BILL NUMBER: AB 2016	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 16, 2016
	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 the state board to adopt,  modify, or revise, 
a model curriculum in ethnic studies, and would 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.
   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 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.  
   (j) The state encourages the participation of pupils and members
of the community in the development of an ethnic studies model
curriculum. 
  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,  modify, or   revise,
 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, 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  model  curriculum
shall include examples of courses offered by local educational
agencies 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,   December 31,
 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.   March 31, 2020. 
   (d) The Instructional Quality Commission shall provide  a
minimum of  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
is encouraged to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils a course of
study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum. 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 and
shall 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.