(a) This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.

(b) Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies that serve pupils entering grade 9 and that have not adopted a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy, as described in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, as of January 1, 2016, shall, before the beginning of the 2016–17 school year, develop and adopt, in a regularly scheduled public meeting, a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils entering grade 9 that does all of the following:

(1) Systematically takes multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance into consideration. For purposes of this paragraph, “objective academic measures” means measures, such as statewide mathematics assessments, including interim and summative assessments authorized pursuant to Section 60640, placement tests that are aligned to state-adopted content standards in mathematics, classroom assignment and grades, and report cards.

(2) Includes at least one placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year to ensure accurate placement and permit reevaluation of individual pupil progress.

(3) Requires examination of aggregate pupil placement data annually to ensure that pupils who are qualified to progress in mathematics courses based on their performance on objective academic measures selected for inclusion in the policy pursuant to paragraph (1) are not held back in a disproportionate manner on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background. The local educational agency shall report the aggregate results of this examination to the governing board or body of the local educational agency.

(4) Offers clear and timely recourse for each pupil and his or her parent or legal guardian who questions the pupil’s placement.

(5) For nonunified school districts, addresses the consistency of mathematics placement policies between elementary and high school districts.

(c) Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies serving pupils who are transitioning between elementary and middle school or elementary and junior high school may develop and implement a mathematics placement policy for these pupils, as applicable, that satisfies paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (b).

(d) Each governing board or body of a local educational agency shall ensure that its mathematics placement policy is posted on its Internet Web site.

(e) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school.

(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 508, Sec. 2. (SB 359) Effective January 1, 2016.)