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CALIFORNIA STATUTES AND CODES

SECTIONS 60850-60859

EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 60850-60859
60850. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall develop a high school exit examination in English language arts and mathematics in accordance with the statewide academically rigorous content standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 60605. To facilitate the development of the examination, the superintendent shall review any existing high school subject matter examinations that are linked to, or can be aligned with, the statewide academically rigorous content standards for English language arts and mathematics adopted by the State Board of Education. By October 1, 2000, the State Board of Education shall adopt a high school exit examination that is aligned with statewide academically rigorous content standards. (b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction, with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall establish a High School Exit Examination Standards Panel to assist in the design and composition of the exit examination and to ensure that the examination is aligned with statewide academically rigorous content standards. Members of the panel shall include, but are not limited to, teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and the general public. Members of the panel shall serve without compensation for a term of two years and shall be representative of the state's ethnic and cultural diversity and gender balance. The superintendent shall also make the best effort to ensure representation of the state's diversity relative to urban, suburban, and rural areas. The State Department of Education shall provide staff to the panel. (c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall require that the examination be field tested before actual implementation to ensure that the examination is free from bias and that its content is valid and reliable. (d) Before the State Board of Education adopts the exit examination, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall submit the examination to the Statewide Pupil Assessment Review Panel established pursuant to Section 60606. The panel shall review all items or questions to ensure that the content of the examination complies with the requirements of Section 60614. (e) The exit examination prescribed in subdivision (a) shall conform to the following standards or it shall not be required as a condition of graduation: (1) The examination may not be administered to a pupil who did not receive adequate notice as provided for in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) regarding the test. (2) The examination, regardless of federal financial participation, shall comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000d et seq.), its implementing regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 100), and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1701). (3) The examination shall have instructional and curricular validity. (4) The examination shall be scored as a criterion referenced examination. (f) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) "Accommodations" means any variation in the assessment environment or process that does not fundamentally alter what the test measures or affect the comparability of scores. "Accommodations" may include variations in scheduling, setting, aids, equipment, and presentation format. (2) "Adequate notice" means that the pupil and his or her parent or guardian have received written notice, at the commencement of the pupil's 9th grade, and each year thereafter through the annual notification process established pursuant to Section 48980, or if a transfer pupil, at the time the pupil transfers. A pupil who has taken the exit examination in the 10th grade is deemed to have had "adequate notice" as defined in this paragraph. (3) "Curricular validity" means that the examination tests for content found in the instructional textbooks. For the purposes of this section, any textbook or other instructional material adopted pursuant to this code and consistent with the state's adopted curriculum frameworks shall be deemed to satisfy this definition. (4) "Instructional validity" means that the examination is consistent with what is expected to be taught. For the purposes of this section, instruction that is consistent with the state's adopted curriculum frameworks for the subjects tested shall be deemed to satisfy this definition. (5) "Modification" means any variation in the assessment environment or process that fundamentally alters what the test measures or affects the comparability of scores. (g) The examination shall be offered to individuals with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 56026, in accordance with paragraph (17) of subsection (a) of Section 1412 of Title 20 of the United States Code and Section 794 and following of Title 29 of the United States Code. Individuals with exceptional needs shall be administered the examination with appropriate accommodations, where necessary. (h) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a school district from requiring pupils to pass additional exit examinations approved by the governing board of the school district as a condition for graduation. 60851. (a) Commencing with the 2003-04 school year and each school year thereafter, each pupil completing grade 12 shall successfully pass the high school exit examination as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation or a condition of graduation from high school. Funding for the administration of the high school exit examination shall be provided for in the annual Budget Act. The Superintendent shall apportion funds appropriated for this purpose to enable school districts to meet the requirements of this subdivision and subdivisions (b), (c), and (d). The state board shall establish the amount of funding to be apportioned per test administered, based on a review of the cost per test. (b) Each pupil shall take the high school exit examination in grade 10 beginning in the 2001-02 school year and may take the examination during each subsequent administration, until each section of the examination has been passed. (c) (1) At the parent or guardian's request, a school principal shall submit a request for a waiver of the requirement to successfully pass the high school exit examination to the governing board of the school district for a pupil with a disability who has taken the high school exit examination with modifications that alter what the test measures and has received the equivalent of a passing score on one or both subject matter parts of the high school exit examination. A governing board of a school district may waive the requirement to successfully pass one or both subject matter parts of the high school exit examination for a pupil with a disability if the principal certifies to the governing board of the school district that the pupil has all of the following: (A) An individualized education program adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.) or a plan adopted pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794(a)) in