Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and High School Principals:
IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSEMBLY BILL 1330
The purpose of this letter is to provide guidance on the implementation of Assembly Bill 1330 (Chapter 621, Statutes of 2011) in districts and schools offering instruction in any of grades nine through twelve, inclusive.
Existing state law requires all graduating high school students to complete one course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. Beginning with the 2012–13 school year (class of 2013), AB 1330 authorizes local educational agencies to accept a Career Technical Education (CTE) course as an optional high school graduation requirement in lieu of one course in visual or performing arts or foreign language. Please note that AB 1330 does not require a district or a school to start new CTE programs.
AB 1330 also requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2017, concerning the impact of AB 1330. In addition, the provisions of AB 1330 will be repealed on January 1, 2018, unless its provisions are extended by legislative action.
If a local governing board elects to adopt an optional CTE graduation requirement pursuant to AB 1330, the governing board, prior to offering the optional CTE graduation requirement to students, shall notify parents, teachers, pupils, and the public at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board. This notification shall include the following:
- The intent to offer CTE courses to fulfill the graduation requirement.
- The impact that offering CTE courses will have on the availability of courses that meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems, and whether these CTE courses would satisfy those eligibility requirements.
- The distinction between the high school graduation requirements of the school district or county office of education and the eligibility requirements for CSU and UC admission.
For more information about California’s high school graduation requirements, including more detailed guidance for complying with the provisions of AB 1330, please visit the CDE State Minimum Course Requirements Web page athttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrmin.asp.
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Terrie Poulos, Education Programs Consultant, High School Innovations and Initiatives Office, by phone at 916-319-0483 or by e-mail at tpoulos@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson
TT:tp