BILL ANALYSIS
AJR 39
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 5, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AJR 39 (Torlakson) - As Amended: April 26, 2010
SUBJECT : Common state education standards.
SUMMARY : Calls upon the National Governors Association (NGA)
and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to
develop common core state standards in the core academic
disciplines of English-language arts, mathematics,
history-social science, and science, and to replicate the
process used to develop English-language arts (ELA) and
mathematics common core state standards to develop common core
state standards for social studies and science. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the common core
state standards initiative as an opportunity for states to
collectively drive education reform toward graduating pupils
from high school ready for college, work and success in the
global economy.
2)Makes findings and declarations relative to science and social
science education and the importance of ensuring pupils have
the knowledge of history, geography, economics, and
government, and the understanding of the physical world,
including biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy and physics
and a grasp of the scientific method of discovery.
3)Resolves that the NGA and the CCSSO also examine the viability
of developing common standards in other subject areas
including, but not limited to, foreign language, arts,
physical education, and career technical education (CTE).
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), the
State Board of Education (SBE), and any other entity
designated by the Governor to participate in the Common Core
State Standards Initiative Consortium (CCSSIC) sponsored by
the NGA and the CCSSO, or any associated or related interstate
collaboration to develop common high-quality standards or
assessments.
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2)Establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission, as
specified, to develop academic content standards in language
arts and mathematics and present recommended academic content
standards to the SBE by July 15, 2010.
3)Requires that at least 85% of the new standards include the
common core academic standards developed by the CCSSIC
sponsored by the NGA and the CCSSO or any associated or
related interstate collaboration to jointly develop common
high-quality standards or assessments aligned with the common
set of standards, and requires the SBE to adopt or reject the
recommended standards by August 2, 2010.
4)Requires, if the standards are rejected, the SBE to provide a
specific written explanation to the SPI, the Governor, and the
Legislature of the reasons why the proposed standards were
rejected.
5)Requires the SPI and the SBE to present to the Governor and to
the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the
Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating
the revised adopted academic content standards into the state
educational system.
6)Requires the SBE to adopt statewide academic content standards
and performance standards in core curriculum areas not later
than January 1, 1998, based on the recommendation of the
Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and
Performance Standards and the SPI, and allows the SBE to adopt
content and performance standards in individual core
curriculum areas as those standards are submitted to the SBE.
FISCAL EFFECT : This resolution is keyed nonfiscal.
COMMENTS : California has adopted content standards in the areas
of reading/language arts, math, history/social science, science,
visual and performing arts, career technical education, physical
education, health education, and most recently world languages.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an effort to
establish a single set of content standards for English-language
arts (ELA) and math that states can share and voluntarily adopt.
The CCSSO and the NGA Center for Best Practices have
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coordinated the effort and the process of developing common core
standards in consultation with teachers, parents, experts and
administrators. 48 states, two territories and the District of
Columbia joined the CCSSI and committed to developing a common
core of state standards in ELA and math for grades K-12.
Legislation enacted for purposes of satisfying part of the
criteria for the Race to the Top (RTTT) program, namely, SB 1 X5
(Steinberg), Chapter 2, Statutes of 2009-10, Fifth Extraordinary
Session, establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission
to develop academic content standards in language arts and math
and to present recommended academic content standards to the SBE
by July 15, 2010. SB 1 X5 (Steinberg) requires that at least
85% of these standards be comprised of the common core academic
standards developed by the CCSSIC or any associated or related
interstate collaboration to jointly develop common high-quality
standards or assessments aligned with the common set of
standards, and requires the SBE to adopt or reject the
recommended standards by August 2, 2010. Additionally, the SPI
and SBE are required to present to the Governor and to the
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a
schedule and implementation plan for integrating the revised
adopted academic content standards into the state educational
system. According the CDE, a plan will be submitted to the
Legislature, if and when the common core state standards in math
and ELA are adopted.
In March of this year, the draft common core state standards in
ELA and math for K-12 were released for public comment. The
draft ELA standards set requirements for ELA but also for
reading, writing, speaking, listening and language in history,
social studies and science. However, supporters of
history-social science and science would argue that important
literature is left out of the history-social studies and science
exemplars in the draft ELA standards and that it is important to
have common core state standards in social studies and science
in preparing all students for college and careers.