place that requires the accommodations or modifications to be provided to the pupil when taking the high school exit examination. (B) Sufficient high school level coursework either satisfactorily completed or in progress in a high school level curriculum sufficient to have attained the skills and knowledge otherwise needed to pass the high school exit examination. (C) An individual score report for the pupil showing that the pupil has received the equivalent of a passing score on the high school exit examination while using a modification that fundamentally alters what the high school exit examination measures as determined by the state board. (2) A school district shall report to the state board, in a manner and by a date determined by the Superintendent, the number and characteristics of waivers reviewed, granted, and denied under this subdivision and any additional information determined to be in furtherance of this subdivision. (d) The high school exit examination shall be offered in each public school and state special school that provides instruction in grades 10, 11, or 12, on the dates designated by the Superintendent. An exit examination may not be administered on any date other than those designated by the Superintendent as examination days or makeup days. (e) The results of the high school exit examination shall be provided to each pupil taking the examination within eight weeks of the examination administration and in time for the pupil to take any section of the examination not passed at the next administration. A pupil shall take again only those parts of the examination he or she has not previously passed and may not retake any portion of the exit examination that he or she has previously passed. (f) Supplemental instruction shall be provided to any pupil who does not demonstrate sufficient progress toward passing the high school exit examination. To the extent that school districts have aligned their curriculum with the state academic content standards adopted by the state board, the curriculum for supplemental instruction shall reflect those standards and shall be designed to assist the pupils to succeed on the high school exit examination. This chapter does not require the provision of supplemental services using resources that are not regularly available to a school or school district, including summer school instruction provided pursuant to Section 37252. In no event shall any action taken as a result of this subdivision cause or require reimbursement by the Commission on State Mandates. Sufficient progress shall be determined on the basis of either of the following: (1) The results of the assessments administered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) of Chapter 5 of Part 33 and the minimum levels of proficiency recommended by the state board pursuant to Section 60648. (2) The grades of the pupil and other indicators of academic achievement designated by the school district. 60852. Notwithstanding Section 60851, if a school district determines that a pupil does not possess sufficient English language skills to be assessed pursuant to Section 60850, the district may defer the requirement that the pupil pass the high school exit examination for a period of up to 24 calendar months of enrollment in the California public school system until the pupil has completed six months of instruction in reading, writing, and comprehension in the English language. Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow any pupil to receive a diploma of graduation from high school without passing the exit examination, in English, prescribed by Section 60850. 60852.1. (a) The Superintendent shall recommend, and the state board shall select, members of a panel that will convene to make recommendations regarding alternative means for eligible pupils with disabilities to demonstrate that they have achieved the same level of academic achievement in the content standards in English language arts or mathematics, or both, required for passage of the high school exit examination. (1) The panel shall be composed of educators and other individuals who have experience with the population of pupils with disabilities eligible for alternative means of demonstrating academic achievement, as defined in Section 60852.2, and educators and other individuals who have expertise with multiple forms of assessment. The panel shall consult with experts in other states that offer alternative means for pupils with disabilities to demonstrate academic achievement. A majority of the panel shall be classroom teachers. (2) The panel shall make findings and recommendations regarding all of the following: (A) Specific options for alternative assessments, submission of evidence, or other alternative means by which eligible pupils with disabilities may demonstrate that they have achieved the same level of academic achievement in the content standards in English language arts or mathematics, or both, required for passage of the high school exit examination. (B) Scoring or other evaluation systems designed to ensure that the pupil has achieved the same competence in the content standards required for passage of the high school exit examination. (C) Processes to ensure that the form, content, and scoring of assessments, evidence, or other means of demonstrating academic achievement are applied uniformly across the state. (D) Estimates of one-time or ongoing costs, and whether each option should be implemented on a statewide or regional basis, or both. (3) The panel shall present its options and make its findings and recommendations to the Superintendent and to the state board by October 1, 2009. (b) By October 1, 2010, for those portions of, or those academic content standards assessed by, the high school exit examination for which the state board determines it is feasible to create alternative means by which eligible pupils with disabilities may demonstrate the same level of academic achievement required for passage of the high school exit examination, the state board, taking into consideration the findings and recommendations of the panel, shall adopt regulations for alternative means by which eligible pupils with disabilities, as defined in Section 60952.2, may demonstrate that they have achieved the same level of academic achievement in the content standards required for passage of the high school exit examination. The regulations shall include appropriate timelines and the manner in which pupils and school districts shall be timely notified of the results. 