BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 652
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Date of Hearing: June 17, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
SB
652 (Allen) - As Amended April 6, 2015
SENATE VOTE: 38-0
SUBJECT: Instructional materials: revised curriculum
frameworks: science.
SUMMARY: Delays by one year the date by which the State Board
of Education (SBE) is required to consider the adoption of a
revised framework for science education. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Changes the date by which the SBE must consider adoption of
the revised framework for science from January 31, 2016 to
January 31, 2017.
2)Updates a reference to the section which authorized the
adoption of new standards in science.
EXISTING LAW:
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1)Requires the SBE to consider, by January 31, 2016, the
adoption of a revised framework for science based on the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that were adopted by the
SBE. Requires the SBE to ensure, in adopting the revised
framework:
a) The inclusion of English language development strategies
that are aligned to the English Language Development
standards
b) The inclusion of strategies to address the needs of
pupils with disabilities
1)Requires the SBE to adopt English language development
standards that are equal in rigor to the content standards in
mathematics and science.
2)Establishes the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC),
formerly called the Curriculum Development and Supplemental
Materials Commission, as an advisory body to the State Board
of Education on matters related to curriculum, instructional
materials, and content standards.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS:
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Need for the bill. The author's office states: "The revision of
the science framework is underway, but development of the draft
has required more time than originally projected. The Science
Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee began its
work in September 2014, followed by meetings in October and
November. Meetings originally scheduled for December 2014 and
February 2015 were rescheduled. As the committee got deeper
into the work of developing what is essentially a brand-new
framework, based on entirely new content standards, it became
clear that there would be difficulties in meeting the original
timeline approved by the SBE. The contracted writers for the
project had to complete extensive revisions of early drafts
based on the guidance of the committee resulting from its public
meetings. This resulted in significant improvements to the
draft document, but meant that the work could not be completed
according to the original timeline."
Current status of science framework adoption. In 2009, during
the state's fiscal emergency, work on framework revisions and
adoptions of instructional materials was suspended by law until
the 2013-14 school year. That suspension was later extended
until the 2015-16 school year.
The NGSS were adopted by the SBE in September, 2013, with some
minor changes. According to the California Department of
Education (CDE), the Science Curriculum Framework and Evaluation
Criteria Committee is currently drafting the revised science
framework, and is expected to present the draft to the IQC in
September 2015. The IQC then must make the draft available for
field review for 60 days, and make and subsequent edits. The
CDE anticipates full development of the revised framework and
adoption by the SBE by January 2017, as required by this bill.
Next Generation Science Standards. The NGSS were developed by a
consortium of states, managed by Achieve, Inc., and are based on
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the Framework for K-12 Science Education developed by the
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
California was a lead state partner in the effort. According to
the CDE: "The NGSS describe the key scientific ideas and
practices that all students should learn by the time they
graduate from high school. The NGSS detail performance
expectations for kindergarten through grades 8 and high school.
The NGSS are not curriculum. How students reach those
performance expectations are left to teacher's expertise."
Current schedule for framework revision. Curriculum frameworks
are revised and adopted on an eight-year cycle, and
instructional materials adoptions take place after new
frameworks are adopted. Standards adoptions generally precede
the development of the frameworks. According to the CDE, the
next frameworks set for revision are as follows:
2016: History-Social Science, Science
2018: Health
2019: World Languages
2020: Math, Visual and Performing Arts
2021: Physical Education
2022: English Language Arts/English Language Development
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
SB 652
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Support
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson (sponsor)
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916)
319-2087