According to the NGA and the CCSSO, "These English language arts
and mathematics standards represent a set of expectations for
student knowledge and skills that will result in high school
graduates who are prepared for success in college and careers."
Furthermore, the NGA and the CCSSO note that the standards are
research and evidence based, aligned with college and work
expectations, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked.
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According to the NGA and the CCSSO, the final common core state
standards are expected to be finalized in late spring of this
year.
This resolution calls on the NGA and the CCSSO to replicate the
process used to develop ELA and math standards to also develop
common core state standards for social studies and science. The
existing work of the CCSSIC, similar to our assessment and
accountability system, has focused solely on reading and math.
This heavy emphasis on these two subjects has often led to a
reduced focus on equally important subjects such as science,
foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts,
history, and geography, which the federal No Child Left Behind
Act (NCLB) considers "core academic subjects." This resolution
seeks to ensure that efforts to create common core state
standards take into account subjects other than reading and math
and calls on the NGO and the CCSSO to develop common core state
standards in social science and science and it further calls on
these organizations to examine the viability of developing
common core state standards in foreign language, the arts,
physical education and CTE. This resolution emphasizes the
importance of each of these subjects in ensuring pupils have
access to a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum.
Information on the CCSSIC Internet Web site stipulates that,
"English-language arts and math were the first subjects chosen
for the common core state standards because these two subjects
are skills, upon which students build skill sets in other
subject areas. They are also the subjects most frequently
assessed for accountability purposes." Information on the Web
site further points out, "Of course, other subject areas are
critical to young people's education and their success in
college and careers. Once the English-language arts and math
standards are developed, CCSSO and NGA Center, on behalf of the
states, plan to develop a common core of standards in science
and potentially additional subject areas." No further
information is available regarding a specific plan for the
development of common core state standards in science or social
studies as part of the CCSSIC.
History-social science or social studies : This resolution makes
inconsistent references to social studies as an academic
subject. One paragraph of the resolution refers to this subject
as "history-social science" and a separate paragraph as "social
studies." While in California, this subject is referred to as
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history-social science for purposes of curriculum, at the
national level, the more common term appears to be social
studies as it is argued that this term encompasses all
disciplines including history, civics, government and geography,
without singling one discipline over another. However, there
appears to be disagreement amongst the social studies community
on using a consistent term of reference and therefore this
resolution purposely uses both terms.
The author states, "Each new generation of students needs to be
equipped with the knowledge of mathematics, English-language
arts, history, geography, economics and government, skills
needed to make informed decisions about complex public issues,
attitudes that support democratic practices, commitment to
engage in civic life, a strong understanding of the physical
world, including biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy and
physics, and a firm grasp of the scientific method of
discovery."
Arguments in support : One of the co-sponsors of this
resolution, the California Science Teachers Association writes,
"Having a common set of standards is seen as important in the
education of America's students and in their preparation for
college and careers. We believe that, like language arts and
mathematics, social studies and science are integral to the
preparation of students for success in college and the
workforce. Through AJR 39, we, therefore, are urging that NGA
and CCSSO develop common core standards for science and social
studies."
Previous legislation: SB 1 X5 (Steinberg), Chapter 2, Statutes
of 2009-10, Fifth Extraordinary Session, proposes comprehensive
changes to the Education Code consistent with the federal RTTT
program. Establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission
to develop academic content standards in language arts and
mathematics and present recommended academic content standards
to the SBE by July 15, 2010 and requires the SBE to adopt or
reject the recommended standards by August 2, 2010. Requires
the SPI and the SBE to present to the Governor and to the
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a
schedule and implementation plan for integrating the revised
adopted academic content standards into the state educational
system.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
California Council for the Social Studies (Co-sponsor)
California Science Teachers Association (Co-sponsor)
California Language Teachers Association
Educating for Democracy, the California Campaign for the Civic
Mission of Schools
Individuals
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avi?a / ED. / (916) 319-2087