BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 424
AUTHOR: Donnelly
AMENDED: May 20, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 19, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : History-social science framework: historical
documents.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission
(IQC), when revising the history-social science framework,
to consider incorporating specified historical documents in
the updated framework.
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.
b) English language arts by May 30, 2014. (EC
� 60207)
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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 and the California Department
of Education to request that the IQC review and revise, as
necessary, the course requirements in the history-social
science framework to ensure that minimum standards for
courses in American government and civics include
sufficient attention to teaching students how to interact,
in a practical manner, with state and local governmental
agencies and representatives to solve problems and to
petition for changes in laws and procedures. When the
history-social science framework is revised, the
Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) must ensure that the
following historical documents are incorporated into the
framework, as appropriate:
1) The Declaration of Independence.
2) The United States Constitution, including the Bill of
Rights.
3) The Federalist Papers.
4) The Emancipation Proclamation.
5) The Gettysburg Address.
6) George Washington's Farewell Address. (EC � 33540)
ANALYSIS
This bill requires the IQC, when revising the
history-social science framework, to consider incorporating
specified historical documents in the updated framework.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the IQC, when revising the history-social
science framework, to consider incorporating into the
framework the following historical documents:
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a) The Magna Carta.
b) The Articles of Confederation.
c) The California Constitution.
2) Requires the IQC, in the revision of the
history-social science framework, to encourage
instruction that promotes an understanding of the
governments of California and the United States of
America, including the development of democracy and
the history of the development of the United States
Constitution.
3) Provides that this bill is not to be construed as
requiring the IQC to meet specifically to implement
this bill, and that any recommended revisions to the
history-social science framework are to be implemented
within the existing framework revision process without
increasing costs of revising the framework.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, "The
availability of works such as the Magna Carta, the
Articles of Confederation and the California
Constitution, are integral to a broader understanding
of the development and maintenance of both our State
and our nation as a whole."
2) History-social science framework . 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, other than for the common core
standards in English language arts and mathematics and
the history-social science framework.
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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).
3) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee analysis, this bill would
impose minor, absorbable General Fund costs to the
California Department of Education to the extent the
requirements of this bill are already included in the
scheduled history-social science curriculum framework
review process.
4) Related legislation . AB 123 (Bonta) requires the SBE
to ensure the state curriculum, frameworks and
evaluation criteria include instruction on the
contributions of immigrants, including Filipino
Americans, to the farm labor movement in the United
States. AB 123 is scheduled to be heard in this
Committee on June 19.
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
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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 700 (Gomez) requires the Instructional Quality
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.
5) Prior legislation . AB 2546 (Donnelly, 2012) was very
similar to this bill. AB 2546 was held on the
Assembly Appropriations Committee's suspense file.
SUPPORT
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California Right to Life Committee
OPPOSITION
None on file.