BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2016
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|Author: |Alejo |
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|Version: |June 1, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 22, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lenin DelCastillo |
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Subject: Pupil instruction: ethnic studies
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to
develop, and the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt, a
model curriculum in ethnic studies, as specified. The bill also
encourages school districts and charter schools to offer an
ethnic studies course based on the model curriculum to students
in grades 9-12.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Establishes the IQC, formerly known as the Curriculum
Commission, as an advisory body to the SBE. The IQC is an
advisory body to the SBE and is responsible for
recommending curriculum frameworks, developing criteria for
the evaluation of instructional materials, evaluate and
recommend adoption of instructional materials. (Education
Code § 33530 and § 60204)
2) Prohibits the SBE from adopting instructional materials
or undertaking the work of the IQC until the 2015-16 school
year. (EC § 60200.7)
3) Specifically authorizes the SBE to consider the adoption
of a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria
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for history-social science. (EC § 60200.8)
4) Requires IQC to consider incorporating into the
history-social science framework content on specific
historical events, including the Armenian, Cambodian,
Darfur, and Rwandan genocides and the Great Irish Famine of
1845 to 1850. Existing law also encourages the California
Department of Education to incorporate into curriculum
resources for teachers, age-appropriate materials on the
Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides. (EC §
51226.3)
5) Requires the IQC, whenever the history-social science
framework is revised, to do all of the following (as
appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course):
a) Receive input from civics learning experts for
purposes of integrating civics learning content,
concepts and skills with the standards.
b) Consider how civics and history instruction
includes the application of that content to develop
the competence and skills needed for civic engagement.
c) Ensure that voter education information is
included in the American government and civics
curriculum at the high school level.
d) Ensure that specified historical documents are
incorporated into the framework. (EC § 33540)
6) States legislative intent that when the history-social
science framework is revised after January 1, 2015, the
Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) consider whether and
how to incorporate the College, Career, and Civic Life
Framework for Social Studies State Standards into that
framework. (EC § 33540)
7) Requires the IQC, during the next revision of the
history-social science framework, to consider including and
recommending for adoption by the State Board of Education
(SBE), instruction on the election of President Barack
Obama and the significance of the United States electing
its first African American President. (EC § 33543)
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ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Provides various legislative findings and declarations
regarding the importance and benefits of ethnic studies, as
specified.
2) 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.
3) Provides that 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
(LEAs), a majority of whom are K-12 teachers who have
relevant experience or education background in the study
and teaching of ethnic studies.
4) Requires the model curriculum to be written as a guide to
allow school districts to adapt their courses to reflect
the pupil demographics in their communities, and for the
curriculum to include examples of courses offered by LEAs
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.
5) Requires the Instructional Quality Commission to submit the
model curriculum to the SBE on or before June 30, 2019 and
provide 45 days for public comment prior to submittal.
6) Requires SBE to adopt the model curriculum on or before
November 30, 2019.
7) Encourages school districts and charter schools for grades
9-12 that do not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic
studies curriculum to offer a course of study in ethnic
studies based on the model curriculum beginning in the
school year following its adoption. Provides that this
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course shall be offered as an elective in the social
sciences or English language arts and make the course
available in at least one year during a pupil's enrollment
in grades 9-12.
8) Specifies the intent of the Legislature that local
educational agencies (LEAs) submit course outlines for
ethnic studies for approval as A-G courses.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author's office,
"given California's annual increase in diversity, it is
especially important that students build knowledge of the
various racial and ethnic groups in our state. Expanding
the high school curriculum to include ethnic studies will
help students relate to historical events and have a better
understanding of their own history and history of other
neighbors. Learning of the struggles for equality will
teach students what it means to be an American." The
author's office further indicates that "developing ethnic
studies programs in public high schools is an integral part
of cultivating a classroom environment that is accepting of
diverse cultures."
2) Current revision of the history-social science
framework. Academic content standards define the
knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should
acquire at each grade level. Curricular frameworks are the
blueprint for implementing the standards, and include
criteria by which instructional materials are evaluated.
The history-social science framework was last adopted in
2005. The revision to the history-social science framework
was suspended in July 2009, and subsequently resumed in
July 2014. The draft revision was released for field
review in September 2014 and generated extensive public
comment. The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) also
determined that more subject matter expertise was needed
for certain areas, and submitted a budget request for
$124,000 to hire experts through an interagency agreement.
These events caused significant delays in the production of
the revised framework, which was originally scheduled for
adoption in May 2015. It is now expected to be adopted in
the fall of 2016.
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A schedule once existed for the revision and updating of
curricular frameworks. That schedule was suspended in 2009
when the prohibition on that process was imposed. Current
law continues to reference an eight-year cycle for
revisions to frameworks and the adoption of instructional
materials. It is likely that the next revision of the
history-social science framework will occur in several
years.
3) Similar measure vetoed. AB 101 (Alejo) of 2015 was
substantially similar to this bill and was vetoed by
Governor Brown, whose message read:
This bill would require the Superintendent
of Public Instruction to oversee the
development of a model curriculum in ethnic
studies for adoption by the State Board of
Education.
