BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 552| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 CONTINUED SB 552 Page 2 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. CONTINUED SB 552 Page 3 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 **** END **** CONTINUED SB 552 Page 4 CONTINUED