California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 740

Introduced by Assembly Member Weber

February 25, 2015

An act to add Section 60605.12 to the Education Code, relating to academic content standards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 740, as introduced, Weber. Academic content standards: update of adopted standards.

Existing law required the State Board of Education to adopt statewide academic content standards in the core curriculum areas of reading, writing, and mathematics, and requires the Academic Content Standards Commission to develop academic content standards in language arts and mathematics. Existing law also authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend, and for the state board to approve, modification to the common core academic content standards in mathematics, as specified.

This bill would require the Superintendent, by January 1, 2017, to recommend to the state board a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards in all subjects for which standards have been adopted by the state board in accordance with specified procedures, including the establishment of academic content standards advisory committees for those purposes and the recommendation of proposed updates by those committees to the state board.

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) Since 1997, California has adopted academic content
standards in a variety of subjects, including English language arts,
mathematics, science, history-social science, visual and performing
arts, health, world languages, physical education, and career and
technical education.

(b) Starting in 2010, California adopted new academic content
standards in certain subjects, including the common core state
standards in English language arts and mathematics, and the Next
Generation Science Standards.

(c) There is currently no process in place to update content
standards, except for the creation of new legislation that authorizes
new standards in a given subject.

(d) Given regular changes in disciplinary knowledge and
academic research, it is often necessary to make modifications to
content standards that do not constitute a complete revision.

(e) A process for regular updating of the standards should be
designed to emphasize public access to the process, a reliance on
scholarship and current and confirmed research, and minimal
disruption to school districts using curriculum and assessments
based upon the standards.

SEC. 2.  

Section 60605.12 is added to the Education Code, to
read:

60605.12.  

(a) By January 1, 2017, the Superintendent shall
recommend to the state board a schedule for the regular update of
academic content standards in all subjects for which standards
have been adopted by the state board. The schedule shall be aligned
to the current eight-year cycle of curriculum framework updates
and instructional materials adoptions pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (b) of Section 60200.

(b) When the academic content standards in a given subject area
come up for review according to the schedule adopted under
subdivision (a), the state board shall make a determination as to
whether those standards require an update. That determination
shall be based upon the following considerations:

(1) The amount of time since the standards were adopted or last
updated.

(2) Whether additional research conducted since the standards
were adopted or last updated justifies updates to the standards.

(3) The potential impact on existing curriculum, instructional
materials, and assessment systems based upon the standards.

(c) If the state board determines that an update to the academic
content standards in a given subject is warranted, it shall convene
an academic content standards advisory committee to recommend
updates to the content standards in that subject. A committee shall
consist of 21 members, appointed as follows:

(1) Ten members appointed by the Governor.

(2) Four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.

(3) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(4) Three members appointed by the Superintendent.

(d) Members of a academic content standards advisory
committee shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

(e) Not less than one-half of the members appointed by each of
the appointing authorities pursuant to subdivision (c) 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.

(f) Each academic content standards advisory committee shall
review the content standards established in its particular subject
matter and shall prepare updates to the standards as the committee
deems necessary.

(g) When making its recommendation, an academic content
standards advisory committee shall consider both of the following
criteria:

(1) The extent to which its proposed updates reflect current and
confirmed research in the subject area under consideration.

(2) The impact that the proposed updates will have upon school
districts and existing curricula and assessments.

(h) An academic content standards 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 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.

(i) Upon completing this review, the terms of the members of
an academic content standards committee shall cease.

(j) Upon updating the standards, an academic content standards
advisory committee shall forward them to the state board, which
shall do either of the following within 120 days of the receipt:

(1) Adopt the proposed updates as proposed by the committee.

(2) Reject the proposed updates as proposed by the committee.
If the state board rejects the standards it shall provide a specific
written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the
Legislature of the reasons why the proposed standards were
rejected.

(k) Prior to final action pursuant to subdivision (f), the
department shall post on its Internet Web site the updates proposed
by an academic content standards 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.

(l) Members of an academic content standards advisory
committee shall serve without compensation, except for actual and
necessary travel expenses and substitute costs.

(m) The Superintendent shall develop, and the state board shall
adopt, guidelines to implement this section.

(n) The convening of an academic content standards advisory
committee is contingent upon the Legislature appropriating funds
for that purpose in the annual Budget Act.