Posted on 05/22/2005 2:25:48 PM PDT by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO – Requiring students to pass California's high school graduation exam could be postponed further at the state's lowest-performing schools under legislation by the Senate's majority leader.
The measure by Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, is among dozens of bills facing tests this week in the Assembly and Senate appropriations committees.
The graduation exam was part of former Gov. Gray Davis' efforts to ensure that high school graduates master math and language requirements.
Originally, students were supposed to have passed the test to graduate in 2004, but the state Board of Education pushed the requirement back two years, making the class of 2006 the first one forced to pass the test to get a diploma.
Many students already have taken the exam in anticipation of the requirement kicking in. They can start taking it as sophomores.
Romero's bill would suspend the test requirement for about 375 of the state's lowest-performing high schools until the state superintendent of public instruction certified that students at those schools had adequate teachers, instructional material, counseling and tutoring.
The schools would have to file an annual report spelling out how they were attempting to gain certification.
"I'm not proud to be carrying this bill," Romero said. "It's not a bill I would wish on anybody, but I feel compelled to carry it because I see what's happening in my own district. The exam has an extraordinarily high failure rate among low-income school districts."
The state acknowledged in a recent lawsuit settlement that students at the schools had received "inferior learning opportunities," she said. To require them to pass the test next year would be "blaming the victims."
The state's top school officials oppose the bill, saying any delay of the test requirement would be counterproductive.
"Frankly, if there are schools that aren't preparing students, we need to take a look at what's happening at that school, not toss out the test," said Hilary McLean, a spokeswoman for Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction.
He also is a former state senator who was author of the test legislation.
Richard Riordan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's outgoing education secretary, said he also opposes the bill and predicts the Republican governor will veto it if it reaches his desk.
"Unless you start holding people accountable, starting with children and adults who teach children, you never get anywhere," said Riordan, who is resigning and will be replaced next month by San Diego schools superintendent Alan Bersin.
Riordan said Schwarzenegger is proposing an additional $57.5 million for programs to help students pass the test.
Romero's legislation is scheduled to be taken up Monday by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Under a related measure by Assemblywoman Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, students who fail the exam would be allowed to graduate if they do well on other performance assessments, such as grades or assignments. Schools would need approval from O'Connell's office to participate. That bill is scheduled for a vote Wednesday by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The two committees, usually the last stop for most bills before they can reach the full Senate or Assembly, screen legislation that triggers expenditures or raises revenue.
Also before either of those committees this week are bills that would:
– Create a universal health insurance system that would be run by an elected commissioner and cover all Californians.
– Authorize gay marriages.
– Allow doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.
– Set nutrition standards for school food.
– Require handgun bullets to have serial numbers to help solve crimes.
Unbelievable. The stench of OUTCOME-BASED education. The horrid LIBERAL creation in our schools that has provided license for gross negligence and incompetence in the teaching of our children. And now the LIBERALS keep trying to cover for, and protect their own miserable failures...fine example here.
My grandson just finished K4. He is reading 3 and 4 letter word books, writing in cursive and doing math. I don't think the school has a lot of money budgeted since we have to buy everything. Money isn't the answer .
Define standards and stick to them.
Hey, 5 more to go and he'll be a dawg.
Seriously, what is K4? It's a new one on me.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A level of kindergarten. K4 is for 4 y/os. Normally I wouldn't start them until K5 but there were special circumstances.
California, especially the southern half, is turning into a major stink-hole.
Thanks. I hadn't realized that they divided kindergartners up like that.
So everyone that passes the test will get a hundred bucks or something?
Seriously, now that I mention it, I think that idea did get proposed and/or passed somewhere a year or two ago. Hmm . . .
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