AB 1

Current law: school and school district accountability

Current law directs the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to annually

publish a school and school district accountability report that includes the following

information about each school and school district, derived from data gathered in the

previous school year:

1. Multiple measures to determine a school's performance or a school district's

improvement, including pupil achievement and growth in reading and mathematics;

measures of college and career readiness; and gaps in pupil achievement and

graduation rates categorized by various factors.

2. An index system to identify a school's level of performance and to annually

place each school into one of five performance categories.

Current law requires DPI to prepare school accountability reports for

independent charter schools and private schools participating in a parental choice

program (PCP) one year after the independent charter school or PCP school begins

using a student information system for the standardized collection of student data.

Current law requires independent charter schools and PCP schools to begin using

a student information system in the 2015-16 school year.

Current law: Low-performing school districts and schools; state

superintendent interventions

Current law provides that if the state superintendent of public instruction

determines that a school is in need of improvement for five consecutive school years

or that a school district is in need of improvement for four consecutive school years,

the state superintendent may direct the school board to, after seeking input from

school district staff, do one or more of the following in the school or school district:

1. Implement a new curriculum.

2. Implement a new instructional design, including expanded school hours,

additional pupil supports and services, and individual learning plans for pupils.

3. Implement professional development programs focused on improving pupil

academic achievement.

4. Make personnel changes.

5. Adopt accountability measures to monitor the school district's finances or to

monitor other interventions directed by the state superintendent.

Current law also authorizes the state superintendent to withhold state aid from

any school district that fails to comply to the state superintendent's satisfaction with

any of the above directives.

This bill repeals these provisions.

Academic review system

This bill replaces the school and school district accountability system with an

academic review system, to be created by the Academic Review Board (ARB), by rule,

within 24 months after the effective date of the bill and to be implemented by DPI