60852.2. (a) For purposes of this chapter, "eligible pupil with a disability" means a pupil who meets all of the following criteria: (1) The pupil has an operative individualized education program adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.) or a plan adopted pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794 (a)) that indicates that the pupil has an anticipated graduation date and is scheduled to receive a high school diploma on or after January 1, 2011. (2) The pupil has not passed the high school exit examination. (3) The school district or state special school certifies that the pupil has satisfied or will satisfy all other state and local requirements for the receipt of a high school diploma on or after January 1, 2011. (4) The pupil has attempted to pass those sections not yet passed of the high school exit examination at least twice after grade 10, including at least once during the current enrollment of the pupil in grade 12, with the accommodations or modifications, if any, specified in the individualized education program or the Section 504 plan of the pupil. (b) Commencing January 1, 2011, an eligible pupil with a disability may participate in the alternative means of demonstrating the level of academic achievement in the content standards required for passage of the high school exit examination in the manner prescribed by the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 60852.1. The state board may, by regulation, extend this date by up to two years if it determines that an extension is necessary for the appropriate implementation of the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 60852.1. (c) An eligible pupil with a disability shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of Section 60851 for those parts of the high school exit examination that the pupil has not passed if the school district in which the pupil is enrolled is notified that the pupil has successfully demonstrated the same level of academic achievement in the statewide content standards as the level of academic achievement that is necessary to pass the high school exit examination through one or more of the alternative means prescribed in the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 60852.1. 60852.3. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, commencing with the 2009-10 school year, an eligible pupil with a disability is not required to pass the high school exit examination established pursuant to Section 60850 as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation or as a condition of graduation from high school. (b) This exemption shall last until the state board, pursuant to Section 60852.1, makes a determination that the alternative means by which an eligible pupil with disabilities may demonstrate the same level of academic achievement in the portions of, or those content standards required for passage of, the high school exit examination are not feasible or that the alternative means are implemented. (c) For the purposes of this section, an eligible pupil with a disability is a pupil with an individualized education program adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.) or a plan adopted pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794(a)) that indicates the pupil is scheduled to receive a high school diploma, and that the pupil has satisfied or will satisfy all other state and local requirements for the receipt of a high school diploma, on or after July 1, 2009. (d) A local educational agency, as defined in Section 56026.3, shall not adopt an individualized education program pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or a plan pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for a pupil for the sole purpose of exempting the pupil from the requirement to pass the high school exit examination as a condition of receiving a high school diploma, unless that adoption is consistent with federal law. (e) Pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 60851, pupils with exceptional needs shall take the high school exit examination in grade 10 for purposes of fulfilling the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 7114). 60852.5. (a) By January 31, 2004, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop, and the State Board of Education shall approve, a request for a proposal for an independent consultant to assess options and provide recommendations for alternatives to the high school exit examination for pupils with disabilities to be eligible for a high school diploma. By April 30, 2004, an independent consultant shall be selected by a selection panel consisting of one representative appointed by each of the following persons and entities: (1) The President pro Tempore of the Senate. (2) The Speaker of the Assembly. (3) The Legislative Analyst's Office. (4) The State Department of Education. (5) The Department of Finance. (b) The independent consultant should possess expertise on the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.) and applicable state law, as well as assessment methodologies concerning pupils with disabilities. (c) The independent consultant shall, in consultation with the advisory panel established pursuant to Section 60852.6, prepare a report that does all of the following: (1) Recommends options for graduation requirements and assessments for pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 56026, or who are disabled, as defined in Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794). (2) Identifies those provisions of state and federal law and regulation that are relevant to graduation requirements and assessments for pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs. (3) Recommends the steps that would be taken to bring California into full compliance with the state and federal law and regulations that are identified pursuant to paragraph (2). (d) The independent consultant shall provide the advisory panel established pursuant to Section 60852.6 with a preliminary report of findings and shall include the advisory panel's concerns and recommendations in a final report. The final report shall be disseminated to the members of the advisory panel, the Legislature, the Legislative Analyst's Office, the Department of Finance, the State Department of Education, and interested parties no later than May 1, 2005. (e) The Superintendent of Public Instruction may, upon approval of an expenditure plan by the Department of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, provide funds for the purposes of implementing the recommendations provided pursuant to subdivision (c). 60852.6. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish, by April 30, 2004, a 15-member High School Exit Examination for Pupils With Disabilities Advisory Panel to advise the independent consultant selected pursuant to Section 60852.5. The members of the advisory panel shall be composed of the following individuals: (1) Three parents or guardians of pupils with disabilities. (2) An individual with disabilities. (3) Three credentialed teachers who work with pupils with disabilities. (4) Two representatives of institutions of higher education that prepare special education and related services personnel. (5) A director of a special education local planning area. (6) Two school administrators whose duties relate to the provision of services to pupils with disabilities. (7) A representative from the State Department of Education. (8) A representative of a vocational, community, or business organization concerned with the provision of transition services to pupils with disabilities. (9) A representative of community-based organizations providing special education and related services. (b) The members of the advisory panel shall serve without compensation for a term of one year and shall be representative of the state's ethnic and cultural diversity and gender balance. