BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Senator Carol Liu, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: SB 725 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Hancock | |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------| |Version: |February 27, 2015 Hearing Date: | | | April 22, 2015 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant:|Lynn Lorber | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Pupil instruction and services: visual and performing arts content standards SUMMARY This bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt content standards in visual and performing arts by June 30, 2017. 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. Standards in several subject areas were adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) beginning in the late 1990s; standards in visual and performing arts were adopted in January 2001. There is no statutory authority for the review or updating of standards. A schedule once existed for the review and update of frameworks and instructional materials in many subject areas, but those processes were suspended on July 28, 2009 due to budget constraints. Specific authority has since been provided to develop new standards in specific subjects (statutory authority was also provided to develop frameworks and instructional materials in some of these subjects): The State Board of Education has adopted, or is scheduled to adopt, the following standards: SB 725 (Hancock) Page 2 of ? 1. The California Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics were adopted on August 2, 2010. (Education Code § 60605.8) 2. English language development standards that are aligned with the common core standards in English language arts in November 7, 2012. (Former EC § 60811.3) 3. A modification of the previously adopted common core standards in mathematics in January 2013. (EC § 60605.11) 4. Revised Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards on January 16, 2013. (EC § 51226) 5. The Next Generation Science Standards on September 4, 2013. (Former EC § 60605.85) 6. English language development standards that are aligned with the common core standards in mathematics and science. Current law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to submit recommendations to the State Board of Education (SBE) by January 2015, and requires the SBE to adopt updated standards by August 1, 2015. However, according to the California Department of Education's website, the panel of experts has just recently been convened, and it is anticipated that the SPI will provide recommendations to the SBE in July 2015; it is unclear if adoption by the SBE expected later than the statutory deadline of August 1, 2015. (EC § 60811.4) 7. The Instructional Quality Commission is required to consider developing and recommending to the SBE standards in computer science by July 31, 2019. (EC § 60605.4) ANALYSIS This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt content standards in visual and performing arts by June 30, SB 725 (Hancock) Page 3 of ? 2017. Specifically, this bill: 1. Requires the SBE to adopt visual and performing arts content standards pursuant to the following requirements: A. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), in consultation with the SBE, to convene a panel of visual and performing arts experts. B. Requires the SPI to ensure that members of the expert panel represent the breadth of the visual and performing arts and include, but is not limited to, elementary and secondary visual and performing arts teachers, school principals, school district or county office of education administrators, and university professors. C. Requires the majority of the expert panel to be made up of credentialed visual and performing arts teachers. D. Requires the SPI and expert panel to recommend visual and performing arts content standards for adoption to the SBE and use the National Core Arts Standards developed by the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards as the basis for their deliberations. E. Requires the SPI to hold at least two public meetings in order for the public to provide input on the visual and performing arts content standards. 2. Requires the SPI to submit the recommended visual and performing arts standards to the SBE by January 30, 2017. 3. Requires the SBE, by June 30, 2017, to adopt, reject, or modify the visual and performing arts standards submitted by the SPI. 4. Requires the State Board of Education (SBE), if it modifies the visual and performing arts standards, to provide written reasons for its modifications in a public meeting, and requires the SBE to adopt its modifications to the SB 725 (Hancock) Page 4 of ? standards at a subsequent public meeting by June 30, 2017. 5. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and SBE to present to the Governor and appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating the visual and performing arts content standards into the state educational system. 6. States that nothing in this bill is to be construed as mandating an assessment of students in visual or performing arts. 7. States Legislative findings and declarations relative to the value of arts education. 8. Sunsets the provisions of this bill on July 1, 2017. STAFF COMMENTS 1. Need for the bill. According to the author, "Extensive research demonstrates the connection between visual and performing arts education and student engagement. Arts education contributes to higher test scores and reduced truancy and dropout rates. It has been fourteen years since California last adopted content standards for Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA). The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards has developed performance based VAPA standards more closely aligned to the core curriculum and integrated into 21st century career skills. Students should not be asked to wait any longer for an updated VAPA curriculum." 