Pupil achievement: Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide specific details about the makeup of the working group beyond it being 'specified members'.

Closing the Achievement Gap Plan

This law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create a plan with help from experts to close the achievement gap in schools.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Superintendent, with approval from the State Board's executive director and input from the Department of Education, to establish a competitive process by July 1, 2027, to select an organization that can help improve student performance.
• The selected organization must form a working group by September 1, 2027, including members who will work on closing achievement gaps in schools.
• By March 1, 2028, the working group needs to create and submit a plan called 'Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan' with goals for improving student performance.
• The plan must include ways to help school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools close achievement gaps.
• Starting September 1, 2028, the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review will hold yearly meetings to evaluate if the state is meeting its goals.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Superintendent of Public Instruction
• School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools
• Students in public elementary and secondary schools

Terms To Know

Achievement gap

The difference in academic performance between groups of students.

Local educational agencies (LEAs)

School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that receive state funding to provide education services.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the goals are not met.
• It is unclear how much money will be provided for this plan.
• There may be delays in implementation due to administrative processes.

Official Summary Text

AB 2225, as amended, Patel.
Pupil achievement: Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.
Existing law establishes the State Board of Education and requires the state board to study educational conditions and needs of the state and to make plans for the improvement of the administration and efficiency of the public schools of the state. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state.
This bill would require the
Superintendent, with the approval of the executive director of the
state board,
in consultation with the department,
and on or before
March
July
1, 2027,
to establish a competitive process
to select, and thereafter contract with,
an organization that has
one or more research or nonprofit organizations that have
experience assessing governance structures, improving strategies to close pupil academic achievement gaps, and working with stakeholders throughout the state. The bill would require the selected
organization,
organization or organizations,
on or before
April
September
1, 2027, to convene a working group consisting of specified members and would require the working group, on or before
December 1, 2027,
March 1, 2028,
to develop and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a plan, to be known as the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan, that includes, among other things, specific goals and benchmarks for the state to support
local educational agencies
school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools
in closing the achievement gap and recommendations for appropriate remedial action if the state does not meet
those benchmarks and goals. The bill would
require
encourage
the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, on or before
March
September
1, 2028, and annually thereafter,
to hold a joint hearing
to evaluate the state’s progress in meeting the benchmarks and goals established in the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF