School accountability: Open Enrollment Act: low-achieving schools.
The bill seeks to expand educational opportunities for students attending low-performing schools by allowing parents to transfer their children to better performing schools within other districts. It includes directives that prevent school districts from denying transfers based on costs or the special needs status of the student, thereby promoting inclusiveness. Furthermore, there is a restriction that no more than 10% of any local educational agency's total schools can be classified as low-achieving, which aims to maintain manageable levels of low performance within school districts.
Assembly Bill 1370, introduced by Assembly Member Kiley, aims to amend California's education laws regarding school accountability and the Open Enrollment Act as it applies to low-achieving schools. This legislation's primary function is to revise the definition of 'low-achieving school' and set specific criteria for student transfers from these schools to other districts. The bill proposes that a school identified as being in the bottom 5% of Title I schools or a high school that fails to graduate a third of its students qualifies as low-achieving, facilitating better educational options for affected students.
AB 1370 ultimately aims to address significant disparities in educational access and ensure that students from low-achieving schools have more opportunities for successful academic outcomes. Its emphasis on accountability and performance adjustment reflects ongoing efforts within California's education system to align with federal requirements while seeking to enhance overall student achievement and equity.
Notably, the enactment of AB 1370 might encounter pushback from local education agencies that could feel the financial strain of accepting additional students, particularly those with special needs. Critics may argue that the bill's requirements for enrollment could disrupt existing school demographics and potentially undermine local desegregation plans. The bill necessitates an independent evaluation of the open enrollment program, highlighting potential conflicts between fulfilling new mandates and adhering to existing local educational initiatives.