BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 101
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|Author: |Alejo |
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|Version: |June 1, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: July 8, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lenin Del Castillo |
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Subject: Pupil instruction: ethnic studies
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to oversee the development of a model curriculum framework
in ethnic studies and establish an advisory committee on ethnic
studies. Additionally, the bill provides that all school
districts serving students in grades 7 to 12 may offer ethnic
studies as an elective course.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1)Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC),
formerly known as the Curriculum Commission, as an advisory
body to the State Board of Education (SBE). The IQC is an
advisory body to the SBE and is responsible for recommending
curriculum frameworks, developing criteria for the evaluation
of instructional materials, evaluate and recommend adoption of
instructional materials.
(Education Code § 33530 and § 60204)
2)Prohibits the SBE from adopting instructional materials or
undertaking the work of the IQC until the 2015-16 school year.
(EC § 60200.7)
3)Specifically authorizes the SBE to consider the adoption of a
revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for
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history-social science. (EC § 60200.8)
4)Requires IQC to consider incorporating into the history-social
science framework content on specific historical events,
including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan
genocides and the Great Irish Famine of 1845 to 1850.
Existing law also encourages the California Department of
Education to incorporate into curriculum resources for
teachers, age-appropriate materials on the Armenian,
Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides. (EC § 51226.3)
5)Requires the IQC, whenever the history-social science
framework is revised, to do all of the following (as
appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course):
a) Receive input from civics learning experts for purposes
of integrating civics learning content, concepts and skills
with the standards.
b) Consider how civics and history instruction includes the
application of that content to develop the competence and
skills needed for civic engagement.
c) Ensure that voter education information is included in
the American government and civics curriculum at the high
school level.
d) Ensure that specified historical documents are
incorporated into the framework. (EC § 33540)
6)States Legislative intent that when the history-social science
framework is revised after January 1, 2015, the Instructional
Quality Commission (IQC) consider whether and how to
incorporate the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for
Social Studies State Standards into that framework. (EC §
33540)
7)Requires the IQC, during the next revision of the
history-social science framework, to consider including and
recommending for adoption by the State Board of Education
(SBE), instruction on the election of President Barack Obama
and the significance of the United States electing its first
African American President.
(EC § 33543)
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ANALYSIS
This bill:
1)Makes various findings and declarations regarding the
importance of instruction in ethnic studies.
2)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
oversee the development of a model curriculum framework 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 SPI, on or before the 2016-17 school year, to
establish an Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee (Committee)
comprised of a majority of educators with experience in
teaching ethnic studies from public high schools and
institutions of higher education.
5)Requires the Committee to advise, assist, and make
recommendations to the SBE on programs, curriculum content,
and other issues related to ethnic studies.
6)Requires, by June 30, 2016, the SPI to submit to the SBE a
plan to fully implement this section that includes, at a
minimum, key actions needed to overcome any challenges
foreseen to implementing this section, timetables, staffing
responsibilities, and budget requirements.
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7)Provides that school districts enrolling students in grades 7
to 12, in the school year following the adoption of the model
curriculum, may offer to students as an elective course in the
social sciences, a course of study in ethnic studies based on
the model curriculum.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author's office, "given
California's annual increase in diversity, it is especially
important that students build knowledge of the various racial
and ethnic groups in our state. Expanding the high school
curriculum to include ethnic studies will help students relate
to historical events and have a better understanding of their
own history and history of other neighbors. Learning of the
struggles for equality will teach students what it means to be
an American." The author's office further indicates that
"developing ethnic studies programs in public high schools is
an integral part of cultivating a classroom environment that
is accepting of diverse cultures."
2)Current revision of the history-social science framework.
Academic content standards define the knowledge, concepts, and
skills that students should acquire at each grade level.
Curricular frameworks are the blueprint for implementing the
standards, and include criteria by which instructional
materials are evaluated. The history-social science framework
was last adopted in 2005. The revision to the history-social
science framework was suspended in July 2009, and subsequently
resumed in July 2014. The draft revision was released for
field review in September 2014, is expected to be presented to
the State Board of Education (SBE) in November 2015, and
expected to be adopted in May 2016.
The draft generated extensive public comment (nearly 700
comments). The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) also
determined that more subject matter expertise was needed for
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
caused significant delays in the production of the revised
framework, which was originally scheduled for adoption in May
2015.
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A schedule once existed for the revision and updating of
curricular frameworks. That schedule was suspended in 2009
when the prohibition on that process was imposed. Current law
continues to reference an eight-year cycle for revisions to
frameworks and the adoption of instructional materials. It is
likely that the next revision of the history-social science
framework will occur in several years.
