Whatever education bills the Legislature passes in the next four weeks will pale in importance compared to its monumental achievement of 2013, the Local Control Funding Formula, Gov. Jerry Brown’s sweeping school finance and accountability plan that legislators enacted as part of the state budget in June.
But key bills do await action, as legislators head toward the end of session on Sept. 13. Chief among them is a decision on what state standardized tests to discontinue this year, which to suspend and resume later, and which to continue. The proposed changes are in Assembly Bill 484, which Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, is sponsoring on behalf of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
California’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards and new English Language Development Standards for English learners and likely adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards by the State Board of Education in November are prompting a more comprehensive look at assessments. The new Common Core tests will be introduced in spring 2015, replacing California Standards Tests in English language arts and math in grades 3-8 and 11. Torlakson has proposed suspending many state tests in order to save money and allow schools to focus their attention on the new standards. Legislators must decide what to do in the future with end-of-subject high school tests, and when to create new tests for English learners and students with disabilities