Senator for the 22nd District - Ed Hernandez

04/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/28/2021 23:08

CA Senate Ed Committee Passes Senator Susan Rubio Bill Providing Academic Help for Children Struggling Due to Pandemic

SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, the California Senate Education Committee with bipartisan support passed a bill by Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) that creates a statewide tutoring program to help K-12th grade students who are falling behind in school due to the pandemic.

Senate Bill 723 will create the California LEADS (Leadership, Excellence, Academic, Diversity, and Service-Learning) statewide tutoring program to assist K-12th grade students who are struggling with school and need supplemental individualized learning assistance.

'As a public school teacher for 17 years, I know the transition to distance learning has presented many challenges for our students, families, and educators,' Sen. Rubio said. 'We cannot leave young students who are struggling behind. This is our window of opportunity to remedy that. This bill will help address the learning loss students are experiencing during this global pandemic, and the unintended consequences from that.'

The learning loss caused by the disruptions of COVID-19 has affected a whole generation of students. Early studies suggest that a large number of students are performing below grade level. The Policy Analysis for California Education found that students in 4th-10th grade experienced learning loss in both math and English language arts. At the same time, students in earlier grades are experiencing the highest level of learning loss and need additional academic support to ensure they remain on track. However, the equity impact is even more severe. Studies show that low-income students and English learners have relatively higher levels of learning loss across all grades, and are falling behind at greater levels compared to others.

SB 723 will provide students with additional support to help them from falling further behind and ensure they continue to meet grade-level standards. The program will also help address the teacher shortage in California and strengthen the teacher pipeline by encouraging college students to become tutors and to pursue careers in education, while also receiving college credit.

SB 723 will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Media Contact: Edward Barrera, [email protected]