BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 552
          Author:   Calderon (D)
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  8-1, 5/1/13
          AYES:  Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Jackson,  
            Monning
          NOES:  Huff


           SUBJECT  :    Instruction in violence awareness

           SOURCE :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill authorizes instruction in the areas of  
          social sciences in grades 7-12 to include instruction on  
          violence awareness, which may include a component drawn from  
          personal testimony in the form of oral or video histories of  
          individuals who were involved in violence awareness efforts that  
          exemplify the economic and cultural effects of violence  
          prevention efforts within a city, the state and country.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Course of study
           
          Existing law:

          1. Requires the adopted course of study for grades 7-12,  
             inclusive, to include instruction in social sciences, drawing  
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             upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography,  
             history, political science, psychology, and sociology,  
             designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. 

          2. Requires social studies instruction to provide a foundation  
             for understanding the history, resources, development, and  
             government of California and the U.S.; instruction in our  
             American legal system, the operation of the juvenile and  
             adult criminal justice systems, and the rights and duties of  
             citizens under the criminal and civil law and the State and  
             Federal Constitutions; the development of the American  
             economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and  
             labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural  
             environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations;  
             and human rights issues, with particular attention to the  
             study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the  
             Holocaust, and contemporary issues. 

          3. Authorizes social science instruction to include instruction  
             on World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including  
             the "Secret War" in Laos), the role of Filipinos in World War  
             II, and the Bracero program.  

           Standards and Frameworks  .  Academic content standards define the  
          knowledge, concepts, and skills that pupils should acquire at  
          each grade level (the "what"). Curricular frameworks are the  
          blueprint for implementing the standards, and include criteria  
          by which instructional materials are evaluated (the "how").

          The processes for reviewing frameworks and adopting  
          instructional materials have been suspended since July 28, 2009.  
           The State Board of Education (SBE) is specifically prohibited  
          from reviewing frameworks and adopting instructional materials  
          until the 2015-16 school year.  

          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 in July 2009, due to budget  
          constraints.  Current law authorizes the SBE to consider the  
          adoption of a revised framework and evaluation criteria in  
          history-social science but only after the Department Education  
          has completed work on the development of frameworks for the  
          common core standards.  


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          This bill authorizes instruction in the areas of social sciences  
          in grades 7-12 to also include instruction on violence  
          awareness, which may include a component drawn from personal  
          testimony in the form of oral or video histories of individuals  
          who were involved in violence awareness efforts that exemplify  
          the economic and cultural effects of violence prevention efforts  
          within a city, the state and country.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No   Local:  
           No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/3/13)

          American Board of Behavioral Health Practice
          Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, California Chapters
          Children's Defense Fund
          Concept Healthcare
          National Alliance of Professional Psychology Providers
          National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
          Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Foundation
          Youth ALIVE!
          Youth Justice Coalition


           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the author, "California  
          school aged children are exposed to violence in the media almost  
          every day.  And there are other, less fortunate, children who  
          have been directly exposed to violence in their personal life.   
          One of the most effective and efficient ways to accomplish the  
          goal of providing California school aged children with a  
          comprehensive understanding of the issue of violence is to  
          create a basic curriculum from which teachers and students can  
          teach and learn from."


          PQ:d  5/7/13   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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