SB 524, as amended, 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, abegin delete 12-memberend deletebegin insert
14-memberend insert 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 that, 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 educational 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:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(1) California makes a major investment in three
4world-renowned systems of higher education: the University of
5California, the California State University, and the California
6Community Colleges. In addition, California is home to prestigious
7independent universities and a significant number of vocational
8and specialized private institutions. Yet many pupils complete
9their senior year of high school with little understanding of these
10institutions, poor knowledge of financial aid programs, and few
11tools for making wise postsecondary educational choices. Pupils
12from disadvantaged backgrounds, pupils who would be the first
13in their families to go to college,
and pupils with poor academic
14records are often the least informed.
15(2) The lack of information about postsecondary educational
16opportunity erodes the effectiveness of California’s investment in
17higher education, and exacerbates attempts to provide skilled
18workers for California’s economy. According to the Public Policy
19Institute of California, California will need one million more
20college graduates by 2025 than current trends will produce.
21California’s evolving economy will also need significantly more
22skilled workers with associate degrees and career certificates.
P3 1California cannot afford to let pupils reach adulthood uninformed
2of the institutions and programs available to help them become
3productive members of society.
4(3) The Legislature recently broadened the Academic
5Performance Index to include indicators of college and career
6preparedness, in addition to state test
scores. To assist schools in
7improving these new benchmarks, some classroom attention to
8college eligibility requirements and the value of postsecondary
9education and training could be helpful to schools and local school
10districts.
11(4) Pathway guidance is too often left to chance. The
12development of opportunities for school districts to incorporate
13such guidance into their programs is an appropriate school
14responsibility. Effective pathway instructional programs can be
15an efficient and effective way to complement the important work
16of school counselors.
17(5) Postsecondary education and training has become
18increasingly expensive in both public and private institutions;
19student and family debt burden has grown dramatically in recent
20years. It is in the state’s interest to ensure that students and families
21understand the serious nature of student indebtedness, receive
22information on
maximizing access to grant and work opportunities
23to reduce indebtedness, and are provided with alternatives and
24strategies to avoid excessive debt.
25(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to develop a K-12
26curriculum to educate pupils and their families about the rich array
27of college and career opportunities available and how appropriate
28K-12 course taking and academic proficiency can ensure that
29pupils can meet their college and career goals. It is also the intent
30of the Legislature that such a pathway curriculum will educate
31pupils and their families about the cost of postsecondary education
32and the best ways to pay for it.
Chapter 16.5 (commencing with Section 11550) is
34added to Part 7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to
35read:
36
(a) (1) The Superintendent shall appoint and staff a
40Pathways Curriculum Task Force to develop a voluntary curriculum
P4 1for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that will provide
2pupils and their families with a basic understanding of
3postsecondary educational institutions, options, programs, and
4opportunities in California. The task force shall consist ofbegin delete 12end deletebegin insert 14 end insert
5 members, including all of the following:
6(A) Four persons representing postsecondary education.
7(B) Four
persons representing elementary and secondary
8educationbegin insert who are currently either classroom teachers or
9counselors, or bothend insert.
10(C) Two public members.
11(D) One person representing nonprofit organizations whose
12missions are focused on increased participation in postsecondary
13education.
14(E) One person with expertise in career preparation or
15apprenticeship.
16(F) One parent representative.
end insertbegin insert
17(G) One person
representing a nonprofit organization whose
18mission focuses on working with parents and families of school
19age children.
20(2) The Superintendent is encouraged to include persons with
21specific knowledge and background in college admissions, financial
22aid, postsecondary educational opportunities, and development of
23a curriculum for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
24(b) The task force shall establish learning goals for pupils at
25elementary, middle, and high school levels, and shall develop
26curriculum to help pupils achieve those goals. The task force shall,
27at a minimum, address all of the following topics:
28(1) The variety of college, university, and technical education
29in California.
30(2) The importance of postsecondary education and training.
31(3) Ways to finance postsecondary education and training, and
32attention to cost-benefit analysis.
33(4) The A-G course sequence required for admission to the
34University of California, postsecondary education admission
35requirements, and the community college transfer process.
36(c) The task force shall solicit and consider input from a broad
37range of interested persons, agencies, and organizations, including,
38but not necessarily limited to, the Student Aid Commission, the
39Bureaubegin delete ofend deletebegin insert
forend insert Private Postsecondary Education, specialists in
40elementary and secondary curriculum, school counselors, experts
P5 1in federal and state financial aid and college admissions, and civil
2rights and nonprofit organizations whose missions are related to
3career preparation and college access, business, labor, parents, and
4pupils.
5(d) The task force shall appoint a subgroup to consult with
6specialists in high school economics curriculum to develop a unit
7on postsecondary education.
8(e)
end delete
9begin insert(d)end insert The pathways curriculum
developed pursuant to this chapter
10shall accomplish all of the following:
11(1) Be as concise and clear as possible so as to easily integrate
12with other curriculum objectives, while still helping pupils gain a
13comprehensive understanding of postsecondary educational
14opportunity.
15(2) Include complementary materials for family and guardians
16to learn what steps in elementary, middle, and high school they
17may take to assist their pupils reach college and career goals, as
18well as suggested questions to ask of school officials.
19(3) Provide a cumulative resource for pupils and their families
20who come to California from other states and other countries and
21enter the California elementary and secondary education system
22at various grade levels.
23(4) Provide pathway
curriculum materials as well as suggestions
24for college and work site field trips, guest speakers, and other
25innovative means of inspiring and informing pupils and their
26families about college and career pathways.
27(5) Provide information on the availability of, and access to,
28the most current information on postsecondary educational
29opportunities, including, but not necessarily limited to, federal and
30state Internet Web sites devoted to postsecondary educational
31opportunity and how best to navigate those sites.
32(f)
end delete
33begin insert(e)end insert The task force shall develop the pathways curriculum within
34one year of its first convening,begin delete andend deletebegin insert
which shall occur no later than
35April 1, 2014. The task fend insertbegin insertoend insertbegin insertrceend insert shall accomplish all of the following:
36(1) Transmit the pathways curriculum to the Senate Committee
37on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education, the
38Assembly Committee on Appropriations, the Assembly Committee
39on Education, the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the
40state board, the Regents of the University of California, the
P6 1Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors
2of the California Community Colleges, the Chancellor of the
3California Community Colleges, the Student Aid Commission,
4and the Instructional Quality Commission for a three-month review
5and comment period.
6(2) Consider comments and make changes as deemed
7appropriate.
8(3) Transmit the curriculum to the department, where it shall
9be available for school district and school use and where it shall
10be maintained. The Superintendent shall assume leadership
11responsibilities for dissemination of the curriculum to school
12districts,begin insert county offices of education, charter schools,end insert professional
13educational organizations,begin delete andend delete civic organizations throughout the
14statebegin insert, and the publicend insert.
15(g)
end delete
16begin insert(f)end insert The task force shall recommend, and the department shall
17determine and implement, an annual process by which the pathways
18curriculum shall remain current in the rapidly changing and
19complex environment of postsecondary educational opportunity.
20The Chancellor of the California State University and the
21Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, and the
22President of the University of California is requested to, provide
23cooperation and support to the department in this regard.
24(h)
end delete
25begin insert(g)end insert Schools and
school districts may use and deliver this
26curriculum in a manner that best suits local needs and resources.
It is the intent of the Legislature that local educational
28agencies consider adopting all or parts of the career and college
29pathways curriculum. However, adoption is not mandatory, and
30local educational agencies may decline to participate.
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