A CTA-sponsored bill that would streamline California's testing system won passage in the state Assembly by a vote of 43 to 28 June 3. It now moves to the Senate Education Committee for consideration.
As amended, AB 356 by Assembly Member Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) would:
- Postpone until 2005-06 the requirement for students to pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to graduate. A report released in May found that the Class of 2004 has not fully benefited from the changes in standards-based instruction and aligned textbooks.
- Exempt second-graders from the state testing requirement as part of the effort to bring California in line with federal ESEA requirements. California is the only state besides Mississippi to require statewide accountability testing beginning in second grade. Currently, second-graders are tested for 410 minutes, more than any other elementary grade level. Studies have shown this testing time to be developmentally inappropriate for young learners. According to the California Department of Education, California spends approximately $3.2 million to test second-graders each year.
- Remove the rewards provisions in the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999. The bill would leave the sanctions component of the STAR program in place, but eliminate school and staff rewards based on test scores.
At a time of critically short financial resources, AB 356 would help the state use its education funding more wisely and provide youngsters in early grades with more instructional time.
Len Feldman