BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 41| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: SCR 41 Author: Hancock (D) Introduced:4/13/15 Vote: 21 SUBJECT: Californias Chess Month SOURCE: Berkeley Chess School DIGEST: This resolution designates October as California's Chess Month. ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1)Designating October as California's Chess Month would enhance awareness and encourage students and adults to engage in a game known to enhance critical thinking, determination, self-esteem, problem solving skills, and serves as a gateway to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. 2)There are 9,294 members of the United States Chess Federation in the State of California, more than one-half of California's members are scholastic members, and many of the scholastic members join by the age of eight. There are more than 80,000 members of the United States Chess Federation, and more than 2,000 affiliated chess clubs and organizations today. SCR 41 Page 2 3)Independent studies conducted by the Kensington Research Group in partnership with the Berkeley Chess School for the 2011-12 school year in two of Oakland's Title One schools have linked chess programs to the improvement of student scores in the San Francisco Bay Area in reading and math. 4)A 2013 independent study conducted by the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Development of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, highlighting chess skill acquisition and development, showed dramatic increase in students' fluid reasoning, as well as enhancing students' ability to better handle stressful situations, which positively influence decisionmaking. 5)Chess is a powerful cognitive learning tool that can be used to successfully enhance reading and math concept, and chess engages students of all learning styles and strengths and promotes problem solving and higher level thinking skills. This resolution designates October as California's Chess Month, encourages the people of California to observe Chess Month with appropriate programs and activities, and encourages schools to include chess as an educational tool in their classrooms. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified4/15/15) Berkeley Chess School (source) OPPOSITION: (Verified4/15/15) None received SCR 41 Page 3 Prepared by: Jonas Austin / SFA / (916) 651-1520 4/22/15 16:40:38 **** END ****