BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 2862 (O'Donnell) - Pupil instruction: visual and performing arts: revision of content standards ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: August 1, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: This bill authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Superintendent), in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission (Commission), to recommend to the State Board of Education (Board) revisions to the visual and performing arts standards and requires the Board to adopt, reject, or modify any revisions by January 1, 2019. Fiscal Impact: Costs to the California Department of Education (CDE) of approximately $660,000 General Fund if the Superintendent chooses to recommend to the Board revisions to the standards. AB 2862 (O'Donnell) Page 1 of ? These costs are attributable to selecting and consulting with a group of subject matter experts in developing the standards and for expert writer contracts. Cost pressure in the millions General Fund/Proposition 98 to make corresponding revisions to the visual and performing arts curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials. Cost pressure also related to the implementation of instructional materials and providing professional development to implement the revised content standards. 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 Commission advises the Board on curriculum and instruction matters. The visual and performing arts content standards were last updated in 2001. The history-social science standards are the only other standards that are older as they were adopted in 1998. There is no statutory authority for the review or updating of standards. Specific authority, and one-time funding, has historically been provided to develop new standards in specific subjects. A schedule once existed for the review and update of frameworks and instructional materials in many subject areas, but those processes were suspended in 2009, due to budget constraints, through the 2015-16 fiscal year. During the suspension special authority and one-time funding has been provided to develop certain curriculum frameworks and adopt instructional materials. Proposed Law: This bill authorizes the Superintendent, in consultation with the Commission, to recommend to the Board revisions to the visual and performing arts standards in the subjects of dance, theater, music, and visual arts. The Superintendent and the Commission are required, in consultation with the Board, to select a group of subject matter experts, mostly teachers, to assist in the development of recommendations. The Superintendent, in consultation with the Commission, is also required to hold a minimum of two public AB 2862 (O'Donnell) Page 2 of ? hearings to obtain public input. This bill requires the National Core Arts Standards in the subjects of dance, theater, music, and visual arts to serve as the basis for deliberations for the revisions to the visual and performing arts content standards. By November 30, 2018, the Superintendent is required to present to the Board the revised standards. By January 31, 2019, the Board is required to adopt, reject, or modify any revisions to the standards. If the Board makes modifications, the Board is required to explain, in writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for those changes and wait to adopt the revised standards in a subsequent meeting but before March 31, 2019. If the Board rejects the standards, it is required to notify the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for the rejection. Related Legislation: AB 2290 (Santiago, 2016) authorizes the Superintendent to recommend to the Board revisions to the world language content standards by January 31, 2019. AB 2290 is pending in this committee. AB 1539 (Hagman, Chapter 876, Statutes of 2014) requires the Instructional Quality Commission and the Board to consider developing computer science content standards by July 31, 2019. Staff Comments: Revising academic content standards triggers the need to update the corresponding the curriculum frameworks and evaluation criteria for the instructional materials adoption so that they are all in alignment. Similarly, there would be a state and local cost pressure to provide and purchase instructional materials and to provide professional development to implement the new content standards. AB 2862 (O'Donnell) Page 3 of ? -- END --