BILL NUMBER: AB 711 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2015
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 amended, 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
Unless AB 740 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is enacted and
becomes operative, this bill would require the state board, on
or before January September 1, 2017, to
adopt or reject specified national content standards for
teaching foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, pursuant to recommendations developed by the
Superintendent. If AB 740 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is
enacted and becomes operative, the bill would require the state board
to appoint an advisory committee to recommend updated national
content standards for teaching foreign language in kindergarten and
grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to the state board and would require the
state board to adopt or reject those content standards, as specified.
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
published 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,
September 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) (1) On or before June
1, September 1, 2017, the state board shall
adopt or reject national content standards in accordance
with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages,
published, in 2015, published in 2015 by the
American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, pursuant to
recommendations developed by the Superintendent, for teaching foreign
languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(2) If the state board rejects the national content standards, it
shall submit a written explanation to the Superintendent, the
Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed content
standards were rejected.
(3) This subdivision shall not become operative if Assembly Bill
740 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes operative.
(b) (1) The state board shall appoint an advisory committee to
recommend updated national content standards for teaching foreign
language in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to the state
board. The advisory committee shall consist of 21 members, appointed
as follows:
(A) Ten members appointed by the Governor.
(B) Four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(C) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(D) Three members appointed by the Superintendent.
(2) Members of the advisory committee shall serve at the pleasure
of the appointing authority.
(3) Not less than one-half of the members appointed by each of the
appointing authorities pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be current
public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers who have a
professional credential under state law, and meet the definition of
"highly qualified" under federal law.
(4) The advisory committee shall review the content standards
established in its particular subject matter and shall prepare
updates to the content standards as the committee deems necessary.
(5) When making its recommendation, the advisory committee shall
consider both of the following criteria:
(A) The extent to which its proposed updates reflect current and
confirmed research in the subject area under consideration.
(B) The impact that the proposed updates will have upon school
districts and existing curricula and assessments.
(6) The advisory committee shall conduct at least two, and no more
than six, in-person meetings that are open to the public and include
opportunities for public input. The advisory committee may convene
additional meetings by teleconference or the Internet subject to the
requirements of Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter
1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(7) Upon completing this review, the terms of the members of the
advisory committee shall cease.
(8) Upon updating the content standards, the advisory committee
shall forward them to the state board, which shall do either of the
following within 120 days of the receipt:
(A) Adopt the proposed updates as proposed by the advisory
committee.
(B) Reject the proposed updates as proposed by the advisory
committee. If the state board rejects the content standards, it shall
provide a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the
Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed content
standards were rejected.
(9) Prior to final action pursuant to paragraph (4), the
department shall post on its Internet Web site the updates proposed
by the advisory committee for a minimum of 60 days. The department
shall include a link by which members of the public may submit
comments on the proposed updates.
(10) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without
compensation, except for actual and necessary travel expenses and
substitute costs.
(11) This subdivision shall become operative only if Assembly Bill
740 of the 2015-16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes operative.
(b)
( c) The content standards adopted
pursuant to subdivisions (a) or ( b) 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)
( d) The content standards adopted
pursuant to subdivisions (a) or ( b) may be used by
school districts to develop language programs and course assessments
but are not mandatory.