Legislation Impacting Charters
Information for charter school authorizers, charter schools, and parents regarding the implementation of Assembly Bill 1505 and AB 1507.This web page serves as a centralized location for matters related to the implications and implementation of Assembly Bill 1505 and AB 1507. A summary of the bills as well as information of the California Department of Education's (CDE's) ongoing work surrounding the implementation of both bills are available under State Board of Education (SBE) Information Memoranda.
Jump to a Topic
- Charter School Performance Categories
- Continuing Charter Schools
- Enrollment Data
- Frequently Asked Questions
- State Board of Education Information Memoranda and Agenda Items
- Teacher Credentialing
- Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools
- Verified Data
Charter School Performance Categories
A list of charter schools and their respective performance categories, as determined by the criteria outlined in AB 1505 is provided in the Charter School Performance Category Data File (XLSX). Information regarding each field of the aforementioned data file is available at Record Layout for Charter School Performance Category Data File. Additional information regarding the determination of charter school performance categories is available in the Determining Charter School Performance Category Flyer (PDF).
General information regarding the performance categories for charter school renewals is available in the slide deck from the June 23, 2020, Assembly Bill 1505: Criteria for Performance Categories Webinar (PDF).
Continuing Charter Schools
Education Code (EC) sections 47605 and 47605.1 require the CDE to treat any charter school that was serving students and must change authorizers as a result of the requirements in AB 1507 as “continuing for all purposes.” In order to help identify which charter schools are to be treated as continuing, the CDE has developed the Charter School Action Form. A downloadable copy of the Charter School Action Form as well as detailed information and instructions are available at Charter School Numbers and Changes in Authorizers.
Enrollment Data
AB 1505 requires the CDE, upon request by a charter school authorizer, to provide the following aggregate data reflecting pupil enrollment patterns at the charter school:
- A) The cumulative enrollment for each school year of the charter school’s term. For purposes of this chapter, cumulative enrollment is defined as the total number of pupils, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and pupil subgroups, who enrolled in school at any time during the school year.
This data is available at Cumulative Enrollment Data.
- B) For each school year of the charter school’s term, the percentage of pupils enrolled at any point between the beginning of the school year and census day who were not enrolled at the conclusion of that year, and the average results on the statewide assessments in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress system, or any successor system, for any such pupils who were enrolled in the charter school the prior school year.
This data is available and will be provided to charter school authorizers upon request. Requests should be submitted via email to AAU@cde.ca.gov.
- C) For each school year of the charter school’s term, the percentage of pupils enrolled the prior school year who were not enrolled as of census day for the school year, except for pupils who completed the grade that is the highest grade served by the charter school, and the average results on the statewide assessments in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress system, or any successor system, for any such pupils.
This data is available and will be provided to charter school authorizers upon request. Requests should be submitted via email to AAU@cde.ca.gov.
Information regarding these data files is available in the slide deck from the October 20, 2020, Assembly Bill 1505 Data Files Reflecting Student Enrollment Changes Webinar (PDF).
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to Assembly Bill 1505 and AB 1507 are available at AB 1505 and 1507 FAQs.
State Board of Education Information Memoranda and Agenda Items
Information memoranda presented to the SBE regarding AB 1505 and AB 1507 are available below as well as at Information Memoranda:
- Charter School Legislation Updates: Assembly Bill 1505 and AB 1507 (DOCX; Posted 31-Oct-2019) provides a summary of AB 1505 and AB 1507, as well as the implications of the new legislation on the role of the SBE, the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, and the CDE.
- Implementation Update: Assembly Bill 1505 and AB 1507 (DOCX; Posted 29-May-2020) provides information and background on the ongoing work of the CDE in conjunction with SBE staff pertaining to the implementation of AB 1505 and AB 1507.
The following agenda item was presented to the SBE to provide an overview of the CDE's current and upcoming implementation efforts of AB 1505 and AB 1507:
- November 2020 SBE Agenda Item 13 (DOCX; Posted 23-Oct-2020) provides an overview of the CDE's implementation of AB 1505 and AB 1507, specifically as it pertains to the new review standard and process of the SBE and Advisory Commission on Charter Schools in the hearing of appeals for the establishment and renewal of charter schools.
Teacher Credentialing
Updates from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
are available at the following:
- Coded Correspondence 20-01: Changes to Assignment Monitoring Based on the Provisions of AB 1219
(PDF)
- Coded Correspondence 20-02: Changes to the Credential Requirements for Charter School Teachers Based on the Provisions of AB 1505
(PDF)
Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools
Information regarding the temporary prohibition on the approval of petitions to operate new nonclassroom-based charter schools between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2022, is available at Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools.
Verified Data
AB 1505 requires the SBE by January 1, 2021, to establish criteria to define verified data and identify an approved list of valid and reliable assessments (EC Section 47607.2[c][2]). Verified data, per EC Section 47607.2(c)(2), is defined as follows:
- Data derived from nationally recognized, valid, peer reviewed, and reliable sources that are externally produced
- Verified data shall include measures of postsecondary outcomes
The SBE, at their November 2020 meeting, approved the criteria to define verified data and the list of valid and reliable assessments and measure of postsecondary outcomes. The information considered by the SBE are available at SBE Agenda for November 2020, or at November 2020 SBE Agenda Item 14 (DOCX; Posted 23-Oct-2020) and November 2020 SBE Agenda Item 14 Addendum (DOCX; Posted 04-Nov-2020).
Verified Data Webinar
The CDE, in partnership with WestEd, is hosting an AB 1505 Verified Data Technical Assistance webinar for charter school administrators and charter school authorizers via Zoom. This webinar will provide an overview of the SBE-adopted criteria to define verified data and of the list of valid and reliable assessments and measures of postsecondary outcomes as required by EC Section 47607.2.
- Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
- Time: 10 a.m.
- Attendee Information: Register at the following Zoom link
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