2. Arts before computer science? Recently enacted legislation requires the consideration of the development of content standards in computer science, by July 31, 2019. This bill requires the development and adoption of standards in visual and performing arts by June 30, 2017. High school graduation requirements include one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or career technical education. Standards for visual and performing arts are outdated. Computer science is a newly-added subject area, relative to academic content standards, and is not a SB 725 (Hancock) Page 5 of ? stand-along state required course required for high school graduation. Should updated standards in visual and performing arts be adopted prior to the adoption of standards in computer science? 3. Capacity of the California Department of Education. The California Department of Education, Instructional Quality Commission, or State Board of Education are currently tasked, by statute, with the following activities related to standards and frameworks: A. Authority is provided to the California Department of Education (CDE) to resume the revision of the History-Social Science framework that was suspended in July 2009. The Instructional Quality Commission is in the process of completing this work, but has encountered difficulty in finalizing this framework and has requested funding in the Budget for an independent review of their work. B. The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is required to recommend English language development standards that are aligned with the common core standards in mathematics and science for adoption by the State Board of Education (SBE). Adoption of these standards is expected in or after July 2015. C. Requires the SBE to consider, by January 31, 2016, the adoption of a revised framework in science, based on the recently-adopted Next Generation Science Standards. Current legislation seeks to delay this adoption by one year. D. Requires the Instructional Quality Commission to consider, by July 31, 2019, developing and recommending the adoption of standards in computer science. There are several activities currently underway that have successive timelines for adoption by the SBE. The California Department of Education (CDE) has requested funding for an independent review of the proposed revision of the framework in history-social science, and current legislation seeks to delay by one year the consideration of SB 725 (Hancock) Page 6 of ? the adoption of a revised framework in science. Is it reasonable to expect that the SPI can recommend visual and performing arts standards by January 30, 2017, and the SBE to adopt the standards by June 30, 2017? 4. Another approach. Current legislation (AB 740, Weber) requires the SPI, by January 1, 2017, to recommend to the SBE a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards in all subjects for which standards have been adopted by the SBE. AB 740 requires the schedule to be aligned to the eight-year cycle of curriculum framework updates and instructional materials adoptions that had been used by the CDE and SBE and remains in statute. If both this bill and AB 740 process, the author may wish to consider approaching the adoption of updated standards more broadly. 5. Technical amendment needed. This bill requires the SBE, if it modifies the visual and performing arts standards, to provide written reasons for its modifications in a public meeting, and requires the SBE to adopt its modifications to the standards at a subsequent public meeting by June 30, 2017. However, that is the same date that the SBE is required to initially act on the standards. Adoption of modified standards should be adopted at a public meeting subsequent to June 30. The full schedule of 2017 meeting dates for the SBE is not posted, and therefore, staff recommends an amendment to change this date to "no sooner than the next regularly scheduled public meeting of the State Board of Education." 6. Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee's analysis of similar prior legislation, this bill could impose a cost of between $850,000 and $1 million. 7. Related and prior legislation. RELATED LEGISLATION AB 740 (Weber, 2015) requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), by January 1, 2017, to recommend to the SB 725 (Hancock) Page 7 of ? State Board of Education (SBE) a schedule for the regular update of academic content standards in all subjects for which standards have been adopted by the SBE. AB 740 is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 711 (Santiago, 2015) requires the SBE to adopt World Languages content standards that are in accordance with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages by June 1, 2017. AB 711 is pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. SB 652 (Allen, 2015) delays by one year, until January 31, 2017, the date by which the SBE is required to consider the adoption of a revised framework for science. SB 652 is scheduled to be heard by this Committee on April 29. PRIOR LEGISLATION SB 1057 (Corbett) requires the SPI to recommended history-social science content standards to the SBE on or before March 30, 2018, and requires the SBE to adopt, reject, or modify the history-social science content standards by July 30, 2018. SUPPORT American Choral Directors Association California Alliance for Arts Education California Alliance for Jazz California Arts Education Association California Band Directors Association California Chapter of the American String Teachers Association California Chapter of the Educational Theatre Association California Dance Education Association California Educational Theatre Association California Federation of Teachers California Music Educators Association California Orchestra Directors Association California State University, Channel Islands, School of Education California Teachers Association College Park High School Choir Program El Cerrito High School, Visual Art Department Chair Livermore High School Theatre Luna Dance Institute SB 725 (Hancock) Page 8 of ? Music Association of California Community Colleges National Association for Music Merchants Performing Arts Workshop Quincy Jones Productions Rancho Bernardo High School Instrumental Music Program San Diego Music Studio San Jose City College, Division of Humanities and Social Science, Director of Dance San Jose City College, Theatre Arts Department Southern California Vocal Association West Contra Costa Unified School District Numerous individuals OPPOSITION None received. -- END --