BILL ANALYSIS Ó ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 611| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 445-6614 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ UNFINISHED BUSINESS Bill No: SB 611 Author: Steinberg (D) Amended: 7/13/11 Vote: 21 SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-3, 4/27/11 AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price, Simitian, Vargas NOES: Runner, Blakeslee, Huff NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 6-2, 5/26/11 AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Lieu, Pavley, Price, Steinberg NOES: Walters, Runner NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson SENATE FLOOR : 26-11, 6/1/11 AYES: Alquist, Anderson, Calderon, Corbett, Correa, De León, DeSaulnier, Evans, Gaines, Hancock, Hernandez, Kehoe, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Pavley, Price, Simitian, Steinberg, Vargas, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee NOES: Berryhill, Blakeslee, Cannella, Dutton, Emmerson, Fuller, Harman, Huff, La Malfa, Strickland, Walters NO VOTE RECORDED: Padilla, Rubio, Runner ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 58-20, 8/31/11 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : University of California: Curriculum Integration Institute CONTINUED SB 611 Page 2 SOURCE : University of California DIGEST : This bill requests the Regents of the University of California, subject to the availability of funds in the annual Budget Act, to establish and maintain the University of California Curriculum Integration Institute to be administered by the President of the University of California. Assembly Amendments (1) removes elementary educators from the scope of the bill, requires the President of UC to determine the priority among industry sectors in consultation with specified entities, and makes technical clarifying changes. ANALYSIS : The University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) have established common high school course requirements for undergraduate admissions to ensure that potential university students are prepared to engage and be successful in university-level coursework. Students who follow the articulated sequence of courses in each of the subject areas listed below and who meet other specified criteria are eligible to apply and be considered for admission. The following list is commonly referred to the "a-g" subject area requirements: A. Two years of history/social science B. Four years of college preparatory English or language instruction C. Three years of college preparatory mathematics D. Two years of laboratory science E. Two years of the same language other than English F. One year visual and performing art G. One year college preparatory electives Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC) to assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, including middle and junior high schools or high schools and regional occupational centers and programs to improve linkages and career-technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges, as specified. CONTINUED SB 611 Page 3 This bill: 1. Makes findings and declarations regarding California's high pupil dropout rate and the educational challenges faced by pupils; the opportunity for the state's public system of education to contribute to the state's job growth and economic recovery by aligning middle and high school curricula more closely to emerging and growing industry sectors; and the number of jobs that will require training or education beyond high school. 2. Makes additional findings regarding the need for a stronger and more integrated approach to learning that combines rigorous academics with career education that can create more options for students after high school, whether they choose college or career and that can better prepare pupils for entry directly into the workforce after high school. 3. Finds that the existing University of California Curriculum Integration Institute (UCCII): A. Brings together secondary level teachers and experts from across the state and nation to develop new, model courses that provide pupils with rigorous academic content linked to real world applications. B. Has begun developing coursework that can accelerate significant and needed changes in the way California pupils learn in the classroom and can keep more pupils engaged in school through applied learning opportunities. C. Connects secondary level educators with faculty and instructors in a number of disciplines from the UC, CSU, and CCC, private higher education institutions, and statewide career technical education associations to develop high school curriculum based on career-oriented, integrated academic and technical education content. These newly designed, fully integrated "a-g" approved courses will serve to enhance pupil prospects for postsecondary education and employment. CONTINUED SB 611 Page 4 4. Finds that through the UCCII, California has a significant opportunity to leverage existing infrastructure to better align middle and high school curricula more closely to the needs of growing and emerging sectors of the California economy by providing teachers with the support and tools necessary to design career-oriented, integrated academic and technical education content. In doing so, the UCCII can contribute significantly to engaging and retaining at-risk pupils in the early years of high school as well as job creation, economic development, and sustained economic growth in California. 5. Expresses the intent of the Legislature to see rapid implementation and scaling of the UCCII. Expresses the intent of the Legislature, subject to availability of funds in the annual Budget Act, the availability of federal or private funds, or any combination thereof, that the UCCII accomplish the following: A. Facilitate no less than 10 convenings annually. B. Serve at least 500 educators each year. C. Develop no less than 250 courses by January 1, 2015. 6. Requests the Regents of the UC, subject to the availability of funds in the annual Budget Act, to establish and maintain the UCCII to be administered by the President of the UC. Requires the UCCII to accomplish all of the following: A. Facilitate statewide collaboration and innovation among secondary level teachers, faculty, and instructors form various disciplines form the UC, CSU, the CCC, private higher education institutions, and statewide career technical education associations in providing California pupils career-oriented, integrated academic and technical education content in a manner that provides pupils with opportunities to experience the application of subject matter content within high-priority industry sectors among those identified in the California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards, as adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE). CONTINUED SB 611 Page 5 B. Develop, disseminate, and promote career-oriented, integrated academic and technical education courses that meet course requirements for admission to the UC and the CSU, and align with high-priority industry sectors among those identified in the California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards as adopted by the SBE. 7. Requires the President of the UC to determine the priority among the industry sectors in consultation with, but not limited to, educators, industry leaders, representatives of organized labor, and appropriate state entities. 