BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 123
AUTHOR: Bonta
AMENDED: May 24, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 19, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : Curriculum on farm labor movement: role of
Filipinos.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Board of Education to ensure
that the existing state curriculum, framework and textbook
evaluation criteria on Cesar Chavez and the history of the
farm labor movement in the United States include
information on the role of immigrants, including Filipino
Americans, in that movement.
BACKGROUND
Academic content standards define the knowledge, concepts,
and skills that pupils should acquire at each grade level
(the "what"). Curricular frameworks are the blueprint for
implementing the standards, and include criteria by which
instructional materials are evaluated (the "how").
The processes for reviewing frameworks and adopting
instructional materials have been suspended since July 28,
2009. The State Board of Education (SBE) is specifically
prohibited from reviewing frameworks and adopting
instructional materials until the 2015-16 school year,
except as provided below.
(Education Code � 60200.7)
Notwithstanding the suspension, current law:
1) Requires the SBE to adopt revised frameworks that are
aligned to the common core standards in:
a) Mathematics by November 30, 2013.
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b) English language arts by May 30, 2014. (EC
� 60207)
2) Authorizes the SBE to adopt a revised framework for
history social science, but only after the California
Department of Education has completed work related to
the frameworks for the common core standards. (EC �
60200.8)
Current law requires the SBE to ensure that the state
curriculum and framework, where appropriate, include
instruction on Cesar Chavez and the history of the farm
labor movement in the United States, and that the state
criteria for selecting textbooks include information to
guide the selection of textbooks that contain sections that
highlight the life and contributions of Cesar Chavez and
the history of the farm labor movement in the United
States. (EC � 51008)
Model curriculum is currently available in various topics,
such as Human Rights and Genocide, the environment
(Education and the Environment Initiative), and the Life
and Works of Cesar Chavez.
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Requires the State Board of Education to ensure that
the existing state curriculum, framework and textbook
evaluation criteria on Cesar Chavez and the history of
the farm labor movement in the United States, and the
state criteria for selecting textbooks, include
information on the role of immigrants, including
Filipino Americans, in that movement.
2) Provides that this bill is to be implemented only if
funds are appropriated in the annual Budget Act or
another statute.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, "The farm
labor movement is a rich part of the history of
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California and the United States. However, the
history of the contributions of the Filipino American
community to the success of this movement is largely
unknown. The majority of the Filipino Americans who
currently reside in California do not know about the
history of their predecessors in the state. We have a
responsibility to our children to teach them an
accurate testimony of the history of our state. We
currently only teach part of the story of the farm
labor movement."
2) Development of curriculum . The development of
curriculum in core academic subjects typically
involves the development of standards, frameworks,
evaluation criteria, instructional materials and
professional development.
The most recent version of the history-social science
framework was adopted by the State Board of Education
(SBE) in 2005. A review of this framework was
underway and nearly complete when the state suspended
the process due to budget constraints in July 2009.
Current law prohibits the State Board of Education (SBE)
from revising curricular frameworks or criteria by
which instructional materials are evaluated until the
2015-16 school year, except for English language arts,
mathematics, and history-social science.
The Instructional Quality Commission is expected to
complete the process of updating the history-social
science framework in the Fall of 2017. This bill
provides that it is to be implemented through the
current process to revise the history-social science
framework, ensuring that the review process would not
be restarted from the beginning (the review of this
framework was suspended prior to the 60-day comment
period).
Model curriculum is currently available in various
topics, such as Human Rights and Genocide, the
environment (Education and the Environment
Initiative), and the Life and Works of Cesar Chavez.
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3) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would
impose one-time General Fund administrative cost
pressure, likely between $125,000 and $150,000, to the
California Department of Education (CDE), to update
the state's model curriculum. This bill would not
become operative unless an appropriation is provided
specifically for this purpose.
4) Related legislation . AB 137 (Buchanan) requires the
Instructional Quality Commission, when revising the
history-social science framework, to receive input
from civics learning experts and consider how civics
and history instruction includes the application of
that content. AB 137 is pending in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
AB 166 (Hernandez) requires the next revision of the
curricular frameworks for history-social science,
mathematics, and health to include financial literacy,
as specified. AB 166 is pending in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
AB 391 (Wieckowski) requires the history-social science
curriculum framework, when it is revised, to ensure it
encourages instruction related to the understanding of
personal finances, including budgeting, savings,
credit and loans, identity theft, and paying for
postsecondary education. AB 391 also requires
information on budgeting, savings, loans, identity
theft/security, and planning for postsecondary
education to be included in a one semester
instructional program entitled consumer economics for
use in grades 7-12. AB 391 was held on the Assembly
Appropriations Committee's suspense file.
AB 424 (Donnelly) requires the Instructional Quality
Commission, when revising the history-social science
framework, to consider incorporating specified
historical documents in the updated framework. AB 424
is scheduled to be heard in this Committee on June 19.
AB 700 (Gomez) requires the Instructional Quality
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Commission, when revising the history-social science
framework, to include voter education information in
the high school American Government and civics
courses, including information on the importance of
registering to vote in local, state, and federal
elections, and where how to access the voter
information pamphlet and other materials to become an
informed voter, to be included. AB 700 is scheduled
to be heard in this Committee on
June 19.
SB 521 (Wyland) requires the SBE and CDE to request
the Instructional Quality Commission, when revising
the history-social science framework, to update the
courses in American Government and civics to include
the comparative differences between the rights of the
citizens in American and those in other countries, and
the connection of civics and American government to
western civilizations. SB 521 is pending in this
Committee.
SB 552 (Calderon) authorizes social science
instruction in grades 7-12 to include instruction on
violence awareness. SB 552 is pending in the Assembly
Education Committee.
SB 696 (Block) requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to report to the Legislature and recommend
to the SBE for adoption a project-based assessment to
measure the civics learning objectives contained in
the history-social science framework for grades 6-12.
SB 696 was held on the Senate Appropriations
Committee's suspense file.
SUPPORT
Afrikan Student Union, University of California Los Angeles
Alyansa ng mga Kababayan, University of California Irvine
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
Asian Pacific Coalition, University of California Los
Angeles
California Federation of Teachers
California Immigrant Policy Center
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California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
Filipina Women's Network
Filipino American Democratic Club of San Francisco
Filipino Migrant Center
Kababayan, University of California Irvine
KAYA - Filipino Americans for Progress
Muslim Students Association, University of California Los
Angeles
Philippine National Day Association
Pilipino-Americans in Social Studies, University of
California Irvine
Samahang Pilipino, University of California Los Angeles
The People's Education Movement
United Farm Workers
Vietnamese Student Union, University of California Los
Angeles
Numerous individuals
OPPOSITION
None on file.