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.
To address the veto message of AB 101, the author has
introduced this measure which now requires the
Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to develop the model
curriculum, rather than a separate advisory committee.
4) Is the bill necessary? Current law provides for the IQC
to advise on curriculum and instructional materials. In
addition, various Education Code provisions already call
for the incorporation of curriculum, textbooks and
materials which highlight the role and contribution of
various ethnic groups in California and United States
history, and the existing history social-science framework
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for grades K-12 identifies ethnic studies as an elective
course of study for grades 9-12. Further, several school
districts have already made completion of a course in
ethnic studies a local graduation requirement, including
the Los Angeles Unified School District, Montebello Unified
School District, and El Rancho Unified School District.
San Francisco Unified School District has resolved to offer
ethnic studies courses at all high schools, and explore
ways create such a graduation requirement in the next five
years. As such, the Committee may wish to consider whether
a state prescribed model curriculum in ethnic studies as
proposed by this measure is necessary.
According to data reported by the California Department of
Education (CDE), 8,129 students were enrolled in ethnic
studies courses in the 2012-13 school year. Of those,
4,379 students were enrolled in 435 social science ethnic
studies courses in 100 schools, and 3,750 students were
enrolled in 137 language arts (ethnic literature) courses
in 49 schools. However, only 108 of the 435 social science
courses and 97 of the 137 language arts courses were
identified as approved A-G courses.
5) Model curriculum. The Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) is required to develop or revise a model
curriculum on the life and work of Cesar Chavez and submit
the model curriculum to the State Board of Education (SBE)
for adoption. The SPI is required to distribute the model
curriculum to each school upon adoption.
The Model Curriculum for Human Rights and Genocide, adopted
by the SBE, is to be made available to schools serving
grades 7-12 when funding is available, and requires the
Model Curriculum to be available on the CDE's Web site.
Ethnic studies courses are taught in different disciplines
such as history, social sciences, and literature. For
example, Montebello Unified School District offers a
history elective called "Mexican American Studies" and an
English/Language Arts elective called "African American
Literature" while the San Francisco Unified School district
offers a social studies elective called "Asian American
History."
This bill does not specify the types of courses that are to
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be included in the model curriculum. Presumably, the
advisory committee that the bill proposes to establish
would be tasked with this effort which could be challenging
given the various disciplines and broad spectrum of courses
to choose from.
6) A-G requirements. Typically, California high schools
submit their courses to the University of California (UC)
for A-G review during the annual "A-G" update cycle. There
is subject area course criteria that must be met and can
include prerequisite work, substantial reading and writing,
and laboratory activities. Once approved, the courses are
added to the school's official "A-G" course list maintained
by the UC.
7) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would result in unknown potentially
reimbursable Proposition 98/General Fund state mandated
costs for certain school districts to offer ethnic studies
elective courses to students in grades 9-12. There are
approximately 1,400 schools that serve grades 9-12 that do
not currently provide ethnic studies courses. Assuming
each school must hire one teacher at an average cost of
$75,000, statewide costs could exceed $100 million. This
estimate does not include additional costs for
instructional materials.
8) Related and prior legislation.
AB 101 (Alejo, 2015) would have required the Superintendent
of Public Instruction (SPI) to oversee the development of a
model curriculum in ethnic studies, and establish an
advisory committee on ethnic studies to make
recommendations on the development of the curriculum. As
indicated in Comment No. 3, this bill was vetoed by the
Governor.
AB 104 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015),
among other things, imposes a fee on publishers who submit
history-social science materials to the State Board of
Education (SBE) for consideration.
AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the SPI to recommend to the
SBE, by January 1, 2017, a schedule for the regular update
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of academic content standards in all subjects for which
standards have been adopted by the SBE. The schedule must
be aligned to the current eight-year cycle of curriculum
framework updates and instructional materials adoptions.
This bill failed passage in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
AB 1750 (Alejo, 2014) would have required the Instructional
Quality Commission to evaluate existing standards,
curricula, programs, and training regarding ethnic
studies at the high school level. This bill failed passage
in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1214 (Cedillo, 2008) required the SBE to provide for
such inclusion when it next revises and adopts the
curriculum for the history-social science framework and
instructional materials on or after January 1, 2009. SB
1214 was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message read:
I vetoed a substantively similar bill two
years ago on this issue, and I have
consistently vetoed legislation that has
attempted to mandate specific details or
events into areas of instruction. The State
Board of Education adopted content standards
are developed by a diverse group of experts
and are intentionally broad in order to
allow coverage of various events,
developments, and issues. I continue to
believe that the State should establish
rigorous standards and frameworks, but
refrain from being overly prescriptive in
specific school curriculum.
SUPPORT
American Association of Blacks in Higher Education
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Association of Raza Educators-Sacramento Chapter
California Faculty Association
California Immigrant Policy Center
California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
League of California Cities Latino Caucus
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Los Angeles LGBT Center
Los Angeles Unified School District
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
National Action Network San Diego
National Association for Ethnic Studies
San Francisco Unified School District
SIATech California
Letters from individuals
OPPOSITION
California Right to Life Committee
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