8. Requires, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Regents to establish procedures and forms to administer the UCCII only if the Regents, by resolution, make the provisions applicable. Comments Need for the Bill : According to the California Department of Education (CDE), there were 8,389 high school career technical education (CTE) courses in December 2010 meeting "a-g" course requirements for admission to the UC. Since 2001-02, the number of CTE courses deemed "a-g" eligible has grown dramatically, with the strongest growth in the (f) Visual and Performing Arts, (g) electives and (d) laboratory science subject areas. Almost all (95%) of the 8,389 approved CTE courses are in one of these categories. Notwithstanding the increase in the number of a-g courses approved by UC in recent years, the author maintains that the concentration of the approved CTE courses in just a few content areas, suggests that "hands-on, career-oriented academic and technical learning opportunities that meet "a-g" requirements have yet to become part of the core set of learning options available to California high school students." A-G Approval Process . In order for high school courses to satisfy the a-g requirements, they must be approved by UC's Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), which is a standing committee of the UC Academic Senate. CONTINUED SB 611 Page 6 Courses must have a strong academic component to be approved by BOARS, something that can be challenging for some CTE courses. Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative . In 2005, SB 70 (Scott), Chapter 352, Statutes of 2005, appropriated $20 million to fund the Career Technical Education Pathways and Workforce Development Program to align K-12 career technical education with local community colleges, based on models consistent with the CCC Economic and Workforce Development Program. Subsequent legislation allocates $20 million plus $32 million each year through the 2013-14 fiscal years. Funds appropriated for this program are used to support the work of the Board of Governors to improve linkages and career technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges. The CCC is assisting K-12 in building and aligning coordinated CTE pathways that lead to postsecondary programs of study to prepare students for high-skill jobs with high wages. Among the projects funded through this initiative is UC's Curriculum Integration Institute, which received $600,000 in 2009-10, to help high school faculty create "a-g" approved courses and to prepare faculty groups as a cadre of experts who can further the development of integrated courses. The goal of the UCCII is to prepare faculty groups as a cadre of experts who will then further the development of integrated courses. The first UCCII, held in May 2010, focused on mathematics as integrated with finance and business sectors. A total of 38 high school teachers participated in the institute. The fall 2010 institute focused on history/social studies and English in conjunction with six media sectors, including arts, media, and entertainment; and health science and medical technology. In its December 2010 annual report on the CTE Pathways Initiative, the CCC Chancellor's Office noted that by 2011-12, UC expects the number of a-g approved CTE courses will increase to 10,000, which will be approximately 43% of all CTE courses currently offered. Why is statutory authorization necessary ? In recent years, the UC has expended considerable effort to grant "a-g" status to more CTE courses, increase the transparency of CONTINUED SB 611 Page 7 its BOARS review process, and improve the level of technical assistance provided to schools seeking a-g approval for their courses. Because the completion of a-g courses signals to university admission officials that a student is prepared to do college level work, the UC has established the UCCII as a pilot program to provide an opportunity for school and university faculty to work together to develop model courses that meet BOARS criteria for a-g approval, particularly in core subject areas such as (c) mathematics and (a) social science. The UCCII has been funded through a grant made available through funds made available by the SB 70 Career Technical Education Pathways Initiative, which are scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2014. Although the UC could continue UCCII without benefit of legislation, establishing the program in statute will give the UC a framework that could lead to more CTE courses that will satisfy a-g requirements. Notwithstanding the importance of continuing this important work, the rapid scaling and deliverables proposed by this measure could create cost pressure in future budget years, and it is unclear whether UC will have the capacity to scale up as rapidly as proposed by this bill. Even if additional funds are secured to fund the UCCII, will school districts have the resources to support teacher participation in the institutes or implement the model curriculum that comes out of the institutes? Related and Prior Legislation SB 275 (Hancock), 2011-12 Session, proposes to consolidate funding for regional occupational centers and programs, partnership academies, specialized secondary programs, and agricultural vocational education programs into a CTE block grant. (In Assembly Education Committee) SB 612 (Steinberg), 2011-12 Session, expands the California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP) to include art, physical education and health, and foreign languages and expands the responsibilities of the CSMP to provide teachers with instructional strategies for integrated courses, as specified. (On Senate Third Reading File) AB 251 (Fuentes), 2011-12 Session, provides that a school CONTINUED SB 611 Page 8 district with an integrated academic and workforce approach to high school reform, or a work-based learning initiative eligible to apply to receive state funding based on minimum weekly attendance instead of average daily attendance. (In Assembly Education Committee) AB 790 (Furutani), 2011-12 Session, declares the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would help expand and enhance the delivery of linked learning in California public elementary and secondary schools. (On Senate Third Reading File) AB 1304 (Block), 2011-12 Session, defines linked learning programs and authorizes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to convene a workgroup to develop program standards for the issuance of a "recognition of study in linked learning" as defined. Passed the Senate with a vote of 27-12 on August 18, 2011. (To Governor) FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund Continues UCCII -- Cost pressure; up to $4,000 annually -- General* *Specifies Budget Act funds, federal or private funds, "or any combination thereof" SUPPORT : (Verified 8/31/11) University of California (source) America's Edge Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities CIOCOM California Chamber of Commerce California Community Colleges Board of Governors California Department of Education California Postsecondary Education Commission CONTINUED SB 611 Page 9 California State PTA California State University California Teachers Association Campaign for College Opportunity Children Now Genentech Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles Unified School District North State Building Industry Association ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, "the purpose of SB 611 is to begin to address this deficiency by establishing a robust, centralized mechanism for high school teachers, university faculty, and other experts to develop and disseminate model courses that provide students rigorous academic content linked to real world applications and are relevant to the needs of the industries that California seeks to grow." ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 58-20, 8/31/11 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez NOES: Conway, Cook, Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Garrick, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nielsen, Silva, Smyth, Wagner NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Norby CPM:cm 8/31/11 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED SB 611 Page 10 CONTINUED