Bill Text: CA AB2553 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Kindergarten readiness.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-28 - In committee: Set, second hearing. Held under submission. [AB2553 Detail]
Download: California-2009-AB2553-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2553 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 12, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Brownley
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Article 19.6 (commencing with Section 8433) to
Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code,
relating to child development services.
relating to kindergarten readiness.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2553, as amended, Brownley. Child development
services: school readiness. Kindergarten readiness.
Existing law requires the State Department of Education to develop
prekindergarten learning development guidelines, focusing on
preparing 4- and 5-year-old children for kindergarten. The guidelines
are required to identify appropriate developmental milestones for
each age, how to assess where children are in relation to the
milestones, and suggested methods for achieving the milestones.
This bill would require the department to collect data that will
assess the school readiness of children entering kindergarten and
that reflect all of the major domains of child development, as
specified.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that
California establish a statewide kindergarten readiness data
collection tool, or set of tools. The bill would require that if the
State Department of Education commences the process for the
development of a data collection tool or tools, that certain
components be included and that a plan for implementation of the tool
or tools address specified issues. The bill would establish a group
of representatives to collaborate with the department on the
development of the data collection tool or tools.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all
of the following:
(a) Children who enter kindergarten ready for school are more
likely to achieve later academic and life success.
(b) A child's readiness for school includes physical well-being,
social and emotional development, language development, cognition and
general knowledge, as well as the child's approach toward learning.
(c) Several counties in California have invested in developing
instruments to measure school readiness.
(d) At least 31 states have adopted kindergarten readiness
instruments and a large number of these states collect data at the
state level.
(e) California currently does not have the ability to collect
kindergarten readiness data to support and inform kindergarten
teachers and early learning educators and providers, or to inform
state and local policymakers as they craft policies to support the
school readiness of the state's young children. California does not
currently support a statewide, systemic approach to the collection
and use of kindergarten readiness data that can better inform
kindergarten teachers, early learning educators, providers, and state
and local policymakers in their efforts to improve school readiness.
(f) Local efforts in California, as well as national models in
other states, can provide valuable lessons as California seeks to
find an appropriate way to capture kindergarten readiness data and
improve kindergarten readiness.
SEC. 2. It is the intent of the Legislature to
establish a statewide kindergarten readiness data collection tool, or
set of tools, that are practical to administer, that are used to
collect data on a voluntary basis, that will guide and inform
instruction, support local readiness efforts, and help policymakers
gauge the state-level progress of school readiness.
SEC. 3. Article 19.6 (commencing with Section
8433) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the
Education Code , to read:
Article 19.6. Kindergarten Readiness Data Collection
8433. (a) If the department commences a process for the creation
of a school readiness data collection tool or tools, the department
shall, in collaboration with the representatives described in
subdivision (c), include the following guidelines:
(1) Ensure that the kindergarten readiness data collection tool or
tools can be used to both provide a statewide snapshot of the skills
pupils demonstrate, based on teachers' observations, at the
beginning of the kindergarten year, and to provide kindergarten
teachers with information about the level of skills and behaviors
that pupils demonstrate at the beginning of kindergarten.
(2) Review work done in counties as well as other states that have
successfully created tools that support instruction and inform
policy.
(3) Ensure that any kindergarten readiness measurement tool or
tools crafted meet the following requirements:
(A) Meet accepted statistical and psychometric standards for
validity and reliability.
(B) Are age and developmentally appropriate.
(C) Include the multiple domains of children's development,
including social-emotional development, and align with the California
Preschool Foundations in the areas of cognitive, physical, language,
and social-emotional development and the corresponding kindergarten
content standards.
(D) Are appropriate for use with children who are English
learners.
(b) If the department commences a process for the creation of a
kindergarten readiness data collection tool or tools, the department
shall, in collaboration with representatives described in subdivision
(c), develop a plan for the voluntary implementation of the
kindergarten readiness data collection tool or tools that address,
but are not limited to addressing, the following:
(1) How best to train and support personnel administering the tool
or tools.
(2) How the tool or tools complement the ongoing assessments done
in the classroom to support and inform instruction and pupil
progress.
(3) How to distribute data to local educators, administrators, and
state and local policymakers in a timely and useful fashion.
(4) If and how the kindergarten readiness data collection tool or
tools and methods for capturing kindergarten readiness data should be
piloted.
(5) If and how kindergarten readiness data can connect with school
readiness data collected in preschool and other child development
and care settings.
(6) If and how kindergarten readiness data should be included or
connected to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data
System.
(7) Identification of potential federal or other non-General Fund
funds for implementation of any components of the plan.
(c) For purposes of this section, the representatives specified
pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) shall include representatives
from the California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood
Education and Care as established by Executive Order S-23-09,
representatives from the Legislature, teachers in kindergarten and
any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, early childhood professionals,
education researchers, users of existing measures of school
readiness, and children's advocates.
(d) Any kindergarten readiness data obtained from a tool or tools
developed pursuant from this section shall be used solely for
informational purposes, and shall not be used for any other purpose,
including, but not limited to, determining a child's eligibility for
kindergarten or determining whether to retain a kindergarten pupil.
(e) The guidelines and plan specified in this section shall be
incorporated into any existing efforts to develop a tool or tools for
kindergarten readiness. The department may use any federal funds or
other sources, including private funds, for this purpose.
SECTION 1. Article 19.6 (commencing with
Section 8433) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title
1 of the Education Code, to read:
Article 19.6. School Readiness Data
8433. The department shall collect data that will accurately and
appropriately assess the school readiness of children entering
kindergarten and that reflect all of the major domains of child
development, including, but not limited to, social and emotional
development, physical well-being and motor development, language and
comprehension development, and cognition and general knowledge.
