BILL NUMBER: AB 1238 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 31, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hernandez FEBRUARY 27, 2009 An act to amend Section 52240 of the Education Code, relating to pupils. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1238, as amended, Hernandez. Advanced placement program.Existing(1) Existing law contains legislative findings and declarations regarding advanced placement courses. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that certain state funding that is currently provided to school districts be made available to provide financial assistance to economically disadvantaged pupils in the payment of advanced placement examination fees. Existing law further states the intent of the Legislature that a competitive grant program also be established for the purpose of awarding grants to economically disadvantaged pupils to cover the costs of advanced placement examination fees, thereby creating a second source of financial assistance for economically disadvantaged pupils taking advanced placement examinations.This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to these provisions.This bill would require school districts maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to offer advanced placement courses in certain areas of study, including English literature and composition, United States history, Spanish language, calculus, and chemistry. The bill would authorize small rural school districts, as defined, to offer online courses for the purposes of fulfilling this requirement. Because the bill would require school districts to provide a higher level of service, it would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:noyes . State-mandated local program:noyes . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 52240 of the Education Code is amended to read: 52240. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Advanced placement courses, for which school credit is awarded, provide rigorous academic coursework opportunities for high school pupils and help to improve the overall curriculum at schools where they are provided. (2) The successful completion of advanced placement courses and subsequent advanced placement examinations, which are conducted by the College Entrance Examination Board and for which college credit is awarded, provide a cost-effective means for high school pupils to obtain college-level coursework experience. (3) To the extent that economically disadvantaged pupils are provided financial assistance to take advanced placement examinations, they will be provided with successful college-level experience and be encouraged to pursue postsecondary education opportunities. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature, therefore, that certain state funding that currently is provided to school districts be made available to provide financial assistance to economically disadvantaged pupils in the payment of advanced placement examination fees. It is further the intent of the Legislature that a competitive grant program also be established for the purpose of awarding grants to economically disadvantaged pupils to cover the costs of advanced placement examination fees, thereby creating a second source of financial assistance for economically disadvantaged pupils taking advanced placement examinations. (c) (1) School districts maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, shall offer advanced placement courses in the following areas of study: (A) English literature and composition. (B) United States history. (C) Spanish language. (D) Calculus. (E) Chemistry. (2) A small rural school district, as defined in paragraph (3), may offer online courses in order to fulfill the requirements of paragraph (1). (3) For purposes of this section, a "small rural school district" means a school district that has an annual enrollment of fewer than 600 pupils based on prior school year CBEDS data and is, for the purposes of this section, designated a rural school by the Superintendent based on the appropriate school locale codes, as used by the National Center for Education Statistics of the United States Department of Education. SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.