BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2016
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(Without Reference to File)
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
2016 (Alejo, et al.)
As Amended June 1, 2016
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Education |5-0 |O'Donnell, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-1 |Gonzalez, Bloom, |Gallagher |
| | |Bonilla, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Roger | |
| | |Hernández, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
AB 2016
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| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to
develop, and the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt, a
model curriculum in ethnic studies, and requires that a school
district or charter school which elects to offer a course in
ethnic studies to base it on the model curriculum, among other
requirements.
1) Requires the IQC to develop, and the SBE to adopt, a model
curriculum in ethnic studies to ensure quality courses of
study in ethnic studies.
2) Requires that the 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 (LEAs), of whom
a majority are teachers who have relevant experience or
education background in the study and teaching of ethnic
studies.
3) Requires the model curriculum to:
a) Be written as a guide to allow school districts to
adapt their courses to reflect the pupil demographics in
their communities.
b) Include examples of courses offered by local
educational agencies which 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.
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4) Requires, on or before June 30, 2019, the IQC to submit the
model curriculum to the SBE for adoption, and requires the
SBE to shall adopt the model curriculum on or before November
30, 2019.
5) Requires the IQC to provide 45 days for public comment
before submitting the model curriculum to the SBE.
6) Encourages, beginning in the school year following the
adoption of the model curriculum, each school district or
charter school maintaining any of grades nine to 12, that
does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies
curriculum to offer a course in ethnic studies based on the
model curriculum.
7) Requires school districts and charter schools which elect to
offer a course in ethnic studies in grades nine to 12 to
offer a course based on the model curriculum as an elective
in the social sciences or English language arts, and to make
it available in at least one year during a student's
enrollment in grades nine to 12.
8) States the intent of the Legislature that LEAs submit course
outlines for ethnic studies for approval as A-G courses.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, General Fund administrative costs of approximately
$300,000 in the first year and $460,000 in the second year for
the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a model
curriculum framework in ethnic studies. Developing curriculum
framework involves an extensive process that would likely take
two years to develop and would necessitate contracting with
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subject matter experts.
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states, "Developing
ethnic studies programs in public high schools is an integral
part of cultivating a classroom environment that is accepting of
diverse cultures. It is vital for young people to learn about
their history, but also important for them to feel like they can
change their communities in positive ways.
"The National Education Association confirms that ethnic studies
have a positive impact on students of color. The Academic and
Social Value of Ethnic Studies report indicates that ethnic
studies benefits students in observable ways: they became more
academically engaged, improve outcomes on academic tests,
graduate at higher rates, and develop a sense of self-efficacy
and personal empowerment.
An ethnic studies curriculum will help close the achievement gap
by reducing student truancy, increasing student enrollment,
reduce drop-out rates, and better prepare Californian youth to
be college-prepared and career-ready."
Most social science ethnic studies courses do not meet A-G
requirements. According to data reported by the CDE, 8,678
students were enrolled in ethnic studies courses in the 2014-15
school year. Of those, 5,750 students were enrolled in 505
social science ethnic studies courses in 119 schools, and 2,298
students were enrolled in 146 language arts (ethnic literature)
courses in 58 schools. 162 of the 505 social science courses
were identified as approved UC/CSU A-G courses, while 107 of the
146 language arts courses were approved.
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Trend toward local ethnic studies graduation requirements.
Several school districts have recently made completion of a
course in ethnic studies a local graduation requirement. Among
them are Los Angeles Unified School District (which also
resolved that the total number of credits required for
graduation would not increase), Montebello Unified School
District, El Rancho Unified School District, and Coachella
Valley Unified School District. San Francisco Unified School
District (SFUSD) has resolved to offer ethnic studies courses at
all high schools, and explore making it a graduation requirement
in the next five years. The Oakland Unified School District has
required all high schools to offer access to ethnic studies
courses which confer credit toward graduation and which are A-G
approved by the 2018-19 school year.
Research on academic value of ethnic studies. A review by the
National Education Association found that "there is considerable
research evidence that well-designed and well-taught ethnic
studies curricula have positive academic and social outcomes for
students." Another recent analysis found "a consistent,
significant, positive relationship between [Mexican American
Studies] participation and student academic performance."
A 2016 study from Stanford University (published as a working
paper) on the effects of an ethnic studies curriculum piloted in
several San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) high
schools found that assignment to a year-long ninth grade ethnic
studies course was associated with an increase of ninth-grade
student attendance by 21% points, grade point average (GPA) by
1.4 grade points, and credits earned by 23. The authors
conclude that "these surprisingly large effects are consistent
with the hypothesis that the course reduced dropout rates and
suggest that culturally relevant teaching, when implemented in a
supportive, high-fidelity context, can provide effective support
to at-risk students." They also note, "the implementation of
ethnic studies in SFUSD was, arguably, conducted with a high
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degree of fidelity, forethought, and planning. In particular,
it appeared to draw upon the work of a core group of dedicated
teachers, engaging in a regular professional learning community,
with outside support from experts in the subject to create and
sustain the program. As scholars from a number of disciplines
have noted, the effects of such smaller-scale interventions are
often very different when the same policies are implemented at
scale."
Similar bill recently vetoed. AB 101 (Alejo) of this
legislative session, which was approved by this Committee on a
6-1 vote, would have required the SPI to oversee the development
of a model curriculum in ethnic studies, and would have
established an advisory committee on ethnic studies to make
recommendations on the development of the curriculum.
This bill creates what is essentially a redundant process.
The Instructional Quality Commission is in the midst of
revising the History-Social Science Framework, which
includes guidance on ethnic studies courses. Creating yet
another advisory body specific to ethnic studies would be
duplicative and undermine our current curriculum process.
While AB 101 would have established an advisory committee to
make recommendations to the SPI on the development of the model
curriculum, this bill requires the IQC to make these
recommendations. Amendments recommended below would require the
IQC to develop the model curriculum.
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0003349
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