Senate Bill No. 524

Introduced by Senators Lara and Steinberg

February 21, 2013

An act to add Chapter 16.5 (commencing with Section 11550) to Part 7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 524, as introduced, Lara. Pupil instruction: Pathways Curriculum Task Force.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive (K-12). Existing law also establishes a system of postsecondary education in the state that consists of 4 segments: the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and independent institutions of higher education.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to develop a voluntary K-12 curriculum to educate pupils and their families about college and career opportunities. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint, and provide staff for, a 12-member Pathways Curriculum Task Force. The bill would specify the qualifications and duties of the members of the task force. The bill would require the task force to establish specified learning goals for pupils at elementary, middle, and high school levels and help pupils to achieve these goals. The bill would require the task force to develop a pathways curriculum which, among other things, would provide materials, resources, and information for K-12 pupils and their families to gain a comprehensive understanding of available opportunities in postsecondary institutions.

The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that local educational agencies consider adopting all or parts of the career and college pathways curriculum, but would specify that adoption of the curriculum would not be mandatory and that local educational agencies may decline to participate.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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 makes a major investment in three
world-renowned systems of higher education: the University of
California, the California State University, and the California
Community Colleges. In addition, California is home to prestigious
independent universities and a significant number of vocational
and specialized private institutions. Yet many pupils complete
their senior year of high school with little understanding of these
institutions, poor knowledge of financial aid programs, and few
tools for making wise postsecondary choices. Pupils from
disadvantaged backgrounds, pupils who would be the first in their
families to go to college, and pupils with poor academic records
are often the least informed.

(2) The lack of information about postsecondary opportunity
erodes the effectiveness of California’s investment in higher
education, and exacerbates attempts to provide skilled workers for
California’s economy. According to the Public Policy Institute of
California, California will need one million more college graduates
by 2025 than current trends will produce. California’s evolving
economy will also need significantly more skilled workers with
associate degrees and career certificates. California cannot afford
to let pupils reach adulthood uninformed of the institutions and
programs available to help them become productive members of
society.

(3) The Legislature recently broadened the Academic
Performance Index (API) to include indicators of college and career
preparedness, in addition to state test scores. To assist schools
improve these new benchmarks, some classroom attention to
college eligibility requirements and the value of postsecondary
education and training could be helpful to schools and local school
districts.

(4) Pathway guidance is too often left to chance. The
development of opportunities for school districts to incorporate
such guidance into their programs is an appropriate school
responsibility. Effective pathway instructional programs can be
an efficient and effective way to complement the important work
of school counselors.

(5) Postsecondary education and training has become
increasingly expensive in both public and private institutions;
student and family debt burden has grown dramatically in recent
years. It is in the state’s interest to ensure that students and families
understand the serious nature of student indebtedness, receive
information on maximizing access to grant and work opportunities
to reduce indebtedness, and are provided with alternatives and
strategies to avoid excessive debt.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to develop a K-12
curriculum to educate pupils and their families about the rich array
of college and career opportunities available and how appropriate
K-12 course taking and academic proficiency can ensure that
students can meet their college and career goals. It is also the intent
of the Legislature that such a pathway curriculum will educate
students and their families about the cost of postsecondary
education and the best ways to pay for it.

SEC. 2.  

Chapter 16.5 (commencing with Section 11550) is
added to Part 7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to
read:

 

Chapter  16.5. Pathways Curriculum Task Force

 

11550.  

(a) (1) The Superintendent shall appoint and staff a
Pathways Curriculum Task Force to develop a voluntary curriculum
for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that will provide
pupils and their families with a basic understanding of
postsecondary institutions, options, programs, and opportunities
in California. The task force shall consist of 12 members, including
all of the following:

(A) Four persons representing postsecondary education.

(B) Four persons representing elementary and secondary
education.

(C) Two public members.

(D) One person representing nonprofit organizations whose
missions are focused on increased participation in postsecondary
education.

(E) One person with expertise in career preparation or
apprenticeship.

(2) The Superintendent is encouraged to include persons with
specific knowledge and background in college admissions, financial
aid, postsecondary opportunities, and development of a curriculum
for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

(b) The task force shall establish learning goals for pupils at
elementary, middle, and high school levels and shall develop
curriculum to help pupils achieve those goals. The task force shall,
at a minimum, address all of the following topics:

(1) The variety of college, university, and technical education
in California.

(2) The importance of postsecondary education and training.

(3) Ways to finance postsecondary education and training, and
attention to cost-benefit analysis.

(4) The A-G course sequence required for admission to the
University of California, postsecondary admission requirements,
and the community college transfer process.

(c) The task force shall solicit and consider input from a broad
range of interested persons, agencies, and organizations, including,
but not necessarily limited to, the Student Aid Commission, the
Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education, specialists in
elementary and secondary curriculum, experts in federal and state
financial aid and college admissions, and civil rights and nonprofit
organizations whose missions are related to career preparation and
college access, business, labor, parents, and pupils.

(d) The task force shall appoint a subgroup to consult with
specialists in high school economics curriculum to develop a unit
on postsecondary education.

(e) The pathways curriculum developed pursuant to this chapter
shall accomplish all of the following:

(1) Be as concise and clear as possible so as to easily integrate
with other curriculum objectives, while still helping pupils gain a
comprehensive understanding of postsecondary opportunity.

(2) Include complementary materials for family and guardians
to learn what steps in elementary, middle, and high school they
may take to assist their pupils reach college and career goals, as
well as suggested questions to ask of school officials.

(3) Provide a cumulative resource for pupils and their families
who come to California from other states and other countries and
enter the California elementary and secondary education system
at various grade levels.

(4) Provide pathway curriculum materials as well as suggestions
for college and work site field trips, guest speakers, and other
innovative means of inspiring and informing pupils and their
families about college and career pathways.

(5) Provide information on the availability of, and access to,
the most current information on postsecondary opportunities,
including, but not necessarily limited to, federal and state Internet
Web sites devoted to postsecondary educational opportunity and
how best to navigate those sites.

(f) The task force shall develop the pathways curriculum within
one year of its first convening, and shall accomplish all of the
following:

(1) Transmit the pathways curriculum to the Legislature, the
state board, the Regents of the University of California, the
Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors
of the California Community Colleges, the Student Aid
Commission, and the Instructional Quality Commission for a
three-month review and comment period.

(2) Consider comments and make changes as deemed
appropriate.

(3) Transmit the curriculum to the department, where it shall
be available for district and school use and where it shall be
maintained. The Superintendent shall assume leadership
responsibilities for dissemination of the curriculum to school
districts, professional educational organizations, and civic
organizations throughout the state.

(g) The task force shall recommend, and the department shall
determine and implement, an annual process by which the pathways
curriculum shall remain current in the rapidly changing and
complex environment of postsecondary educational opportunity.
The Chancellor of the California State University and the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, and the
President of the University of California is requested to, provide
cooperation and support to the department in this regard.

(h) The department shall work with the Instructional Quality
Commission and appropriate framework committees to integrate
the pathways curriculum into each subject matter curriculum
framework as it is revised or updated.

(i) Schools and districts may utilize and deliver this curriculum
in a manner that best suits local needs and resources.

SEC. 3.  

It is the intent of the Legislature that local educational
agencies consider adopting all or parts of the career and college
pathways curriculum. However, adoption is not mandatory, and
local educational agencies may decline to participate.