Cluster of education bills awaits Brown's veto or signature

Three far-reaching California state education bills are on their way to the governor. If they become law, public schools would offer more classes to fulfill University of California requirements, teachers would get training to better prepare students for jobs and the state would replace its Academic Performance Index (API).

The most far-reaching bill is one authored by state Sen. Darrell Steinberg. It would overhaul the API with another type of index.

"The API is now 12 years old, and it measures standardized test scores a hundred percent," Steinberg says. "My bill makes a very stark but important statement: No more than 40 percent of a school's evaluation should be based on bubble test scores. The rest should be based, 60 percent at least should be based on college and career readiness. And it's a big change, but it's a change that's absolutely essential if we're going to compete in the 21st century economy."

Steinberg, educators and policymakers held a news conference urging the governor to sign the bills at a high school business and tourism prep program near downtown Los Angeles.