BILL NUMBER: SB 612 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 26, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 13, 2011
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 4, 2011
INTRODUCED BY Senator Steinberg
(Coauthors: Senators Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Lowenthal, and Price)
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
An act to amend Sections 99200, 99200.5, 99201, 99202, 99203, and
99206 of the Education Code, relating to instructional strategies.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 612, Steinberg. Postsecondary education: instructional
strategies.
Existing law provides for the establishment and maintenance of
subject matter projects by the Regents of the University of
California with the approval of the Concurrence Committee. Existing
law provides that these subject matter projects are to create
opportunities for researchers, higher education faculty, and
elementary and secondary school faculty to work together to identify
exemplary teaching practices, examine and develop research on
learning, knowledge, and educational materials, and provide support
to teachers to develop and enhance content knowledge and pedagogical
skills. Existing law requires the Concurrence Committee to provide a
final report to the Governor and to appropriate policy and fiscal
committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2011, including
specified information relating to the subject matter projects.
This bill would add 2 areas of emphasis for the subject matter
projects. The first would provide teachers with instructional
strategies for delivering career-oriented, integrated academic and
technical content in a manner that is linked to high-priority
industry sectors identified in the California Career Technical
Education Model Curriculum Standards as adopted by the State Board of
Education. The Concurrence Committee, in consultation with specified
entities, would determine the priority of industry sectors. The 2nd
would provide teachers with instructional strategies for ongoing
collaboration on the delivery of career-oriented, integrated academic
and technical content.
The bill would enlarge the Concurrence Committee by adding a
representative appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
and make other changes. The bill would repeal the requirement of the
January 1, 2011, report and, instead, require a report on or before
January 1, 2016. This provision would be inoperative on January 1,
2018.
This bill would add the goal of providing teachers with support in
the implementation of career-oriented, integrated academic and
technical courses that meet course requirements for admission to the
University of California and the California State University, and
align with high-priority industry sectors, as specified.
Existing law authorizes 6 topical subject matter projects.
This bill would add physical education, arts, and world language,
as specified, as topical subject matter areas.
Existing law establishes a project advisory board within each
subject matter project.
This bill would make various changes to the board structure,
including decreasing representation of specified groups, and adding a
representative selected by the advisory board who is from an
industry sector that principally utilizes the discipline addressed by
the project.
Existing law requires the project advisory board of each statewide
subject matter project to use specified criteria in recommending
funding for local project sites.
This bill would add a criterion for local project sites that serve
middle or high school teachers and would require the project
advisory board to give special consideration to sites that utilize or
are preparing to utilize instructional strategies to deliver
career-oriented, integrated academic and technical content.
Existing law repeals the article relating to instructional
strategies on January 1, 2013, unless a later enacted statute deletes
or extends the date on which it becomes inoperative.
This bill would extend that date until January 1, 2018.
This bill, except for a specified provision, would become
operative only if an appropriation is made in the annual Budget Act,
or if federal funds are appropriated, or both, for the purposes of
this 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) California's public systems of education have a significant
opportunity to contribute to the state's job growth and economic
recovery by aligning middle and high school curricula more closely to
the needs of growing and emerging sectors of the California economy.
(2) Studies show that high schools that bring together strong
academics, demanding technical education, and real world experience
are more likely to engage pupils, raise high school graduation rates,
and better prepare pupils for lasting success in postsecondary
education and career.
(3) However, many California pupils now face educational
challenges that could impede their ability to be productive
participants in the state and national economy.
(4) Nearly 100,000 California pupils dropped out of middle and
high school in the 2008-09 school year, a number equivalent in size
to the population of the Cities of San Mateo or Compton. Gainful
employment prospects for dropouts are shrinking given the changing
nature of the California economy.
(5) The Public Policy Institute of California projects that by
2025 two of every five jobs, 41 percent, will require a college
degree, an increase from less than one-third of all jobs in 2005.
Without increased degree production in the state's colleges and
universities, the growth of our emerging economy will be hindered by
a lack of highly educated workers.
(6) Large majorities of California pupils surveyed say they would
be more motivated to work hard and do well if they attended schools
where they could take courses needed for college and at the same time
have the chance to acquire skills and knowledge relevant to future
careers.
(7) A stronger and more integrated approach to learning, one that
combines rigorous academics with career education, can engage and
motivate pupils who are at risk of dropping out and can create more
options for them after high school, whether they choose college or a
career. Such an approach can better prepare pupils for entry directly
into the workforce after high school, without compromising academic
goals and preparation for college.
(8) Investments in delivering pupils the skills and knowledge
needed for further education and employment in California's
high-growth, high-demand industries are investments in the growth of
a knowledge-intensive, innovative economy.
(b) The Legislature further finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) Founded in 1998, the California subject matter projects (CSMP)
are a statewide network of subject-specific professional development
programs for teachers that in the 2009-10 academic year served
almost 26,000 teachers and administrators from 4,290 of the state's
public K-12 schools.
