BILL NUMBER: SB 524	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


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.