BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2862 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Patrick O'Donnell, Chair AB 2862 (O'Donnell) - As Amended April 12, 2016 SUBJECT: Standards: visual and performing arts SUMMARY: Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to recommend to the State Board of Education (SBE) revisions to the content standards in visual and performing arts (VAPA), and authorizes the SBE to adopt, reject, or modify the revised standards by January 1, 2019. Specifically, this bill: 1)Authorizes the SPI to recommend to the SBE revisions to the visual and performing arts standards. 2)Requires that, on or before January 1, 2019, the SBE adopt, reject, or modify any modifications proposed by the SPI. 3)Requires that if the SBE modifies these revised standards, it explain, in writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for modifying the standards. AB 2862 Page 2 4)Requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE to select a group of experts in VAPA for purposes of assisting the SPI in developing recommendations on modifications to the standards. 5)Requires the SPI to hold a minimum of two public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the modifications, prior to action by the SBE. 6)Requires the public meetings to be held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. 7)Requires that, if the VAPA standardsare modified, during the next revision of the VAPA curriculum framework and evaluation criteria, the IQC ensure that the modifications are incorporated into that curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for purposes of adopting instructional materials. EXISTING LAW: 1)Requires, no later than June 1, 2001, the SBE to adopt content standards, pursuant to recommendations developed by the SPI, in the curriculum area of VAPA. 2)States that these standards are intended to provide a framework for programs that a school may offer in the instruction of VAPA, and that this authorization shall not be construed to require a school to follow the content standards or mandating an assessment of students in VAPA. AB 2862 Page 3 3)Requires that students take a course in either VAPA, foreign language, or career technical education in order to graduate from high school. 4)Requires the SBE to adopt or reject content standards in language arts and mathematics and requires that at least 85% of those standards to be those developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium. 5)Establishes, through policy of the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU), A-G requirements for admission to the UC and CSU, which include one year of VAPA. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown Need for the bill. According to the author's office, "Extensive research demonstrates the connection between visual and performing arts education and student engagement. Arts education contributes to higher test scores and reduces truancy and dropout rates. Adopted in 2001, California's visual and performing arts standards are one of the oldest sets of state standards that have not been revised, and are in urgent need of an update to allow students to benefit from current curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials. Since 2001 major changes have occurred in teaching and learning. AB 2862 Page 4 Arts education provides key opportunities for critical thinking and inquiry - hallmarks of the state's Common Core State Standards - but our current arts curriculum is out of alignment with these standards. This represents a tremendous missed opportunity for students and teachers. The state's visual and performing arts standards are also not aligned with current career technical education instruction - curriculum necessary for career readiness in the arts. 10% of California's jobs are in the creative industry, and 8% of the state's productivity is related to the arts. It is in the economic interest of students and the state to provide students the most current and relevant instruction in the visual and performing arts." Similar bill introduced last year. SB 725 (Hancock) of this Session would have required that the VAPA standards be updated if a schedule for the regular updating of standards were adopted by the SBE. That bill was approved by this Committee but was subsequently amended to address a different education issue. Should VAPA be next? Apart from History-Social Science (for which a new framework is under development), the VAPA standards adopted in 2001 are the oldest set of state standards. The most recent adoption (original or last update) of content standards in each subject area is shown below: 1998: History-Social Science 2001: Visual and Performing Arts AB 2862 Page 5 2005: Physical Education 2008: Health Education 2009: World Languages 2010: English Language Arts 2010: Mathematics 2012: English Language Development 2013: Career Technical Education 2013: Science 2015: English Language Development (aligned to new Mathematics, Science standards) 2019: Computer Science (first standards) According to the author, California's 2001 standards are not reflective of many changes in the field of VAPA, and create a mixed message for educators in the field. The College Board, in a report cited below, notes that while "arts educators commonly report expectations in their districts that arts teaching and AB 2862 Page 6 learning practices will be aligned with the goals and objectives of the Common Core," California's standards are not aligned with the Common Core state standards. The author states that teaching credential candidates being trained in preparation programs are being trained with the new National Core Arts Standards because they are aligned to the Common Core state standards, but when hired to teach in the public schools are expected to teach - and are evaluated on the basis of - the state's outdated standards. The Committee may also wish to consider that the VAPA curriculum framework is due to be revised in 2020, and an update to content standards is needed prior to the framework revision, or the new framework will reflect outdated standards. VAPA instructional materials highly out of date. The state's current VAPA standards date to 2001. Instructional materials were also adopted that year. The VAPA framework was subsequently adopted in 2004, but there was no instructional materials adoption. As a result, the state-adopted instructional materials in this content area are 15 years old, and are viewed as highly out-of-date. Unpredictable state curriculum updating process disadvantages students and burdens teachers; comprehensive approach is needed. During the standards movement in the 1990's, when the state began adopting content standards in a number of subject areas, no process was established in state law to allow for regular revisions to these standards. In contrast, curriculum frameworks - which are built on those standards - are updated on an eight year cycle. AB 2862 Page 7 But as curriculum and instruction have continued to evolve, it has become clear that the regular updating of standards is a necessary part of the state's curriculum-setting function. As the list of bills below (under the comment "Related legislation") illustrates, many legislative attempts at revising content standards in different areas have failed, resulting in an unpredictable system of curriculum revision for teachers and students. This problem has broad and deep consequences for teaching and learning. It means that students' access to updated content necessary for college and career readiness is limited; that students are taught with instructional materials which are not aligned to the assessments they must take; that teachers are expected to teach with outdated instructional materials and must use their own time and money to create and purchase appropriate materials; and that teacher preparation programs must instruct new teachers in outdated content and methods. A bill pending in the Senate, AB 740 (Weber), would