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:








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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