BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 101
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Date of Hearing: March 25, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
O'Donnell, Chair
AB
101 (Alejo) - As Amended March 18, 2015
SUBJECT: Pupil instruction: ethnic studies
SUMMARY: This bill requires the development of a model
curriculum in ethnic studies, establishes an advisory committee
on ethnic studies, and requires that all school districts
serving students in grades 7-12 students offer ethnic studies as
an elective course.
Specifically, this bill:
1) Makes findings and declarations relating to the importance
of instruction in ethnic studies.
2) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to oversee
the development of a model curriculum and other support systems
to ensure quality courses in partnerships with universities with
ethnic studies programs.
3) Requires that the model curriculum meet the A-G approval
requirements of the Regents of the University of California.
4) Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt the
model curriculum.
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5) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
establish an Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee, made up of
relevant stakeholders, including students, parents, state
personnel, ethnic studies scholars, university professors, and
teachers with ethnic studies experience.
6) Requires that the Committee be comprised of a majority of
educators with experience in teaching ethnic studies from high
schools and institutions of higher education.
7) Requires the Advisory Committee to advise, assist, and make
recommendations to the State Board of Education on programs,
curriculum content, and other issues related to ethnic studies.
8) Requires, by June 30, 2016, the Superintendent to submit to
the board a plan to implement this section.
9) Requires school districts enrolling students in grades 7-12,
in the school year following the adoption of the model
curriculum, to offer to its students as an elective course, a
course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum.
EXISTING LAW:
1) Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to adopt a course
of study for grades 7-12 which includes English, mathematics,
science, history-social studies, and other subjects.
2) Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) and
requires, upon request by the State Board of Education, that it
make recommendations on courses of study.
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3) Requires the California Department of Education to develop
model curricula on a variety of topics, including the life of
Cesar Chavez, and human rights and genocide.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Curriculum, standards, frameworks, and model curricula.
California's public school curriculum is based on content
standards in various subjects, including English-Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, History-Social Science, Physical
Education, English Language Development, Career Technical
Education, Health Education, World Languages, and Visual and
Performing Arts. These standards are developed by the IQC
through a public process, and are adopted by the State Board of
Education.
The IQC sets standards form the basis of California's curriculum
frameworks, documents which guide the implementation of these
standards. The frameworks establish criteria used to evaluate
instructional materials. These criteria are used to select,
through the state adoption process, instructional materials for
kindergarten through grade eight. Frameworks also guide district
selection of instructional materials for grades nine through
twelve.
In addition to developing curricula in the above subjects, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction is sometimes directed by
law to develop model curricula on different topics, such as
those on the life of Cesar Chavez, and human rights and
genocide.
Ethnic studies course outlined in draft History-Social Science
framework. The draft History-Social Science Framework developed
by the IQC, describes high school elective courses in ethnic
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studies as follows:
Ethnic studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that
encompasses many subject areas including history,
literature, economics, sociology, and political science,
among others. In this course, students focus on an in-depth
comparative study of the history, politics, culture,
contributions, challenges, and current status of ethnic
groups in the United States. It is also important for
students to learn the national origins of ethnic groups and
their transnational linkages. In Ethnic Studies, students
examine the process of racial and ethnic formation of
ethnic minorities in a variety of contexts: political,
legal, social, historical, economic, and cultural. The
course concentrates, to a great extent, on the experiences
of various ethnic minorities in the United States and the
ways in which their experiences were impacted by the issues
of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and the interaction
among different ethnic groups. Students will also address
how individuals within specific ethnic groups think and
feel about themselves and their group as it can be
represented by literature, memoirs, art, and music. To
understand ethnic identity in their local communities,
students can volunteer with local community organizations
and centers that serve specific ethnic populations.
History-social science framework adoption delayed. The
History-Social Science standards currently in use were adopted
in 1998, and the most recent framework was published in 2005.
The Curriculum Commission (now the IQC) began work revising the
History-Social Science Framework in January of 2008. A
significant amount of the process had been completed (focus
groups, selection of evaluation criteria committee members, five
drafting meetings) when in 2009 the state's fiscal emergency led
to a statutory suspension (Chapter 2, Statutes of 2009, Fourth
Extraordinary Session) of instructional materials adoptions and
framework revisions until the 2013-14 school year. That
suspension was later extended until the 2015-16 school year
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(Chapter 7, Statutes of 2011).
The IQC began work again on the revision in July, 2014, and
released the draft History-Social Science framework for field
review in September, 2014. The draft generated extensive public
comment it generated (nearly 700 comments). The IQC also
determined that more subject matter expertise was needed certain
areas (including some mandated for inclusion by legislation),
and submitted a budget request for $124,000 to hire experts
through an interagency agreement.
These events have caused significant delays in the production of
the revised framework. Originally scheduled for adoption in
May, 2015, this framework is now set to be recommended to the
State Board by March 2016, with final publication in fall, 2016.
Most ethnic studies courses reported as not meeting A-G
requirements. According to data reported by the California
Department of Education, 8,129 students were enrolled in ethnic
studies courses in the 2012-13 school year. Of those, 4,379
students were enrolled in 435 social science ethnic studies
courses in 100 schools, and 3,750 students were enrolled in 137
language arts (ethnic literature) courses in 49 schools.
