March 7, 2002

Members of the Joint Committee:

My name is Phillip Escamilla I am here today representing CSBA—the California School Boards Association. I have four main points I would like to address with you today with regard to the Student Learning Report: second language acquisition, the A-G requirements, data collection, and norm-referenced tests. I would like to preface my comments by noting that CSBA is pleased with the evolution of the report into its final form. It provides a clear and concise roadmap for the future of student learning in the state.

Second Language Acquisition

CSBA supports the movement towards having all students acquire a second language, provided that there is a systematic strategy put in place for developing a teaching force that can deliver that expectation. It is important to emphasize in the professional development recommendations the ability of all teachers to be effective in literacy and comprehension for English language learners, which is still lacking in spite of SB 2042 and CLAD efforts.

A-G Requirements

CSBA supports high academic standards for all students. In moving towards a system that mandates A-G requirements for all students, however, we would caution that such a step must be coupled with a pragmatic understanding of the different needs and learning styles of individual students. Simply moving in that direction without taking into consideration the other recommendations in the report that address the additional flexibility that will be needed to provide additional supports for students who are having difficulty mastering the courses in the traditional timeframe could compromise Recommendation 5, which calls for the guarantee of high quality learning conditions and opportunities for every student.

Data Collection/CSIS

The report needs to reflect the critical importance of CSIS and the fact that the state can no longer afford to relegate the project to "back-burner" status. CSIS is critical for diagnostic purposes to meet the needs of students and the programs that serve them, and is also a critical accountability tool. This is particularly true for English language learners and highly mobile students.

Norm-Referenced Tests

Finally, we would like to acknowledge our support for maintaining a norm-referenced test in the overall assessment system. However, it should play a less significant role, perhaps serving as a survey version for specific grade levels. That said, CSBA believes that the norm-referenced test serves the important function of providing checks and balances in the assessment system.