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall also make every effort to ensure that the panel is representative of the state's diversity relative to urban, suburban, and rural areas. The State Department of Education shall provide staff and resources to the advisory panel. 60853. (a) In order to prepare pupils to succeed on the exit examination, a school district shall use regularly available resources and any available supplemental remedial resources, including, but not limited to, funds available for programs established by Chapter 320 of the Statutes of 1998, Chapter 811 of the Statutes of 1997, Chapter 743 of the Statutes of 1998, and funds available for other similar supplemental remedial programs. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that a school district consider restructuring its academic offerings reducing the electives available to any pupil who has not demonstrated the skills necessary to succeed on the exit examination, so that the pupil can be provided supplemental instruction during the regularly scheduled academic year. (c) A school district should prepare pupils to succeed on the exit examination. In preparing pupils to succeed, school districts are encouraged to use existing resources to ensure that all pupils succeed. The state has created programs such as the Class Size Reduction Program, staff development programs, after school programs, and others, in addition to providing general purpose funding, in order to assist school districts in providing an education that will help all pupils succeed. 60855. (a) By January 15, 2000, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall contract for a multiyear independent evaluation of the high school exit examination that is established pursuant to this chapter. The evaluation shall be based upon information gathered in field testing and annual administrations of the examination and shall include all of the following: (1) Analysis of pupil performance, broken down by grade level, gender, race or ethnicity, and subject matter of the examination, including any trends that become apparent over time. (2) Analysis of the exit examination's effects, if any, on college attendance, pupil retention, graduation, and dropout rates, including analysis of these effects on the population subgroups described in subdivision (b). (3) Analysis of whether the exit examination is likely to have, or has, differential effects, whether beneficial or detrimental, on population subgroups described in subdivision (b). (b) Evaluations conducted pursuant to this section shall separately consider test results for each of the following population subgroups, provided that information concerning individuals shall not be gathered or disclosed in the process of preparing this evaluation. (1) English language learners and non-English language learners. (2) Individuals with exceptional needs and individuals without exceptional needs. (3) Pupils that qualify for free or reduced price meals and are enrolled in schools that qualify for assistance under Title 1 of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-382) and pupils that do not qualify for free or reduced price meals and are not enrolled in schools that qualify for assistance under Title 1 of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-382). (4) Any group of pupils that has been determined by the independent evaluator to be differentially affected by the exit examination established pursuant to this chapter. (c) Evaluation reports shall include recommendations to improve the quality, fairness, validity, and reliability of the examination. The independent evaluator may also make recommendations for revisions in design, administration, scoring, processing, or use of the examination. (d) The independent evaluator shall report to the Governor, the Office of the Legislative Analyst, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, the Secretary for Education, and the chairs of the education policy committees in both houses of the Legislature, in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Preliminary report on field testing by July 1, 2000. (2) First annual report by February 1, 2002. (3) Regular biennial reports by February 1 of even-numbered years following 2002. 60856. After adoption and the initial administrations of the high school exit examination the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall study the appropriateness of other criteria by which high school pupils who are regarded as highly proficient but unable to pass the high school exit examination may demonstrate their competency and receive a high school diploma. This criteria shall include, but is not limited to, an exemplary academic record as evidenced by transcripts and alternative tests of equal rigor in the academic areas covered by the high school exit examination. If the State Board of Education determines that other criteria are appropriate and do not undermine the intent of this chapter that all high school graduates demonstrate satisfactory academic proficiency, the board shall forward its recommendations to the Legislature for enactment. 60857. (a) The State Department of Education, with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall contract for an independent study regarding the requirement of passage of the high school exit examination as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation and a condition of graduation from high school. A final report based on the study shall be delivered to the Governor, the chairs of the education policy committees in the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before May 1, 2003. (b) The scope of work and the final contract for the independent study required pursuant to this section shall be approved by the State Board of Education. The study shall include, but not be limited to, examination of whether the test development process and the implementation of standards-based instruction meet the required standards for a test of this nature. (c) Funding for the independent study required by this section shall be provided for in the annual Budget Act. 60859. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, on or before August 1, 2003, the State Board of Education may delay the date upon which each pupil completing grade 12 is required to successfully pass the high school exit examination as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation or a condition of graduation from high school to a date other than the 2003-04 school year if, in reviewing the report of the independent study, the State Board of Education determines that the test development process or the implementation of standards-based instruction does not meet the required standards for a test of this nature. (b) After August 1, 2003, the State Board of Education may not delay the date upon which each pupil completing grade 12 is required to successfully pass the high school exit examination as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation or a condition of graduation from high school.

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