(2) Administered by the University of California, the CSMP
connects K-12 educators with faculty in a number of disciplines from
the University of California, California State University, and
private higher education institutions to develop and deliver
intensive institutes designed to improve instruction.
(3) Recent independent evaluations of the CSMP have shown that
teachers consistently rate its professional development more highly
than other programs, and that the projects reflect the
characteristics of effective professional development, including
collective work, content focus, active learning, differentiation, and
activities that are sustained over time.
(4) Through the CSMP, 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 deliver career-oriented, integrated
academic and technical education content.
SEC. 2. Section 99200 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99200. (a) With funds appropriated therefor, and with the
approval of the Concurrence Committee, the Regents of the University
of California are requested to establish and maintain cooperative
endeavors designed to accomplish the following:
(1) Develop and enhance teachers' subject matter and content
knowledge in the subject matter areas specified in Section 99201.
(2) Develop and enhance teachers' instructional strategies to
improve pupil learning and academic performance as measured against
State Board of Education standards adopted pursuant to Sections 60605
and 60605.8 and, where applicable, to standards adopted pursuant to
Section 60811 and any subsequently adopted standards.
(3) Provide teachers with instructional strategies for working
with English learners.
(4) Provide teachers with instructional strategies for delivering
career-oriented, integrated academic and technical content in a
manner that is linked to high priority industry sectors identified in
the California career technical education model curriculum standards
as adopted by the State Board of Education. The Concurrence
Committee, in consultation with the appropriate state entities,
industry leaders, representatives of organized labor, educators, and
other parties, shall determine the priority of industry sectors.
(5) Provide teachers with access to and opportunity to examine
current research that is demonstrably linked to improved pupil
learning and achievement as measured by performance levels on state
tests administered pursuant to Section 60605, or any successor
assessment system, or on English language development assessments
developed, pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 60810) of
Part 33 of Division 4 of Title 2, or any successor assessments, for
English language learners.
(6) Maintain subject-specific professional communities that create
and encourage ongoing opportunities for teacher collaboration,
learning, and research.
(7) Develop and deploy as teacher leaders, teachers with
demonstrated levels of expertise in the classroom and certifiable
levels of content knowledge.
(8) Provide teachers with instructional strategies for ongoing
collaboration on the delivery of career-oriented, integrated academic
and technical content.
(b) The duties of the Concurrence Committee shall include, but
need not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Ensuring that the statewide and local subject matter projects
comply with requirements of this chapter.
(2) Developing rules and regulations for the statewide subject
matter projects.
(3) On or before January 1, 2016, providing a report on the
subject matter projects to the Governor and to appropriate policy and
fiscal committees of the Legislature. The report shall include, but
need not be limited to, all of the following information, compiled
for a four-year period:
(A) The number, and level of experience, of participants in each
subject matter project.
(B) The total amount of funds expended, on an annual basis, for
each subject matter project.
(C) An explanation of the type of professional development
activities offered pursuant to each subject matter project, including
the extent to which teachers were provided professional development
focused on delivering career-oriented, integrated academic and
technical content.
(D) A list of the name and location of each school affiliated with
a subject matter project.
(c) Grants to establish local sites of statewide subject matter
projects shall be available to institutions of higher education,
county offices of education and school districts, or any combination
thereof, with a subject matter proposal approved pursuant to this
article. Once established, each subject matter project shall be
administered by the University of California in cooperation with the
Concurrence Committee. Local sites of statewide subject matter
projects shall be distributed throughout the state so that
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary school personnel located in
rural, urban, and suburban areas may avail themselves of subject
matter projects.
(d) The Concurrence Committee shall be composed of individuals who
are affiliated with leadership, management, or instruction in
education or education policy entities, including educational
expertise on instructional strategies for English learners and
academic language acquisition. They shall be selected as follows:
(1) One representative selected by the Regents of the University
of California.
(2) One representative selected by the Board of Trustees of the
California State University.
(3) One representative selected by the State Board of Education,
who has significant experience with direct classroom instruction.
(4) One representative selected by the Governor.
(5) One representative selected by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
(6) One representative selected by the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
(7) One representative selected by the Curriculum Development and
Supplemental Materials Commission.
(8) One representative of the California Community Colleges
selected by the Board of Governors of the California Community
Colleges.
(9) One representative of an independent postsecondary institution
selected by the Association of Independent California Colleges and
Universities.
(e) (1) The requirement for submitting a report pursuant to
paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) is inoperative on January 1, 2018,
pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(2) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (b) shall be in compliance with Section 9795 of the
Government Code.
SEC. 3. Section 99200.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99200.5. The statewide subject matter projects shall accomplish
all of the following goals:
(a) Create opportunities for researchers, higher education
faculty, and elementary and secondary school faculty to work together
to accomplish all of the following:
(1) Identify exemplary teaching practices.
(2) Examine and develop research on learning, knowledge, and
educational materials.
(3) Provide support to teachers to develop and enhance the content
knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary to implement State Board
of Education standards or curriculum frameworks adopted pursuant to
Sections 51226, 60605, 60605.1, 60605.2, 60605.3, and 60605.8 and any
subsequently adopted standards or curriculum frameworks.
