BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Senator Carol Liu, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 2290 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Santiago | |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------| |Version: |May 27, 2016 Hearing | | |Date: June 15, 2016 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant:|Lynn Lorber | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Pupil instruction: world languages: revision of content standards SUMMARY This bill authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend to the State Board of Education revisions to the world language content standards by January 31, 2019. 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. Standards in several subject areas were adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) beginning in the late 1990s. There is no statutory authority for the review or updating of standards. A schedule once existed for the review and update of frameworks and instructional materials in many subject areas, but those processes were suspended on July 28, 2009 due to budget constraints. Specific authority has since been provided to develop new standards in specific subjects (statutory authority was also provided to develop frameworks and instructional materials in some of these subjects). The SBE has adopted, or is scheduled to adopt, the following AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 2 of ? standards: 1) The California Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics were adopted on August 2, 2010. (Education Code § 60605.8) 2) English language development standards that are aligned with the common core standards in English language arts in November 7, 2012. (Former EC § 60811.3) 3) A modification of the previously adopted common core standards in mathematics in January 2013. (EC § 60605.11) 4) Revised Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards on January 16, 2013. (EC § 51226) 5) The Next Generation Science Standards on September 4, 2013. (Former EC § 60605.85) 6) English language development standards that are aligned with the common core standards in mathematics and science. The resource, Integrating the CA ELD Standards into K-12 Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning, was released in December 2015. (EC § 60811.4) 7) The Instructional Quality Commission is required to consider developing and recommending to the State Board of Education (SBE) standards in computer science by July 31, 2019. (EC § 60605.4) ANALYSIS This bill authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to recommend to the State Board of Education revisions to the world language content standards by January 31, 2019. Specifically, this bill: 1) Authorizes the SPI to recommend to the SBE revisions to the world language content standards that were adopted by the SBE in 2009. AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 3 of ? 2) Requires the SBE, by January 31, 2019, to adopt, reject, or modify any revisions recommended by the SPI. 3) Requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE, to select a group of experts in this subject area for purposes of assisting the SPI in developing recommendations for revisions to the standards. 4) Requires the SPI to hold a minimum of two public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the recommended revisions, and requires the SBE to adopt, reject, or modify those recommendations at a subsequent public meeting. 5) Requires the SBE, if it modifies any revisions recommended to these content standards, to explain in writing to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for modifying the recommended revised content standards. 6) Requires the Instructional Quality Commission to ensure any revisions to the world languages content standards are incorporated into that curriculum framework and evaluation criteria (for instructional materials), during the next revision of the corresponding curriculum framework. 7) Requires the public hearings and meetings to be held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. STAFF COMMENTS 1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "World language programs continue to expand in California and the current language standards do not adequately reflect recent research developments in learning a second language, especially in the area of immersion education, which is the fastest growing world language program in our state. The current World Language Content Standards are not aligned with the Common Core State Standards, the English Language Development Standards, and the curriculum framework for world languages. The existing World Language Content Standards to not place emphasis on literacy development for heritage speakers of world languages and in supporting learners with low literacy skills both in English and another language. Furthermore, the current standards do not link the study of world languages with Career and AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 4 of ? Technical Education and workforce opportunities." 2) Author's amendments. The author wishes to amend this bill to do the following: a) Require a majority of the panel of experts to be current public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers who have a valid California professional teaching credential. This is consistent with the panels that were convened for the common core standards, as well as provisions in AB 2862 (O'Donnell regarding standards in visual and performing arts). b) Requires the world language standards to be incorporated into the world languages framework by July 31, 2020, and makes other technical changes regarding the framework. Staff recommends the amendments be adopted. 3) Comprehensive approach stalled. There is no statutory authority for the regular review or updating of standards. Statutory authority has been provided to develop new standards in specific subjects, such as the California common core standards in English language arts and mathematics, and the Next Generation Science standards. The Legislature has made several unsuccessful attempts to require updates to the standards in additional subject areas. AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend to the State Board of Education (SBE) a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards. AB 740 stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee due to a disagreement with the Administration over which entity should update the standards, a panel of subject matter experts for each standard or the Instructional Quality Commission. AB 740 provides a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to the revision of all standards and frameworks, a better approach than one-off measures that address one subject area at a time. 4) How old are the standards? The most recent adoption of content standards (original or updated version of the standard) in each subject area, and date of adoption by the AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 5 of ? State Board of Education (SBE), is as follows: a) Next Generation Science, September 2013. b) Common core standards for Mathematics, adopted August 2010 and modified January 2013. c) Career Technical Education, January 2013. d) English language development, November 2012. e) Common core standards in English language arts, August 2010. f) World Language, January 2009. g) Health, March 2008. h) Physical Education, January 2005. i) Visual and Performing Arts, January 2001. j) History-Social Science, October 1998. This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to select a group of subject matter experts to assist the SPI in developing recommendations for updates to the standard, which is generally consistent with the process utilized in the past for the initial adoption of standards, as well as the process for the adoption of the California common core standards (convening a panel of subject matter experts). 