California Senate Bill SB915 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 915AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 19, 2014 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 21, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Senator Hill (Coauthor: Assembly Member Mullin) JANUARY 27, 2014 An act to add Section 99160.5 to the Education Code, relating to standardized testing. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 915, as amended, Hill. Standardized testing: inadequate or improper test conditions. Existing law imposes various requirements on a test  sponsor or   sponsor, also known as a  test  agency   agency,  with respect to the administration of standardized tests for purposes of postsecondary education. Existing law provides that a test sponsor that intentionally violates these provisions is liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $750 for each violation. Existing law provides that these requirements do not apply to instances where the cancellation of all test scores results from the complete disruption of the administration of the test, such as by natural disasters, national emergencies, inadequate or improper test conditions, answer sheet printing errors, or testing agency errors. This bill would  require,   require a test agency,  where there has been a complaint or a notice of inadequate or improper test conditions relating to an administration of  the   an  Advanced Placement test,  the test agency  to immediately initiate an investigation. The bill would require the school in charge of the test site to cooperate with the test agency's investigation by providing information requested by the test agency, as specified. If the test agency  , upon completing the investigation,  determines that the inadequate or improper test conditions will prevent it from reporting valid test scores, the bill would require the  school in charge of the test site   test agency to immediately notify the school in charge of the test site of the decision and the school to notify the affected test subjects of the decision within 2 business days, and  to provide all affected test subjects with at least 5 business days' prior notice of an opportunity to retest. The bill would require such a retest to be administered within 30 calendar days of the completion of the investigation. The bill would require  test  proctors  of an administration of the   administering an  Advanced Placement test to create a seating chart, including the seat location of each test subject, for each Advanced Placement test administered at the test site. The bill would further require the school in charge of the test site to retain and preserve each such seating chart for at least  2 years   one year  after the administration of the Advanced Placement test to which that seating chart applies. The bill would require the school in charge of the test site to submit these seating charts to the test agency upon its request to assist with its investigation of a complaint or notice of inadequate or improper test conditions. A violation of these requirements would subject a test sponsor to the civil penalty referenced above. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 99160.5 is added to the Education Code, to read: 99160.5. (a)  The   A  test agency shall immediately initiate an investigation upon learning of a complaint or a notice of inadequate or improper test conditions relating to an administration of  the   an  Advanced Placement test. In order to expedite the investigation and ensure a timely resolution, the school in charge of the test site shall cooperate with the test agency's investigation by providing information requested by the test agency within  seven calendar   five business  days. If  , upon completing the investigation,  the test agency determines that the inadequate or improper test conditions will prevent it from reporting valid test scores,  the school in charge of the test site   the test agency shall immediately notify the school in charge of the test site of the decision and the school shall notify the affected test subjects of the decision within two business days, and  shall provide all affected test subjects with at least five business days' prior notice of an opportunity to retest. That retest shall be administered within 30 calendar days of the completion of the investigation. (b)  Test proctors of an administration of the   Proctors administering an  Advanced Placement test shall create a seating chart, including the seat location of each test subject, for each Advanced Placement test administered at the test site. The test agency shall provide seating chart templates for use by each test site. The school in charge of the test site shall retain and preserve each seating chart created pursuant to this subdivision for at least  two years   one year  after the administration of the Advanced Placement test to which that seating chart applies. The school in charge of the test site shall submit these seating charts to the test agency upon its request to assist with its investigation of a complaint or notice of inadequate or improper test conditions.