establish a process for the regular updating of content standards. Such a comprehensive approach would create a predictable and rational system of curriculum for local school districts. Process similar to SB 1200 for revising math and science standards. The process proposed by this bill for the updating of VAPA standards is very similar to the one required by SB 1200 AB 2862 Page 8 (Hancock), Chapter 654, Statutes of 2012, for the revising of standards in mathematics and science. In both of those content areas, state standards were updated to align with national standards (Common Core State Standards in mathematics, and the Next Generation Science Standards). That bill authorized the SPI to consult with a group of experts and to recommend revised standards to the SBE. The SBE was authorized to adopt, reject, or modify the standards, and was required to provide a written explanation for any modifications. National Core Arts Standards. Unlike SB 725 (Hancock) of this Session, this bill does not reference the National Core Arts standards as the basis for the revision of VAPA standards. However, it is likely that the process of updating the VAPA standards would begin with a review of the National Core Arts Standards. In 2014 the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards produced the National Core Arts Standards. The Coalition membership included eight organizations representing the breadth of arts education, including representatives of state agencies. The standards cover five areas of arts instruction (dance, visual arts, theater, music, and media arts), with four "process" categories common to all arts instruction: creating, performing/presenting/producing, responding, and connecting. For each of these processes there are several "anchor standards" (eleven in total) which cut across the different forms of the arts. The primary way in which the NCAS differ from the California's current VAPA standards is in the alignment of the standards with the Common Core state standards. Consistent with the Common AB 2862 Page 9 Core standards, the NCAS place greater emphasis on critical thinking and deeper inquiry. For example, according to a report by EdSource, in the area of music the NCAS encourage students to arrange, compose and improvise, instead of relying solely on teachers' instructions, and some content, such as how to read a music score, is taught earlier. The new standards also reflect changes in technology, encouraging students to take advantage of new means of composing, producing, and performing music. Overall, the NCAS are viewed as more rigorous than California's current standards. To measure the extent to which the NCAS are aligned to the Common Core state standards, the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards engaged the College Board to perform a comparison between the NCAS anchor standards and the Common Core's anchor standards, as well as the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice. This review concluded that "meaningful connections to the Common Core are found throughout all of NCAS Anchor Standards, including those associated with creating as well as those concerned with performing or presenting, in addition to responding and connecting. The arts standards connect to all segments of the Common Core, extending beyond the standards for reading to include writing, speaking and listening, and the Standards for Mathematical Practice." California's VAPA standards cover four areas: dance, visual art, music, and theater. The NCAS cover a fifth area - media arts. California's current Career Technical Education standards, adopted in 2013, also covers media arts in its Arts, Media, and Entertainment section, in the Design, Visual, and Media Arts Pathway, though in a very different manner than the National Core Arts Standards. This bill limits the work of the advisory committee to the four areas currently covered by the state's VAPA standards. Related legislation this session. SB 725 (Hancock), Chapter 225, Statutes of 2015, as approved by this Committee, required the SBE to adopt revised state content standards in VAPA, if the AB 2862 Page 10 SBE also adopts a schedule for the regular update of content standards. This bill was later amended to address another topic. AB 2290 (Santiago) of this Session authorizes the SPI to SBE modifications to the content standards in world languages, and authorizes the SBE to adopt, reject, or modify the modified standards by July 30, 2018. AB 2290 is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 740 (Weber) of this Session would require the SPI, by January 1, 2017, to recommend to the SBE a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards. This bill 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. AB 711 (Santiago) would have required the SBE to adopt national content standards by June 1, 2017, which are in accordance with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, pursuant to the recommendations of the SPI. This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Prior legislation. SB 1057 (Corbett) of the 2013-14 Session would have created a process to update the history-social science content standards. This bill was vetoed by the Governor, who expressed a concern that the Instructional Quality Commission did not have a role in the proposed revision process, among other issues. AB 1033 (Feuer) of the 2011-12 Session would have established a AB 2862 Page 11 content standards review commission, if the SPI and the SBE jointly found a need to revise or modify the academic content standards. The SBE could adopt or reject the recommendations. This bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 124 (Fuentes), Chapter 605, Statutes of 2011, requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE, to convene a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum, and assessment to align the English language development standards to English language arts content standards. The SBE could adopt, reject, or modify the recommendations. SB 300 (Hancock), Chapter 624, Statutes of 2011, requires the SPI to convene a group of science experts to recommend science content standards which the SBE could adopt, reject, or modify. AB 97 (Torlakson) of the 2009-10 Session would have established the Academic Content Standards Commission for Science and History-Social Science consisting of 21 appointed members to review and update the standards, and required the SBE to adopt or reject the recommendations of the commission. This bill was vetoed. SB 1 X5 (Steinberg) Chapter 2, Statutes of 2010, requires the SBE to adopt or reject content standards in language arts and mathematics and requires that at least 85% of those standards to be those developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium. AB 1454 (Richardson) of the 2007-08 Session would have required the SPI to convene content standards review panels in English language arts and mathematics and required the SBE to adopt or reject the recommendations of the review panel. This bill was held in the Senate Education Committee. AB 2862 Page 12 AB 1100 (Mullin) of the 2005-06 Session would have 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) of the 2003-04 Session would have 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. This bill was vetoed. AB 642 (Mullin) of the 2003-04 Session would have required the SPI to periodically review and update academic content standards for the SBE to adopt or reject. This bill was vetoed. SB 1367 (Karnette) of the 2001-02 Session would have required the SBE to periodically review and update core curriculum content standards. This bill was vetoed. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION: Support California Art Education Association (sponsor) California Music Educators Association (sponsor) AB 2862 Page 13 California Alliance for Arts Education California Dance Education Association California Educational Theatre Association Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087