BILL NUMBER: SB 524 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 8, 2013
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 6, 2013
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 24, 2013
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 1, 2013
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 17, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Senators Lara and Steinberg
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Garcia)
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 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, a 14-member 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 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:
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 educational 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 educational
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 to include indicators of college and career preparedness, in
addition to state test scores. To assist schools in improving 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 pupils
can meet their college and career goals. It is also the intent of the
Legislature that such a pathway curriculum will educate pupils 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
educational institutions, options, programs, and opportunities in
California. The task force shall consist of 14
12 members, including all of the following:
(A) Four persons representing postsecondary education.
(B) Four persons representing elementary and secondary education
who are currently either classroom teachers or counselors, or both.
(C) Two public members.
(D)
(C) One person representing nonprofit organizations
whose missions are focused on increased participation in
postsecondary education.
(E)
(D) One person with expertise in career preparation or
apprenticeship.
(F)
(E) One parent representative.
(G)
(F) One person representing a nonprofit organization
whose mission focuses on working with parents and families of school
age children.
(2) The Superintendent is encouraged to include persons with
specific knowledge and background in college admissions, financial
aid, postsecondary educational 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 education 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 for Private Postsecondary Education, specialists in elementary
and secondary curriculum, school counselors, 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 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 educational 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 educational 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.
(e) The task force shall develop the pathways curriculum within
one year of its first convening, which shall occur no later than
April 1, 2014. The task force shall accomplish all of the following:
(1) Transmit the pathways curriculum to the Senate Committee on
Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Education, the Assembly
Committee on Appropriations, the Assembly Committee on Education, the
Assembly Committee on Higher Education, 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 Chancellor 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 school district and school use and where it shall be
maintained. The Superintendent shall assume leadership
responsibilities for dissemination of the curriculum to school
districts, county offices of education, charter schools, professional
educational organizations, civic organizations throughout the state,
and the public.
(f) 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.
(g) Schools and school districts may use 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.