BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1912
AUTHOR: Holden
AMENDED: March 18, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 11, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : History-social science framework.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission and
the State Board of Education to consider including in the
history-social science framework instruction on the
election of President Barack Obama and the significance of
his election.
BACKGROUND
Academic content standards define the knowledge, concepts,
and skills that students should acquire at each grade
level. Curricular frameworks are the blueprint for
implementing the standards, and include criteria by which
instructional materials are evaluated.
The history-social science framework was last adopted in
2005. A review of this framework was underway and nearly
complete when the state suspended the process due to budget
constraints. The process for reviewing frameworks has been
suspended since July 28, 2009. The SBE is specifically
prohibited from reviewing frameworks and adopting
instructional materials until the 2015-16 school year.
(Education Code § 60200.7)
Notwithstanding this prohibition, the SBE is authorized to
revise the history-social science framework but only upon
completion of work related to the development of frameworks
for the common core standards in English language arts and
mathematics. (EC § 60200.8)
AB 1912
Page 2
ANALYSIS
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission and
the State Board of Education to consider including in the
history-social science framework instruction on the
election of President Barack Obama and the significance of
his election. Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the Instructional Quality Commission and the
State Board of Education to consider including in the
history-social science curriculum framework
instruction on the election of President Barack Obama
and the significance of the United States electing its
first African American President, as appropriate.
2) Provides that inclusion of this instruction in the
history-social science framework is to be during the
next adoption of the history-social science framework.
3) States legislative findings and declarations relative
to the election of Barack Obama as President of the
United States.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Necessary ? This bill presumes that instruction about
President Obama and the significance of the election
of the first African American President of the United
States will not be included in the next revision of
the history-social science framework. The existing
framework for grade 11 United States History includes
the statement "to address recent history, teachers can
provide an overview of the significant developments of
the last two decades, surveying the presidencies of
George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and
Barack Obama." This statement does not specifically
mention the historical significance of President Obama
as the first African American president, as is
required by this bill. This bill ensures that the
Instructional Quality Commission will consider
addressing the deeper significance of the election of
President Obama.
2) Instructional Quality Commission . This bill requires
AB 1912
Page 3
the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) and the
State Board of Education (SBE) to consider including
specific instruction in the history-social science
framework during the next submission cycle. The IQC
is charged with developing frameworks and recommending
adoption to the SBE. Therefore, staff recommends an
amendment to instead require the IQC to consider
including the instruction in the framework and
recommend adoption to the SBE, and require the SBE to
adopt, modify or reject the framework. Staff
recommends an amendment to strike reference to the
submission cycle and instead clarify that this
instruction is to be considered during the next
revision of the history-social science framework.
3) Timing . The State Board of Education (SBE) is
authorized to revise the history-social science
framework upon completion of work related to the
development of frameworks for the common core
standards in English language arts and mathematics.
The updated framework for mathematics was adopted by
the SBE on November 6, 2013. The updated framework
for English language arts is in the final stages, and
is expected to be adopted by the SBE in July 2014.
The Instructional Quality Commission is expected to
complete the process of updating the history-social
science framework in February 2015, with adoption by
the SBE expected in May 2015.
4) Fiscal impact . According to the Assembly
Appropriations Committee's analysis, this bill could
impose minor, absorbable General Fund costs for the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider
incorporating the election of President Barack Obama
into the history-social science framework, to the
extent this can be achieved through the regular
process.
5) Related legislation specific to history-social
science . SB 1057 (Corbett) requires the
Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a
group of history-social science experts to revise the
history-social science standards by March 30, 2018,
and requires the State Board of Education to adopt,
AB 1912
Page 4
reject or modify the revised standards by July 30,
2018. SB 1057 is pending referral in the Assembly.
SB 1380 (Wyland), among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider including
the Armenian Genocide in the next revision of the
history-social science framework. SB 1380 is pending
in the Assembly Education Committee.
AB 659 (Nazarian) among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider including
the Armenian Genocide in the next revision of the
history-social science framework. AB 659 is pending
referral in the Senate.
AB 1915 (Nazarian), among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider including
the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides
in the next revision of the history-social science
framework. AB 1915 is pending referral in the Senate.
SB 521 (Wyland) requires the CDE and SBE to request the
Instructional Quality Commission to revise the
history-social science frameworks to include the
comparative differences between the rights of citizens
in America and those in other countries, and the
connection of civics and American government to
western civilizations. SB 521 was never heard.
SB 1419 (Wyland) encourages instruction in social sciences
to include instruction on the American military
conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and include a
component drawn from personal testimony. SB 1419 was
never heard, but its contents were amended into SB
1380.
SB 897 (Steinberg), among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider whether
and how to incorporate the College, Career, and Civic
Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards
into the history-social science framework. SB 897 is
pending referral in the Assembly.
AB 2110 (Ting) requires the Instructional Quality
AB 1912
Page 5
Commission to consider incorporating computer science
curriculum content into the mathematics, science,
history-social science, and language arts curriculum
frameworks, as it deems appropriate. AB 2110 is
pending referral in the Senate.
SB 945 (Morrell) adds, beginning with the 2018-19
school year, a summative assessment in history-social
science to the state assessment system. SB 945 failed
passage in this Committee.
6) Prior legislation specific to history-social science .
AB 97 (Torlakson, 2010) would have required the State
Board of Education (SBE), upon recommendation of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, to adopt a
schedule for the review and recommend revisions to the
science and history-social science curriculum area
content standards. AB 97 was vetoed by the Governor,
whose veto message read:
"Given California's participation in the
Common Core initiative and the anticipated
reauthorization of the federal Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, this bill is
premature. This bill could create an
unnecessary, duplicative process in the
development of content standards and in the
integration of those standards into the
state's assessment system."
AB 391 (Wieckowski, 2013) would have, among other
things, required the history-social science curriculum
framework, when it is revised, to encourage
instruction related to the understanding of personal
finances, as specified. AB 391 was held in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1325 (Wyland, 2012) would have, among other things,
authorized the Superintendent of Public Instruction
and SBE to consider developing new curriculum
frameworks and, if necessary, standards that engage
students in learning about American history and
government from oral histories to biographical
sketches and age-appropriate descriptions of heroic
AB 1912
Page 6
efforts on the part of Americans to build our society
and its institutions. SB 1325 was never heard.
SB 283 (Wyland, 2011) was identical to SB 1325, and
was also never heard.
SB 1278 (Wyland, 2010) would have required the SBE to
adopt a revised curriculum framework and evaluation
criteria for instructional materials in
history-social science in 2011. SB 1278 was held in
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 223 (Wyland), 2009) would have required the
Curriculum Commission to consider and vote on whether
to include a unit on financial literacy in the
proposed changes to the 2014 history-social science
framework. SB 223 was held in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
SB 234 (Wyland, 2009) would have required the
Curriculum Commission, as part of its regular process
of developing and revising curriculum frameworks, to
consider and vote on whether to include an oral
history component specifically related to genocides in
the proposed changes to the 2014 history-social
science curriculum framework. SB 234 was held in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1254 (Wyland, 2008) was identical to SB 1325, and
was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
Advancement Project
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
Black Women Organized for Political Action
California Teachers Association
California Urban Partnership
California Young Democrats Black Caucus
OPPOSITION
None on file.
AB 1912
Page 7