BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 2016 (Alejo) - Pupil instruction: ethnic studies
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|Version: June 1, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires the Instructional Quality
Commission (Commission) to develop, and the State Board of
Education (Board) to adopt by November 30, 2019 a model
curriculum in ethnic studies. This bill encourages school
districts or charter schools with grades 9 through 12 to offer
an ethnic studies course as an elective based on the model
curriculum if they do not already offer a course.
Fiscal
Impact:
The California Department of Education estimates one-time
costs of about $763,000 over two fiscal years ($302,000 in the
first year and $461,000 in the second year) to develop the
model curriculum as prescribed by this bill, including
required examples of courses. These costs would support 2.0
positions, a writer contract, outside curriculum experts,
advisory committee meetings, and press editing.
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Local cost pressure to provide ethnic courses based on the
model curriculum as expressly encouraged by this bill. To
implement a new ethnic studies course, school districts would
have to purchase instructional materials and either hire
appropriate teachers or provide professional development to
existing teachers. These costs would not be reimbursable by
the state.
Background: 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 last revision to the history-social science
framework was suspended in July 2009, subsequently resumed in
July 2014, and has been recently adopted in July of 2016. The
approved history-social science framework developed by the
Commission, outlines high school elective courses in ethnic
studies.
Existing law establishes the Commission as an advisory body to
the Board on curriculum and instruction. It is responsible for
recommending curriculum frameworks, developing criteria for the
evaluation of instructional materials, evaluating and
recommending adoption of instructional materials. (Education
Code § 33530 and § 60204).
Existing law requires that instruction in social sciences
include the early history of California and a study of the role
and contributions of both men and women, Native Americans,
African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific
Islanders, European Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender Americans, people with disabilities, and members of
other ethnic and cultural groups, to the economic, political and
social development of California and the United States, with
particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in
contemporary society. (Education Code § 51204.5)
The adopted course of study for grades 7-12 must include, among
other subjects, social sciences. This instruction is required
to provide a foundation for understanding, among other topics,
the history, resources, development and government of California
and the United States; the relations of people to their human
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and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and
civilizations; and human rights issues. (Education Code §
51220)
Several school districts have made completion of a course in
ethnic studies a local graduation requirement, including Los
Angeles Unified School District, Montebello Unified School
District, and El Rancho Unified School District.
Proposed Law:
This bill requires the Commission to develop by June 30, 2019,
and the Board to adopt by November 30, 2019, a model curriculum
in ethnic studies to ensure quality courses of study in ethnic
studies. The model curriculum is required to be developed with
participation from faculty of ethnic programs at universities
and colleges and representatives of local educational agencies
(LEAs), a majority of whom are teachers that have relevant
experience in the study and teaching of ethnic studies.
The model curriculum is required to include examples of courses
offered by LEAs that have been approved as meeting the A-G
requirements of the University of California (UC) and the
California State University (CSU), including to the extent
possible, course outlines. A-G requirements are a sequence of
high school courses that students must complete to be minimally
eligible for admission to the UC and CSU.
This bill encourages, beginning in the school year following the
adoption of the model curriculum, each school district or
charter school with grades 9 to 12 that does not offer a
standards-based ethnic studies curriculum to offer to all
qualified students an ethnic studies course based on the model
curriculum. A school district or charter school that elects to
offer such a ethnic course is required to offer the course as an
elective in the social sciences or English language arts and
make the course available in at least one year during a
student's enrollment in grades 9 through 12.
Related
Legislation: AB 101 (Alejo, 2015) was similar to this bill and
was vetoed by Governor Brown whose message says, in part: "This
bill creates what is essentially a redundant process. The
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Instructional Quality Commission is in the midst of revising the
History-Social Science Framework, which includes guidance on
ethnic studies courses."
AB 1750 (Alejo, 2014) would have required the Commission to
evaluate existing standards, curricula, programs, and training
regarding ethnic studies at the high school level. AB 1750
failed passage in this Committee.
Staff
Comments: Staff notes that the adopted history-social science
framework includes an outline of ethnic studies courses as an
elective for ninth grade. The framework defines ethnic studies
as an interdisciplinary field of study that encompasses many
subject areas including history, literature, economics,
sociology, anthropology, and political science. It provides
that through these studies, students should develop respect for
cultural diversity and see the advantages of inclusion.
It is unclear which subject areas the model curriculum would
cover, such as Mexican American Studies, African American
Literature, or Asian American History. The course described in
the curriculum framework is provided as guidance, offering a
classroom example, which school districts may adapt to their
local contexts and subject areas offered. However, the
framework does not include examples of courses offered by LEAs
that meet A-G requirements or course outlines as required by
this bill.
This bill also includes in its findings and declarations that
the state should support and work with the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (CTC), California State University teaching
programs, and other relevant parties in establishing a single
subject ethnic studies credential. If the state were to create
a single subject ethnic studies credential, the CTC would likely
need resources to conduct this work. This would also create
pressure to create the state academic content standards for the
credentialed teachers to teach to as well as the curriculum
frameworks and instructional materials that are typically
adopted to support the implementation of academic content
standards. These activities would require significant state
resources.
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