BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 711
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Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
711 (Santiago) - As Amended April 23, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE), on or
before September 1, 2017, to adopt or reject national content
standards for teaching foreign languages, pursuant to
recommendations of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
AB 711
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(SPI). These requirements would occur only if AB 740 (Weber) of
this session is not enacted. If AB 740 is enacted, this bill
would require the SBE to appoint an advisory committee to
recommend updated national foreign language content standards.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)If AB 740 is enacted, the fiscal effect of this bill is as
follows:
a) Annual General Fund administrative costs of
approximately $800,000 to develop a new Content Standards
Unit within the California Department of Education.
b) One-time costs of approximately $100,000 (GF/non-98) to
convene each Academic Content Standards Advisory Committee.
There are currently ten subjects that could be updated.
2)If AB 740 is not enacted, the fiscal effect of this bill is
approximately $700,000 GF in the first year and $570,000 GF in
the second year to support staffing costs associated with the
SPI recommendations to the SBE to either reject or adopt
World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
3)The adoption of new content standards has a multiplier effect
that will lead to additional costs. Once new curriculum
standards are adopted, frameworks aligned to those standards
must be adopted. After frameworks are adopted, instructional
materials adoption follows. General Fund administrative costs
for these activities average about $1 million each. In
addition to these costs, local education agencies would incur
additional Proposition 98/GF costs to purchase instructional
materials and provide professional development
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COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The California World Language Content Standards were
adopted by the SBE in 2009. According to the author, the
current state standards for foreign languages are in need of
revision to align them with the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS).
2)Amendments. There are three bills introduced this Session that
would require the adoption of new standards (AB 711, Santiago;
AB 740, Webber; and SB 725, Hancock). Each takes a different
approach with respect to designating the authority which
prepares the revised set of standards to recommend to the SBE.
Recent amendments include provisions that mirror the same
advisory committee structure in AB 740 with regard to review
and adoption of content standards. According to policy
committee staff, the amendments are intended to include an
alternative process for rejection or adoption of the
World-Readiness Standards for Learning if AB 740 is signed
into law.
As currently drafted, there are no dates specified for the
adoption or rejection of updated standards in the event that
AB 740 is enacted and an advisory committee is enacted. It is
also not clear that the revised standards be consistent with
the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Staff
proposes clarifying amendments to include a date by which this
action is to occur and that the revision be based on the above
standards.
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3)Related legislation.
a) AB 740 (Webber) of this Session requires the SPI, by
January 1, 2017, to recommend to the SBE a schedule for the
regular update of academic content standards. This bill
grants the SBE the authority to convene academic content
standards advisory committees to update the standards, and
requires that the SBE adopt or reject them. This bill is
pending on the Suspense file in this committee.
b) SB 725 (Hancock) of this Session would require the SBE,
by June 30, 2017, to adopt, reject, or modify visual and
performing arts standards submitted by the SPI. This bill
is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081