Second Grade Testing

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

A Victory!

California is on its way to joining the majority of states that do not mandate
testing our youngest children inappropriately. 

Assembly Member Bob Huff notified the Assembly Education Committee to remove AB
1353 from the bill file scheduled to be heard in committee this week.  Mr. Huff
decided not to present his bill that would force students in second grade to keep
taking the grade 2 STAR test another three years.

Mr. Huff's decision to let the bill die no doubt was influenced by the fact that
there is now no money in the Budget for the administration of the Grade 2 STAR
test next year because CTA testified and succeeded in urging members of the
Budget committee to take action to delete the $3.8 million in the Governor's
proposed budget for the grade 2 test on Tuesday, April 10.  The action taken in
the Assembly Budget Committee moved the issue to the Assembly Education policy
committee. CTA worked to ensure the bill would fail in the committee with no
proposed substitute amendments.

Legislative Outlook and Next Steps

We are now about a third of the way through the legislative process.  We must
remain vigilant in protecting the implementation of SB 1448 (Chapter 233,
Statutes of 2004) to fully terminate the grade 2 STAR test on July 7, 2007.

There is still plenty of time for shenanigans on this issue from all sides. 
There is the May revise of the budget next month and this issue could potentially
become a politically leveraged issue.  Also, any member could "gut and amend" a
bill further along in the legislative process so this issue would become a live
issue in a committee or the floor of either chamber of the Legislature.  There
could still be an urgency bill on the issue early next year.  Our opponents will
not give up until there is no hope to administer the grade 2 test next year.  
The door must be completely closed before our opponents will surrender.  Once
California does not administer the grade 2 test in 2008 we can officially count
our hard fought victory as finally accomplished. 

Our actions up to this time have had the successful impact of persuading the
State Superintendent of Public Instruction to not sponsor a bill on grade 2
testing, persuading a majority of the Budget committee members to delete the
funding for the grade 2 test, persuading the majority of Assembly Education
Committee members to object to AB 1353 and ultimately influencing Mr. Huff not to
present his bill in committee and to let it die. 

Plese urge your school administrators to just say NO when they receive the ACSA
(Association of California School Administrators) survey on the question of
whether or not the grade 2 STAR test should continue.  Unfortunately, ACSA
lobbyists testified at the Budget hearing that their members are divided on the
grade 2 testing issue but that funding should stay in the budget because they
were still conducting a member survey on the issue. 



George Sheridan