BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 101|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 101
Author: Alejo (D), et al.
Amended: 9/1/15 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 7/8/15
AYES: Liu, Runner, Block, Hancock, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning,
Pan, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza
NOES: Bates, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 59-20, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Pupil instruction: ethnic studies
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: 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.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC),
formerly known as the Curriculum Commission, as an advisory
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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
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
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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 SBE, instruction on the
election of President Barack Obama and the significance of the
United States electing its first African American President.
(EC § 33543)
This bill:
1)Makes various findings and declarations regarding ethnic
studies.
2)Requires the SPI to oversee the development of, and the SBE to
adopt, a model curriculum to ensure high quality ethnic
studies courses that meet the A-G approval requirements of the
Regents of the University of California.
3)Requires the SPI, on or before the 2016-17 school year, to
establish an Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee (Committee)
comprised of a majority of teachers with experience in
teaching ethnic studies from public schools.
4)Requires the Committee to advise, assist, and make
recommendations to the SPI regarding the development of the
model curriculum.
5)Provides that upon completion of the development of the model
curriculum, the Committee shall cease.
6)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.
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Comments
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."
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 SBE in
November 2015, and expected to be adopted in May 2016.
The draft generated extensive public comment (nearly 700
comments). The 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.
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
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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."
Is the bill necessary? Current law provides for the 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
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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.
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.
Model curriculum. The 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 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 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
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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.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill will
result in anticipated costs to the California Department of
Education of about $476,000 in the first year and $313,000 in
the second year to develop the model curriculum and support the
Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee. This includes two full-time
and two part-time positions.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/28/15)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Asian American Studies Program at the California State
University, Fullerton
Association of Mexican American Educators, Inc.
Berkeley City Council
California Association for Bilingual Education
California Faculty Association
California Federation of Teachers
California Immigrant Policy Center
California Latino School Boards Association
California League of United Latin American Citizens
California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
Californians Together
El Rancho Unified School District
Ethnic Studies Now Coalition
Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition
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Los Angeles Unified School District
Montebello Unified School District
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
Santa Barbara Unified School District
SIATech High School
United Farm Workers
Numerous individuals
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/28/15)
California Right to Life Committee, Inc.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 59-20, 6/3/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla,
Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu,
Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier,
Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez,
Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Perea, Quirk,
Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone,
Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NOES: Bigelow, Brough, Chang, Chávez, Dahle, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Jones, Maienschein, Mathis,
Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner,
Waldron
NO VOTE RECORDED: Olsen
Prepared by:Lenin Del Castillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
9/1/15 20:25:19
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