BILL NUMBER: AB 711	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Santiago

                        FEBRUARY 25, 2015

   An act to amend Section 60605.3 of the Education Code, relating to
school curriculum.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 711, as introduced, Santiago. School curriculum: foreign
languages.
   Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before
June 1, 2009, to adopt content standards for teaching foreign
languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, pursuant to
recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
   This bill would require the state board, on or before January 1,
2017, to adopt specified national content standards for teaching
foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive,
pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The national World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
are in the process of being published. Those standards reflect new
research on best practices for teaching languages and cultures and
offer a sound vision for program goal setting, teaching and
facilitating learning, and assessing the standards pupils know and
applying that knowledge in global settings. Those standards have now
been adopted in total or with minor modifications in 40 states.
   (b) The national World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
are based on the original national standards, publish in 1996, that
stood the test of time in providing common language and descriptors
for world languages and cultures education.
   (c) Pupils will benefit from the clarity that will arise from
following the widely adopted and updated national standards. World
language and culture educators in California, as of January 1, 2016,
need to navigate between national and state standards as they read
and research professional documents, collaborate with other world
language and culture educators from other states and nations, and
engage in other professional standards-based work, including national
assessments for assessing learners proficiency in world languages
and cultures.
   (d) If the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages are
adopted by the State Board of Education by June 1, 2017, the
standards and framework could be developed in tandem, rather than
revising the standards adopted as of January 1, 2016, to reflect new
framework and research, resulting in significant cost savings for the
state.
   (e) The national World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
provide pupils friendly and clearly stated functional learning goals
and assessment tasks through a series of "I can" statements based on
predictable descriptors of language development.
  SEC. 2.  Section 60605.3 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   60605.3.  (a) On or before June 1,  2009,  
2017,  the  State Board of Education  
state board  shall adopt  national  content standards
 in accordance with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning
Languages, published, in 2015, by the   American Council for
the Teaching of Foreign Languages  , pursuant to
recommendations developed by the  Superintendent of Public
Instruction,   Superintendent,  for teaching
foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
   (b) The content standards shall support the goals of Section 51212
and subdivision (c) of Section 51220 by including all of the
following:
   (1) A summary of the language goals which recognizes that
instruction may begin in elementary or secondary school.
   (2) A description of individual language skills that should be
taught and attained at each level.
   (3) Course content that is aligned with findings from research on
second language acquisition and education.
   (4) Course content that is aligned with the admission requirements
for the California State University and the University of
California.
   (c) The content standards may be used by school districts to
develop language programs and course assessments but are not
mandatory.