When the new legislative session begins in January, CTA representatives will work with lawmakers to introduce legislation that focuses on improving the state's testing and public school accountability laws.
Three testing measures were among several proposals approved for sponsorship by CTA's State Council of Education at its October meeting.
"Teachers aren't opposed to tests, but we want to make sure they're fair," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "One standardized test shouldn't be the sole measure of student achievement."
The major thrust of one piece of proposed legislation would be to ensure that state testing programs are administered in a manner appropriate to the developmental stages of students. It would bring California tests in line with new federal guidelines contained in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and prevent the state from testing students at ages younger than what's established in the new law.
It would also require that test questions and answers be made public after a test is given.
A second measure would bar the state from using the current High School Exit Examination as the sole criterion for high school graduation. It would allow districts to use the exam as one of several measures of a student's achievement and performance. The proposal reflects research that suggests high-stakes examinations - used without any other method of assessing a student's mastery of subject matter - hurt pupils who do not test well, including special education students, English language learners and students disadvantaged by poverty.
A third proposal would revise the state's school accountability program. Under current law, schools and employees may become eligible for financial incentives if a school's Academic Performance Index (API) improves significantly. CTA's measure would call for the removal of financial incentives that teachers have long found to be counterproductive. It would also eliminate sanctions that can both stigmatize a school and reduce state resources that students need to succeed.
Part-time faculty issues
CTA also plans to introduce legislation to address the needs of beleaguered part-time community college faculty when the new legislative session begins in January.
One proposal would extend due process rights regarding contract renewal and staff retention to part-time and contract employees.
Another proposal would provide a choice of retirement systems, including Social Security, for part-time community college faculty.
A third measure would bar districts from counting paid professional development activities as part of a part-time faculty member's workload. It would help ensure that part-time instructors' efforts are used in the classroom rather than in ancillary activities.
Pension reform
When the next session of the Legislature opens, CTA also hopes to introduce legislation that would allow all teachers to see their pensions calculated on their highest year's pay. As it stands now, pensions are calculated on the average of the three highest years of pay. The measure could help California meet the demands of the teacher shortage by encouraging fully qualified teachers to remain in the profession until retirement.
Other legislation
Additional legislation to deal with professional rights for teachers and to further assist California's schools of greatest need is still in development.
Len Feldman