(4) In partnership with the University of California Curriculum
Integration Institute or other appropriate entities, provide teachers
with support in the implementation of career-oriented, integrated
academic and technical courses that meet course requirements for
admission to the University of California and the California State
University, and align with high-priority industry sectors as
determined pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section
99200.
(b) Collect the necessary data to perform the evaluation required
by subdivision (c) of Section 99200.
SEC. 4. Section 99201 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99201. The following subject matter projects shall be authorized
pursuant to this chapter:
(a) The California Writing Project.
(b) The California Reading and Literature Project.
(c) The California Mathematics Project.
(d) The California Science Project.
(e) The California History-Social Science Project.
(f) The World History and International Studies Project.
(g) The California Physical Education-Health Project.
(h) The California Arts Project.
(i) The California World Language Project.
SEC. 5. Section 99202 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99202. (a) Within each subject matter project, a project advisory
board shall be established to do all of the following:
(1) Set guidelines for project sites.
(2) Review and recommend site proposals for funding.
(3) Monitor project activities to ensure that they adequately
reflect the priorities of the project and that projects comply with
the requirements of this chapter.
(4) Perform other duties as determined by the Concurrence
Committee rules and regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (b)
of Section 99200.
(b) The composition of each advisory board shall be as follows:
(1) One representative selected by the President of the University
of California, who is a member of the faculty in the discipline
addressed by the project.
(2) One representative selected by the Chancellor of the
California State University, who is a member of the faculty in the
discipline addressed by the project.
(3) One representative selected by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, who is a classroom teacher in the subject areas
addressed by the project.
(4) One representative of the State Board of Education, who is a
classroom teacher in the subject areas addressed by the subject.
(5) One representative selected by the Governor.
(6) One representative selected by the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
(7) One representative of the statewide professional organization
of teachers in the subject matter addressed by the project, to be
selected by the president of that organization. If there is more than
one statewide professional organization of teachers in that subject
area, the members of the advisory board may choose which organization
shall select the representative and may choose to include a
representative of one or more of the other organizations as nonvoting
members of the advisory board.
(8) One representative of the California Community Colleges
selected by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, who
is a faculty member in the subject matter area addressed by the
project.
(9) One representative of an independent postsecondary institution
selected by the Association of Independent California Colleges and
Universities, who is a member of the faculty in the discipline
addressed by the project.
(10) One representative who is from an industry sector that
principally utilizes the discipline addressed by the project and who
is selected by the advisory board.
SEC. 6. Section 99203 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99203. The project advisory board of each statewide subject
matter project shall use the following criteria in recommending
funding for local project sites:
(a) The proposed site is designed to provide support to teachers
to develop and enhance the content knowledge and pedagogical skills
necessary to implement State Board of Education standards adopted
pursuant to Sections 60605 and 60605.8 and any subsequently adopted
standards.
(b) The proposed site allocates a minimum of 75 percent of program
slots to teachers from schools achieving scores on the state tests
administered pursuant to Section 60605, or any successor state
assessment system, that rank the school in the bottom 40 percent of
all California schools or have pupil dropout rates that exceed the
statewide average.
(c) The proposed site develops formal partnerships with
high-priority schools that achieve scores on the state tests
administered pursuant to Section 60605, or any successor state
assessment system, that rank the school in the bottom 40 percent of
all California schools or have pupil dropout rates that exceed the
statewide average.
(d) The proposed site maintains evaluation data as required by
subdivision (c) of Section 99200.
(e) The proposed site gives attention to instructional strategies
that make use of educational technology to support the instructional
program.
(f) The proposed site involves various levels and segments of
education in a cooperative approach.
(g) Participating school districts, colleges, and universities
provide financial and personnel support for the proposed site.
(h) The proposed site uses participants as professional
development providers in school districts, colleges, and
universities.
(i) The proposed site provides continuing professional development
to project participants.
(j) The proposed site addresses the need to integrate existing
standards of competence in the subject matter into the curriculum at
the grade level taught by each participating teacher.
(k) The proposed site contributes to the effectiveness of school
and district development plans and coordinates with existing agencies
or entities, such as the resource agency or consortia established
pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 44680) of Chapter 3.1
of Part 25.
( l ) Neighboring institutions have worked
collaboratively to develop a proposal that clearly indicates their
intention to continue to work cooperatively throughout the duration
of the local project.
(m) For purposes of recommending funding for local project sites
that serve middle or high school teachers, the project advisory board
shall give special consideration to sites that utilize or are
preparing to utilize instructional strategies to deliver
career-oriented, integrated academic and technical content.
SEC. 7. Section 99206 of the Education Code is amended to read:
99206. This article shall become inoperative on June 30, 2017,
and, as of January 1, 2018, is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute that is enacted before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends
the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 8. Except for Section 4, the provisions of this act shall
become operative only if an appropriation is made in the annual
Budget Act, or if federal funds are made available and appropriated,
or both, for the purposes of this act.