5) Which standards have priority? There is no established schedule for the revision to academic content standards and as such, the Legislature has acted in a piecemeal approach to require the development, update or revision to standards (the common core standards in mathematics and English language arts, and the Next Generation Science standards). The Legislature also acted to require the Instructional Quality Commission to consider developing and recommending to the State Board of Education (SBE) standards in computer science by July 31, 2019. AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 6 of ? Absent a schedule, should there be a priority for the revision of the standards in certain subject areas, such as those that are high school graduation requirements? As an example, history-social science is the oldest standard, with the last adoption in 1998. This bill authorizes the revision of standards for world languages by January 31, 2019, and AB 2862 (O'Donnell, 2016) authorizes the revision of standards for visual and performing arts by January 1, 2019. Completion of one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or career technical education is a high school graduation requirement. Is it appropriate to authorize the revision to standards in two subject areas, for which high school graduation requirements exist, prior to the existing requirement for consideration of the development of new standards in computer science? 6) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee's analysis, this bill would impose one-time General Fund administrative costs, in the range of $150,000 to $250,000, to convene an advisory committee of experts in world languages to assist with the development of the standards. The California Department of Education indicates costs to review and recommend the content standards to the SBE would be absorbable. 7) Related legislation. AB 2862 (O'Donnell, 2016) authorizes the SPI to recommend to the SBE revisions to the visual and performing arts content standards by January 1, 2019. AB 2862 is scheduled to be heard by this Committee on June 15. AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), by January 1, 2017, to recommend to the State Board of Education (SBE) a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards. AB 740 grants the SBE the authority to convene academic content standards advisory committees to update the standards, and requires that the SBE adopt or reject them. AB 740 is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB 725 (Hancock, 2015) required the SBE to adopt content standards in visual and performing arts by June 30, 2017. SB 725 was pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee when it was amended to address a different topic. AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 7 of ? AB 711 (Santiago, 2015) requires the SBE to adopt world languages content standards that are in accordance with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages by June 1, 2017. AB 711 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 8) Prior legislation. SB 1057 (Corbett, 2014) required the SPI to recommend history-social science content standards to the SBE on or before March 30, 2018, and requires the SBE to adopt, reject, or modify the history-social science content standards by July 30, 2018. SB 1057 was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message read: I agree that providing up to date instructional guidance to educators for use in their classrooms is important. This is precisely why the State Board of Education is currently updating the history-social science framework which is on track to be adopted next spring. I am concerned that this bill may slow progress that is already underway, and does not include a role for the Instructional Quality Commission. AB 1033 (Feuer, 2011) established a content standards review commission, if the SPI and the SBE jointly found a need to revise or modify the academic content standards. AB 1033 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 97 (Torlakson, 2010) established the Academic Content Standards Commission for Science and History-Social Science to review and update the standards. AB 97 was vetoed by the Governor, whose veto message read: Given California's participation in the Common Core initiative and the anticipated reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, this bill is premature. This bill could create an unnecessary, duplicative process in the development of content standards and in the integration of those standards into the state's assessment system. AB 1454 (Richardson, 2007) required the Superintendent of AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 8 of ? Public Instruction (SPI) to convene content standards review panels in English language arts and mathematics and repealed the authority of the State Board of Education (SBE) to modify proposed academic content standards. AB 1454 was held in this Committee. AB 1100 (Mullin, 2005) authorized the SPI to appoint a content standards review panel in each subject area two years prior to the curriculum framework adoption for each subject area, and specifying that the panel review and revise the content standards. This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 2744 (Goldberg, 2004) established a process for the updating of academic content standards by requiring the SPI to convene content standards review panels in each subject area and requiring the SBE to adopt or reject the recommendations of each panel. AB 2744 was vetoed by the Governor; staff is unable to locate the veto message. AB 642 (Mullin, 2003) required the SPI to periodically review and update academic content standards for the SBE to adopt or reject. AB 642 was vetoed by the Governor; staff is unable to locate the veto message. SB 1367 (Karnette, 2002) required the SBE to periodically review and update core curriculum content standards. SB 1367 was vetoed by the Governor; staff is unable to locate the veto message. SUPPORT California Language Teachers Association Los Angeles Unified School District OPPOSITION None received. -- END -- AB 2290 (Santiago) Page 9 of ?