(a) The Mathematics Readiness Challenge program is hereby established.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the program support the implementation and evaluation of grade 12 experiences that are designed to prepare pupils for placement into college-level courses in mathematics.

(c) Funds appropriated in Item 6100-195-0890 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2016 shall be available for purposes of this article.

(d) (1) The program shall be administered by the department, and shall adhere to the minimum criteria, standards, and requirements that are applicable pursuant to Part A (commencing with Section 201) of Title II of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110).

(2) The department shall make awards to eligible partnerships selected by a committee consisting of three representatives, with one from each of the following:

(A) The department.

(B) The California State University.

(C) The California Mathematics Project established pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 99200) of Chapter 5 of Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3.

(3) The committee shall consult with the president of the state board or his or her designee before selecting eligible partnerships pursuant to this article.

(e) A grant made pursuant to this article shall only be made to an eligible partnership that includes participation by each of the following entities:

(1) At least one division of a postsecondary educational institution that prepares teachers and principals.

(2) At least one school of arts and sciences of a postsecondary educational institution.

(3) At least one high-need local educational agency.

(f) The department shall award grants of one million two hundred eighty thousand dollars ($1,280,000) each to five eligible partnerships selected by the committee.

(g) It is the intent of the Legislature that all of the following occur:

(1) These funds support different kinds of grade 12 experiences to allow for the evaluation of the effectiveness of various experiences.

(2) The grade 12 experiences focus on the needs of pupils who have completed three years of college-preparatory mathematics courses but are not expected to be deemed ready for college-level mathematics courses upon matriculation to a postsecondary educational institution.

(3) The grade 12 experiences be implemented by no later than the 2017-18 school year.

(h) The committee shall select eligible partnerships such that each eligible partnership that receives a grant would implement a grade 12 experience sufficiently different from those that would be implemented by other eligible partnerships that receive awards. The committee shall give preference to partnerships that include local educational agencies whose high school graduates have high mathematics remediation rates based on California State University freshmen enrollment data.

(i) Grants awarded pursuant to this article shall be used for professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals, and principals for purposes of this article and for the development and provision of assistance necessary for the professional development of those individuals, consistent with federal law.

(j) As a condition of receiving a grant award, eligible partnerships shall commit to both of the following:

(1) Making any new course materials, including curriculum, widely available or available as open educational resources.

(2) Sharing information about their policies and practices and evidence regarding the effectiveness of those policies and practices in preparing pupils for college-level courses in mathematics with other entities within their regions and across the state.

(k) On or before November 30, 2018, the Trustees of the California State University shall report to the Director of Finance and the Legislature, in conformance with § 9795 of the Government Code, any policy changes made based on evidence collected through the program.

(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 29, Sec. 21. (SB 828) Effective June 27, 2016.)