BILL ANALYSIS
SB 908
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 908 (Simitian)
As Amended January 8, 2008
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :26-13
EDUCATION 7-3 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Mullin, Brownley, Coto, |Ayes:|Leno, Caballero, Davis, |
| |Eng, Hancock, Karnette, | |DeSalunier, |
| |Solorio | |Furutani, Huffman, |
| | | |Karnette, |
| | | |Krekorian, Lieu, Ma, |
| | | |Nava, Solorio |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Garrick, Huff, Nakanishi |Nays:|Walters, Emmerson, La |
| | | |Malfa, |
| | | |Nakanishi, Sharon Runner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Adds climate change to the list of environmental
education topics that shall be included in the revision of the
science framework.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the Curriculum Development & Supplemental Materials
Commission (Curriculum Commission) to recommend curriculum
frameworks to the State Board of Education (SBE) and develop
criteria for evaluating instructional materials submitted for
adoption so that the materials adopted adequately cover the
subjects in the indicated grade levels.
2)Establishes the Office of Education and Environment (OEE) and
requires the OEE to develop education principles for the
environment for elementary and secondary school pupils and a
model curriculum that incorporates those principles.
3)Requires the SBE and the Curriculum Commission to revise the
science framework to include specified topics in environmental
education.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
minor absorbable costs to the California Department of Education
(CDE) to revise the science curriculum framework, as specified.
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Likewise, there are minor absorbable costs to the California
Environmental Protection
Agency (CalEPA) to include climate change issues in the development
of model curriculum, as specified.
COMMENTS : The science framework is the blueprint for the science
curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials in California.
The framework assists teachers in the implementation of the
science content standards, adopted by the SBE in 1998. The most
recent science framework was adopted in 2002 and the evaluation
criteria were adopted in 2004. The next revision of the science
framework is scheduled for 2010.
The author states, "Current law lists 7 environmental principles
that were contained in AB 1548, Chapter 665, Statutes of 2003, to
be included in the next science framework adoption. This bill adds
climate change to the list."
The high school Earth Science and Biology/Life Sciences content
standards include climate change issues and therefore the 2002
science framework also includes climate change in those sections of
the framework.
Education and the Environment Initiative: If the intent is to
incorporate instruction on climate change across grade levels,
staff notes that an environmental education initiative is currently
developing at the state level. Assembly Bill 1548 (Pavley),
Chapter 665, Statutes of 2003, and Assembly Bill 1721 (Pavley),
Chapter 581, Statutes of 2005, established the Education and the
Environment Initiative (EEI) directing the CalEPA and the
California Integrated Waste Management Board, in cooperation with
the Resources Agency, CDE, SBE, and the Secretary for Education to
develop education principles and concepts for the environment to be
used for the development of a model environmental curriculum for
California's kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) schools. Assembly
Bill 1548 establishes in the Public Resources Code the list of the
14 environmental principles to be included in the EEI model
curriculum and also requires that these principles be appropriately
considered for inclusion into part of the content standards, if
those standards are ever revised.
AB 1548 identifies 14 specific environmental topics for
consideration but provides for the addition of other topics.
According to information on the CalEPA Web site, the EEI technical
team reviewed the original 14 topics with technical experts from
participating state agencies as well as university faculty, and
representatives of non-governmental environmental organizations and
businesses. As a result of this process, the technical team
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proposed to augment the original list of environmental topics and
group them for the purposes of the development of the environmental
principles and concepts. Accordingly, the recommended additions
were:
1)Human activity - including agriculture, forestry, transportation,
housing and commerce.
2)Global climate change.
AB 1548 requires that the education principles be incorporated in
criteria developed for textbook adoption in science, math,
English/language arts, and history/social science and requires that
if the content standards are revised, that the education principles
for the environment be appropriately considered for inclusion into
part of the revised content standards.
The EEI model curriculum is intended to provide teachers in grades
K-12, schools and districts with standards-based curricular
materials, approved by the SBE that can be used to teach the
content standards and the environmental principles and concepts at
each grade level. According to CalEPA staff, although not
specifically cited as one of the 14 environmental subject-matter
areas, the topic of global warming/climate change and green
chemistry will be integrated into curriculum units, as appropriate
to the academic content standard(s) and grade levels.
Climate change: According to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA), climate change refers to any significant
change in measures of climate, such as temperature, precipitation,
or wind, lasting for an extended period of time (decades or
longer). Climate change may result from:
1)Natural factors, such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow
changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun.
2)Natural processes within the climate system (e.g. changes in
ocean circulation).
3)Human activities that change the atmosphere's composition (e.g.
through burning fossil fuels) and the land surface (e.g.
deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification).
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avi?a / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0005794