BILL NUMBER: AB 2290 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 29, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Santiago
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
An act to repeal and add Section 60605.3 of
add Section 60605.5 to the Education Code, relating to
pupil instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2290, as amended, Santiago. Pupil instruction: world
foreign languages.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before
June 1, 2009, to adopt content standards for teaching foreign
languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, pursuant to
recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
This bill would authorize the Superintendent to recommend
modifications to the foreign language academic content standards to
the state board and would require the state board to adopt, reject,
or modify the recommendations on or before July 30, 2018. The bill
would require the state board to explain, in writing, to the Governor
and the Legislature the reasons for modifying the standards. The
bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the state
board, to select a group of experts for purposes of assisting the
Superintendent in developing the recommendations. The bill would
require the Superintendent to hold a minimum of 2 public hearings in
order for the public to provide input on the Superintendent's
recommendations and would require the state board to adopt, reject,
or modify the recommendations at a subsequent public hearing. The
bill would require that modifications to the foreign language
academic content standards be incorporated into the curriculum
framework and the evaluation criteria for mathematics for purposes of
adopting instructional materials.
This bill would establish the World Language Content Standards
Advisory Committee, as provided. The bill would require the advisory
committee to recommend to the state board updated world language
content standards and a world language framework for teaching foreign
language in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as provided.
The bill would require, if the state board adopts the content
standards and the framework, the state board to adopt the content
standards on or before September 1, 2017, and the framework on or
before January 1, 2018.
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. Section 60605.5 is added to the
Education Code , to read:
60605.5. (a) The Superintendent may recommend to the state board
modifications to the foreign language academic content standards
adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.3. On or before
July 30, 2018, the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify any
modifications proposed by the Superintendent. If the state board
modifies the foreign language academic content standards, it shall
explain, in writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons
for modifying the standards.
(b) In consultation with the state board, the Superintendent shall
select a group of experts in mathematics for purposes of assisting
the Superintendent in developing recommendations pursuant to this
section. The Superintendent shall ensure that the group of experts
includes, but is not limited to, both researchers and practitioners
in the field of foreign language education, representatives from
higher education and the K-12 educational system, and experts in
alphabet-based and nonalphabet-based languages and American Sign
language.
(c) (1) The Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public
hearings in order for the public to provide input on the
modifications recommended pursuant this section and the state board
shall adopt, reject, or modify those recommendations at a subsequent
public meeting.
(2) The public meetings required by this subdivision shall be held
pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing
with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2
of the Government Code).
(d) If the foreign language academic content standards are
modified pursuant to subdivision (a), during the next revision of the
foreign language curriculum framework and evaluation criteria, the
Instructional Quality Commission shall ensure that the modifications
are incorporated into the foreign language curriculum framework and
evaluation criteria for purposes of adopting instructional materials.
SECTION 1. Section 60605.3 of the Education
Code is repealed.
SEC. 2. Section 60605.3 is added to the
Education Code, to read:
60605.3. (a) (1) There is hereby established the World Language
Content Standards Advisory Committee.
(2) The advisory committee shall consist of 21 members, appointed
as follows:
(A) Ten members appointed by the Governor.
(B) Four members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(C) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(D) Three members appointed by the Superintendent.
(3) Members of the advisory committee shall serve at the pleasure
of the appointing authority.
(4) Not less than one-half of the members appointed by each of the
appointing authorities pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be current
public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers.
(5) The advisory committee shall do all of the following:
(A) Review the existing content standards established for teaching
foreign languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(B) Considering the impact that the proposed updates will have
upon school districts and existing curricula and assessments, prepare
updates to the current content standards that reflect research
findings and best practices in the field and those that the advisory
committee deems necessary.
(C) Recommend to the state board the updated world language
content standards and a world language framework for teaching foreign
language in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(D) (i) Conduct at least two, and no more than six, in-person
meetings including opportunities for public input.
(ii) The advisory committee may convene additional meetings by
teleconference or the Internet.
(iii) Pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3
of Title 2 of the Government Code), all meetings and hearings of the
advisory committee, whether live or by teleconference or Internet,
shall be open and available to the public.
(6) On or before ____, the advisory committee shall present its
recommended updated world language content standards to the state
board.
(7) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without
compensation, except for actual and necessary travel expenses and
costs of substitutes, if any, for the members of the advisory
committee who are school teachers.
(8) Upon completing this review and presenting the recommendations
to the state board, the terms of the members of the advisory
committee shall cease.
(b) The department shall post on its Internet Web site the updates
to the world language content standards proposed by the advisory
committee for a minimum of 60 days. The department shall include a
link by which members of the public may submit comments on the
proposed updates.
(c) No earlier than 60 days after the department posts the
proposed updated world language content standards on the department's
Internet Web site pursuant to subdivision (b) and no later than 120
days after receiving the recommended updated world language content
standards from the advisory committee, the state board shall do
either of the following:
(1) Adopt the content standards as proposed by the advisory
committee.
(2) Reject the content standards as proposed by the advisory
committee. If the state board rejects the content standards, it shall
provide a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the
Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed content
standards were rejected.
(d) If the state board adopts the world language content standards
pursuant to the recommendations developed by the advisory committee,
the state board shall do so on or before September 1, 2017.
(e) If the state board adopts the world language framework
pursuant to recommendations developed by the advisory committee, the
state board shall do so on or before January 1, 2018.