California Law Limits Role Of Student Tests In API Scores

The Los Angeles Times (9/28, Watanabe) says Gov. Brown signed a law Wednesday - sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D) and supported by dozens of business and education groups - to "broaden how the Academic Performance Index is calculated by limiting test scores to 60% for high schools and including graduation rates and other factors." Under the new law, the state Board of Education "will work with the state superintendent of public instruction to incorporate other factors into the index, such as student readiness for college and technical training. The law specifies an increased emphasis on science and social science, which carry little weight in the current API."