The draft history-social science framework developed by the
IQC, describes high school elective courses in ethnic 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."
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3)Is the bill necessary? Current law provides for the
Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to advise on
curriculum and instructional materials. In addition,
various Education Code provisions already call for the
incorporation of curriculum, textbooks and materials
which highlight the role and contribution of various
ethnic groups in California and United States history,
and the existing history social-science framework for
grades K-12 identifies ethnic studies as an elective
course of study for grades 9-12. Further, several school
districts have already made completion of a course in
ethnic studies a local graduation requirement, including
the Los Angeles Unified School District, 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. As such, is a state
prescribed model curriculum in ethnic studies as proposed
by this measure necessary?
According to data reported by the California Department of
Education (CDE), 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.
However, only 108 of the 435 social science courses and 97 of
the 137 language arts courses were identified as approved A-G
courses.
4)A-G requirements. Typically, California high schools submit
their courses to the University of California (UC) for A-G
review during the annual "A-G" update cycle. There is subject
area course criteria that must be met and can include
prerequisite work, substantial reading and writing, and
laboratory activities. Once approved, the courses are added
to the school's official "A-G" course list maintained by the
UC.
This bill requires that the model curriculum meet the A-G
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approval requirements of the Regents of the UC. However, it
is unclear how this would be accomplished. As described
above, the A-G course development and submission process is
initiated by a particular high school and is also course
specific (not the curriculum which the bill requires). Would
the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) or State Board
of Education submit the model curriculum to the UC for review
on behalf of all California schools? Additionally, would the
UC even accept the curriculum for A-G review since the
existing process is for individual courses?
5)Model curriculum. The Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) is required to develop or revise a model curriculum on
the life and work of Cesar Chavez and submit the model
curriculum to the State Board of Education (SBE) for adoption.
The SPI is required to distribute the model curriculum to
each school upon adoption.
The Model Curriculum for Human Rights and Genocide, adopted by
the SBE, is to be made available to schools serving grades
7-12 when funding is available, and requires the Model
Curriculum to be available on the website of the California
Department of Education (CDE).
Ethnic studies courses are taught in different disciplines
such as history, social sciences, and literature. For
example, Montebello Unified School District offers a history
elective called "Mexican American Studies" and an
English/Language Arts elective called "African American
Literature" while the San Francisco Unified School district
offers a social studies elective called "Asian American
History."
This bill does not specify the types of courses that are to be
included in the model curriculum. Presumably, the advisory
committee that the bill proposes to establish would be tasked
with this effort which could be challenging given the various
disciplines and broad spectrum of courses to choose from.
6)Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would result in General Fund
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administrative costs of in the range of $300,000 to $500,000
for the CDE to develop a model curriculum framework in ethnic
studies, and annual General Fund costs of approximately
$300,000 to establish and convene the Ethnic Studies Advisory
Committee.
7)Related and prior legislation. AB 104 (Committee on Budget,
Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015), among other things, imposes a
fee on publishers who submit history-social science materials
to the SBE for consideration.
AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the SPI to recommend to the State
Board of Education (SBE), by January 1, 2017, a schedule for
the regular update of academic content standards in all
subjects for which standards have been adopted by the SBE.
The schedule must be aligned to the current eight-year cycle
of curriculum framework updates and instructional materials
adoptions. This bill is scheduled to be heard in this
Committee on July 15, 2015.
AB 1750 (Alejo, 2014) would have required the Instructional
Quality Commission to evaluate existing standards, curricula,
programs, and training regarding ethnic studies at the high
school level. This bill failed passage in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
SB 1214 (Cedillo, 2008) required the SBE to provide for such
inclusion when it next revises and adopts the curriculum for
the history-social science framework and
instructional materials on or after January 1, 2009. SB 1214
was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message read:
I vetoed a substantively similar bill two years
ago on this issue, and I have consistently vetoed
legislation that has attempted to mandate
specific details or events into areas of
instruction. The State Board of Education
adopted content standards are developed by a
diverse group of experts and are intentionally
broad in order to allow coverage of various
events, developments, and issues. I continue to
believe that the State should establish rigorous
standards and frameworks, but refrain from being
overly prescriptive in specific school
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curriculum.
SUPPORT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
California Federation of Teachers
California Immigrant Policy Center
California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
Los Angeles Unified School District
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
OPPOSITION
California Right to Life Committee, Inc.
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