BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2290
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|Author: |Santiago |
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|Version: |May 27, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 15, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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 --
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