BILL NUMBER: AB 2016 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 21, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Alejo, Jones-Sawyer, Chiu, and
Achadjian
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Eduardo Garcia,
Holden, and Nazarian)
(Principal coauthors: Senators Block and Hall)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ting and Williams)
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
An act to add Section 51226.7 to the Education Code, relating to
pupil instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2016, as amended, Alejo. Pupil instruction: ethnic studies.
Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 7 to
12, inclusive, to include, among other subjects, the social sciences.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education, with the
assistance of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to establish
a list of textbooks and other instructional materials that highlight
the contributions of minorities in the development of California and
the United States. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality
Commission and requires the commission to, among other things,
recommend curriculum frameworks to the state board.
This bill would require the Instructional Quality Commission to
develop, and for the state board to adopt, a model
curriculum in ethnic studies, and would require
encourage each school district and charter school that
maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that does not otherwise
offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum to offer a course
of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum. By
imposing new duties on school districts and charter schools, the
bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes 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 State of California is committed to providing excellent
educational opportunities to all of its pupils.
(b) There are 92 languages other than English spoken throughout
the state, with the primary languages being Arabic, Armenian,
Cantonese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
(c) There is a growing body of academic research that shows the
importance of culturally meaningful and relevant curriculum.
(d) Based on the National Education Association (NEA) publication,
The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies, the inclusion of
ethnic studies in a curriculum has a positive impact on pupils of
color.
(e) Ethnic studies benefit pupils in observable ways, such as
pupils becoming more academically engaged, increasing their
performance on academic tests, improving their graduation rates, and
developing a sense of self-efficacy and personal empowerment.
(f) The state's educational standards should be guided by core
values of equity, inclusiveness, and universally high expectations.
(g) The state is committed to its efforts to provide all pupils
with excellent educational opportunities, without regard to race,
gender, ethnicity, nationality, income, sexual orientation, or
disability.
(h) The state is committed to its obligation to ensure its youth
are college prepared and career ready, while graduating 100 percent
of its pupils.
(i) The implementation of various ethnic studies courses within
California's curriculum that are A-G approved, with the objective of
preparing pupils to be global citizens with an appreciation for the
contributions of multiple cultures, will close the achievement gap,
reduce pupil truancy, increase pupil enrollment, reduce dropout
rates, and increase graduation rates.
(j) The state should support and work with the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing, California State University teaching
credential programs, and other relevant parties in establishing a
single subject ethnic studies credential. The state should also
support efforts in recruiting, training, and retaining teachers who
have relevant experience and educational background in the study and
teaching of ethnic studies.
SEC. 2. Section 51226.7 is added to the Education Code, to read:
51226.7. (a) The Instructional Quality Commission shall develop,
and the state board shall adopt, a model curriculum in ethnic studies
to ensure quality courses of study in ethnic studies. The model
curriculum shall be developed with participation from faculty of
ethnic studies programs at universities and colleges with
ethnic studies programs and a group of representatives of local
educational agencies, of whom a majority of
whom are kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, teachers who have
relevant experience or education background in the study and
teaching of ethnic studies.
(b) The model curriculum shall be written as a guide to allow
school districts to adapt their courses to reflect the pupil
demographics in their communities. The curriculum shall include
examples of courses offered by local educational agencies
which that have been approved as meeting the A-G
admissions requirements of the University of California and the
California State University, including, to the extent possible,
course outlines for those courses.
(c) On or before June 30, 2019, the Instructional Quality
Commission shall submit the model curriculum to the state board for
adoption, and the state board shall adopt the model curriculum on or
before November 30, 2019.
(d) The Instructional Quality Commission shall provide 45 days for
public comment before submitting the model curriculum to the state
board.
(e) Beginning in the school year following the adoption of the
model curriculum pursuant to subdivision (a), each school district or
charter school maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that
does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum
shall is encouraged to offer to all
otherwise qualified pupils a course of study in ethnic studies based
on the model curriculum. The course shall be offered
A school district or charter school that elects to
offer a course of study in ethnic studies pursuant to this
subdivision shall offer the course as an elective in the social
sciences or English language arts, arts
and shall be make the course
available in at least one year during a pupil's enrollment in grades
9 to 12, inclusive.
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that local educational
agencies submit course outlines for ethnic studies for approval as
A-G courses.
SEC. 3. If the Commission on State Mandates
determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs
shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of
Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.