Notably, only 108 of the 435 social science courses and 97 of
the 137 language arts courses were identified as approved A-G
courses.
Trend toward local ethnic studies graduation requirements.
Several school districts have recently made completion of a
course in ethnic studies a local graduation requirement. Among
them are Los Angeles Unified School District (which also
resolved that the total number of credits required for
graduation would not increase), Montebello Unified School
District, and El Rancho Unified School District. San Francisco
Unified School District has resolved to offer ethnic studies
courses at all high schools, and explore ways create such a
graduation requirement in the next five years.
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Research on academic value of ethnic studies. A review by the
National Education Association<1> found that "there is
considerable research evidence that well-designed and
well-taught ethnic studies curricula have positive academic and
social outcomes for students. Curricula are designed and taught
somewhat differently depending on the ethnic composition of the
class or school and the subsequent experiences students bring,
but both students of color and White students have been found to
benefit from ethnic studies. An analysis<2> related to the
Arizona case described below found "a consistent, significant,
positive relationship between [Mexican American Studies]
participation and student academic performance."
Arizona law bans ethnic studies. In 2010 Arizona's Governor
signed legislation prohibiting school districts from offering
ethnic studies courses. This legislation was aimed at
eliminating Mexican American studies courses taught in the
Tuscon public schools. A federal judge upheld most of this law
in 2013, and the case is currently under appellate review in the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Requirement to offer ethnic studies courses. This bill requires
LEAs with students in grades 7-12 to offer a course in ethnic
studies in once one has been adopted by the SBE.
This Committee has approved many measures authorizing the
development of model curricula, including model curricula on the
---------------------------
<1>
Sleeter, Christine. The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic
Studies: A Research Review. National Education Association,
2011.
<2>
Cabrera, Nolan L. et al. An Empirical Analysis of the Effects
of Mexican American Studies Participation on Student Achievement
within Tuscon Unified School District.
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life of Cesar Chavez, human rights and genocide, computer
science, career technical education, environmental studies, and
financial literacy. These bills typically require the
development of a model curriculum, developed by the CDE and
adopted by the SBE, and made available to school districts,
which may use it as they so choose.
This Committee does not typically hear legislation which would
require school districts to offer specific elective courses.
Requirements to offer elective courses are not generally seen as
the purview of the Legislature, which sets broad requirements
for courses of study and graduation requirements, and authorizes
the development of content standards to which instruction and
materials should be aligned, but leaves the decision of which
elective courses to offer to local school districts.
School districts can and are offering ethnic studies courses.
As noted above, many are exceeding the requirements of this bill
by not only offering ethnic studies but making completion a
graduation requirement. When the revised History-Social Science
framework is approved, districts will be encouraged, by the
course outline quoted above, to offer ethnic studies courses.
The availability of a well-designed A-G aligned model curriculum
could be a valuable resource to those districts offering and
requiring ethnic studies, and may further encourage the offering
of these courses.
Which courses would be developed? Ethnic studies courses are
taught in different disciplines (often history, social sciences,
and literature) and cover varied content (often
ethnic-specific).
Montebello Unified School District offers a history elective
called "Mexican American Studies" and an English/Language Arts
elective called "African American Literature." Oakland Unified
School District offers a history-social science elective course
titled "African American History" and Los Angeles Unified School
District offers an English/language arts course titled "Mexican
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American Literature." San Francisco Unified School district
offers a social studies elective called "Asian American
History," a year-long course taught in Chinese titled "Asian
American Studies," as well as a social studies elective titled
"Ethnic Studies."
This bill does not indicate the kinds of courses that are to be
contained in the model curriculum it requires, but suggests that
this would be the job of the advisory committee to determine.
This ambiguity could make the task of writing the model
curriculum challenging, and make the requirement that school
districts offer a course in the first school year after the
curriculum was adopted extremely difficult. Accordingly, staff
recommends that the bill be amended to clarify the scope of the
model curriculum to be developed.
Prior legislation. AB 1750 (Alejo) of the 2013-14 Session,
which was approved by this committee by a 5-1 vote, would have
required the Instructional Quality Commission to identify a
model curriculum on ethnic studies at the high school level.
That bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2001 (Diaz) of the 2001-02 Session would have required the
Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission
(now the Instructional Quality Commission) to identify model
programs, standards, and curricula for ethnic studies at the
high school level. This bill was vetoed by the Governor, who
stated that existing law, teacher training, and curriculum
already addressed this topic.
Questions the Committee may wish to consider:
1)School districts are currently challenged by significant
changes in core subject content standards, instructional
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methods, instructional materials, assessments, and school
finance and accountability. California still ranks among the
lowest of the states in spending per student. Is this the
right time for the state to institute significant requirements
such as this one?
2)In the current era of local control, it is appropriate for the
state to mandate which elective courses must be offered?
3)Outside of setting broad courses of study, graduation
requirements, and offering model curricula, should the
Legislature be involved in mandating public school curriculum?
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Teachers Association
Ethnic Studies Now Coalition
Santa Barbara Unified School District
Social Justice Education Coalition, UC Davis
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Opposition
None received on this version of the bill
Analysis Prepared
by: Tanya Lieberman/ED./319-2087