BILL NUMBER: SB 1444 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 25, 2010
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 16, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 22, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Senator Hancock
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Section 51207 to the Education Code, relating to
pupil instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1444, Hancock. Pupil instruction: science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics education.
Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to
6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in
specified areas of study, including mathematics and science.
This bill would set forth various findings and declarations of the
Legislature relating to science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education. The bill would define STEM education as
courses or a sequence of courses that prepare pupils for occupations
and careers that require technically sophisticated skills, including
the application of mathematical and scientific skills and concepts,
as specified, and would express the Legislature's intent that the
Superintendent of Public Instruction allocate funds designated for
STEM education consistent with the definitions set forth in the bill.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) The elements of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) are critical parts of the United States of America'
s key economic sectors, including biotechnology, health care, energy,
infrastructure, and national security, and growth in these areas is
fundamental to the nation's and California's economic and social
well-being.
(2) During the next decade, demand for scientists and engineers in
the United States is expected to increase at four times the rate for
all other occupations.
(3) The Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) projects
that, unless California takes action now, we face a shortfall of
almost 40,000 engineers by 2014. The LWDA forecasts that California
will need approximately 20,000 to 24,000 additional engineers
educated in California to begin meeting the growing engineering needs
of both the private and public sectors over the next decade.
(4) Two major factors impede STEM growth. First, the pending
retirement of the baby boomer generation will significantly affect
the STEM labor force. Twenty-six percent of people with science and
engineering degrees currently working are 50 years of age or older.
Second, too few students are choosing to pursue STEM careers. From
1985 to 2005, inclusive, the number of bachelor's degrees earned in
engineering fell from 77,572 to 66,133, and the number of associate
degrees in engineering technology fell from 53,700 to 28,800.
(5) The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has found
that among novice teachers overall, 24 percent are under prepared,
and in STEM disciplines, the proportions are much higher: 39 percent
of high school mathematics teachers, 38 percent of high school
science teachers, 31 percent of middle school mathematics teachers,
and 33 percent of middle school science teachers are under prepared.
In California, 12 percent of mathematics teachers, 18 percent of
physical science teachers, and 11 percent of life science teachers
are considered out-of-field teachers. One-third of middle school
algebra teachers do not hold a mathematics authorization.
(6) In order to address the need for a workforce with STEM skills,
the Legislature finds it necessary to provide opportunities for high
school students to acquire science, math, technology, and
engineering knowledge skills through STEM focused academic and career
courses.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Superintendent of
Public Instruction allocate funds designated for STEM education,
including state, federal or private funds, consistent with the
definitions set forth in the provisions of this bill.
SEC. 2. Section 51207 is added to the Education Code, to read:
51207. (a) STEM education is science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics, and the integration of those four disciplines into
comprehensive and real-world approaches to teaching and learning.
(b) STEM education embodies the intersection of science,
mathematics, technology, and individuals' understandings of design
principles and systems thinking commonly employed by engineers to
develop solutions to problems.
(c) Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education means courses or a sequence of courses that prepare pupils
for occupations and careers that require technically sophisticated
skills, including the application of mathematical and scientific
skills and concepts.
(d) STEM education for grades 1 to 12, inclusive, may include, but
is not limited to, instruction as follows:
(1) In grades 1 to 6, inclusive, STEM education includes
foundational courses in mathematics, science, and technology that
lead to success in challenging and applied courses in grades 7 to 12,
inclusive. It is in grades 1 to 6, inclusive, that awareness of STEM
careers and occupations in fields related to science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics begins.
(2) In grades 7 to 12, inclusive, STEM education includes rigorous
and challenging courses that include the application of science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology. In grades 7 and 8,
awareness of STEM careers and occupations continues, and career
exploration begins. In high school, STEM education includes courses
and pathways for pupils to explore and prepare for careers and
occupations in STEM fields.