, including, but not necessarily limited to, bilingual programs, specific to students pupils who are English learners, including English learners who qualify for special education services.
(3) Demonstrated expertise in assessments in Spanish and other languages in addition to English.
(4) Demonstrated expertise in the statewide system of support.
(5) Ability to coordinate and calibrate assistance and support to county offices of education, school districts, and consortia of charter schools.
(6) Capability of convening its lead personnel in English learner instruction at least four times per year to share best practices, support materials, and other important information.
(7) Ability to provide to the department, the CCEE, and the lead agency county office of education an annual written review of its efforts under the program.
(8) Ability to partner with other entities, including, but not necessarily limited to, nonprofit organizations, professional organizations, and institutions of higher education.
(d) (1) The department and the CCEE shall submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, a written report about the program to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2024. This report shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, a listing of all of the grants that have been awarded under the program and a summary of the information provided by the grant recipients in the reports they made under paragraph (7) of subdivision (c).
(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this subdivision shall become inoperative on January 1, 2025.

427.
 The implementation of this chapter is contingent upon the enactment of an appropriation for its purposes in the Budget Act or another statute.

SEC. 3.

The sum of twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Education for allocation for purposes of Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 425) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, in accordance with the following schedule:

(a)Four million dollars ($4,000,000) for the 2020–21 fiscal year.

(b)Four million dollars ($4,000,000) for the 2021–22 fiscal year.

(c)Four million dollars ($4,000,000) for the 2022–23 fiscal year.