BILL ANALYSIS
AB 970
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 970 (Block and Bass)
As Amended June 1, 2009
Majority vote
EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 14-3
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Ammiano, Arambula, | |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes, |
| |Carter, Eng, Garrick, | |Hall, Miller, |
| |Miller, Solorio | |John A. Perez, Price, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, Audra |
| | | |Strickland, Torlakson, |
| | | |Krekorian |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+---------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Nielsen, Duvall, Harkey |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Encourages the State Board of Education (SBE) and the
Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission
(Curriculum Commission) to ensure that the history-social
science (H/SS) framework, evaluation criteria, and instructional
materials adopted in the course of the next submission cycle
include information about American Indians. Specifically, this
bill requires:
1)The information about American Indians emphasizes California
Native Americans, including their existing tribal and
sovereign governments and their relationship with the
California state government and the people of California.
2)The SBE, within one year following the conclusion of the first
adoption cycle for H/SS instructional materials that occurs on
or after January 1, 2010, to report to the Legislature and the
Governor regarding the progress of achieving the goals set
forth by the bill.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor absorbable General Fund administrative costs to
the SBE to ensure that the H/SS framework, evaluation criteria,
and instructional materials include information about American
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Indians (specific to California) and complete the required
report, as specified.
COMMENTS : Curriculum frameworks provide a blueprint for
curriculum and instruction by describing the scope and sequence
of the knowledge and skills all students need to master in a
specific subject area; and, the evaluation criteria found within
the framework provides guidance to publishers in the development
of instructional materials. The framework and criteria are used
to evaluate instructional materials that are submitted for
adoption by the SBE. Existing law provides for the Curriculum
Commission to act as an advisory body to the SBE on curriculum
frameworks and instructional materials.
This bill encourages the SBE and the Curriculum Commission to
ensure that the next adoption of the H/SS framework, evaluation
criteria, and instructional materials include American Indians,
emphasizing California Native Americans, including their
existing tribal and sovereign governments, and their
relationship with the California state government.
SB 41 (Alpert), Chapter 870, Statutes of 2001, established a
competitive grant program, administered by the State Librarian,
for the development of educational materials on California
Native American history, culture, and tribal sovereignty for use
in grades kindergarten through grade 12; and, required the SBE
to use the supplemental materials as an advisory tool in
subsequent revisions of the H/SS framework. In September 2007,
the office of the State Librarian submitted the "SB 41 Proposed
Model Supplemental Instructional Materials" for grade 8 to the
Curriculum Commission. The "Foreword" section of the document
explains that "this curriculum is not a comprehensive history of
Native Americans. Instead it contains four units on four
distinct historical subjects that are especially important in
understanding the United States (U.S.) government's relationship
with Native Americans today."
SB 41 specified that instructional resources be developed for
kindergarten through grade 12 but the supplemental materials
submitted to the Curriculum Commission were only for grade 8.
After an independent review of the materials, the review panel
reconvened on October 29 and 30, 2008, to deliberate and prepare
an advisory report on the instructional materials. During this
process, the review panel found that several of the criteria
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were not met or only partially met. On November 21, 2008, the
Curriculum Commission held a public hearing and took action to
not recommend to the SBE the supplemental instructional
materials, based on the review panel's findings that most of the
criteria established by the SBE were either not met or only
partially met. The SBE took the same action at its January 2009
meeting and did not approve the instructional materials
developed the State Library.
The Curriculum Commission has begun the process of updating the
H/SS framework for the 2011 H/SS primary adoption. A curriculum
framework and evaluation criteria committee (CFECC) was
appointed and is in the process of reviewing and drafting the
new framework and evaluation criteria which will be used to
select and adopt instructional materials for kindergarten
through grade 8 (K-8). The SBE has approved guidelines to
direct the work of the CFECC and the guidelines are based on
statutory requirements relative to the H/SS framework and on the
feedback received from focus group meetings.
Considering that the CFECC has specific guidelines provided by
the Curriculum Commission and the SBE, it is unclear that this
bill will have an impact on the current revision of the H/SS
framework. If enacted, this bill would take effect on January
1, 2010, and by that time the Curriculum Commission will have
already taken action on recommending a draft H/SS framework to
the SBE and the H/SS framework will be under public review for
an expected adoption by the SBE in March or May of 2010.
The author states: "Without mention of these events in student
instruction or in student textbooks, the existence of Native
Americans as a people, with sovereign governments, continues to
be obsolete; and students will lack the understanding that
California Native Americans are part of this state's cultural,
political and historical and current events. This bill will
help fill a significant gap in our social studies curriculum."
Previous legislation: AB 2034 (N??ez) of 2008, encourages the
SBE and the Curriculum Commission to ensure that the H/SS
framework and instructional materials include information about
American Indians, emphasizing California Native Americans. AB
2034 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, with the following
veto message:
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"While I respect the author's intent to recognize the role of
Native Americans and their tribal and sovereign governments'
relationship with the state, I have consistently vetoed
legislation that has attempted to include specific details or
events into areas of instruction. The State Board of Education
adopted content standards are developed by a diverse group of
experts and are intentionally broad in order to allow coverage
of various events, developments, and issues. I continue to
believe that the State should establish rigorous academic
standards and frameworks, but refrain from being overly
prescriptive in specific school curriculum."
The following three related bills were also vetoed by Governor
Schwarzenegger in 2008 with exactly the same veto message as AB
2034:
AB 531 (Salas) of 2008, requires the SBE and the Curriculum
Commission to ensure that the case of Mendez v. Westminster
School District (64 F. Supp 544 (C.D. Cal. 1946) aff'd,
Westminster School Dist. v. Mendez (9th Cir. 1947) 161 F. 2d
774) and the role of this case in the civil rights movement and
the desegregation of public schools in California and the nation
be included in the next revision and adoption of the
history-social science framework, criteria and instructional
materials.
AB 1863 (Portantino) of 2008, expresses the encouragement of the
Legislature for schools to include the role and contribution of
Italian Americans to the economic, political, and social
development of California and the United States in the
instruction of social sciences, and encourages the SBE to
include the role and contribution of Italian Americans to the
economic, political, and social development of California and
the United States in the social sciences curriculum frameworks
at the next revision of those frameworks.
AB 2064 (Arambula) of 2008, requires the SBE and Curriculum
Commission to ensure that the History-Social Science Framework,
evaluation criteria, and instructional materials, adopted in the
course of the next submission cycle following the date on which
this section becomes effective, include instruction on the
Vietnam War, including the "Secret War" in Laos, the role of
Southeast Asians in that war, and the refugee/immigrant/new
American experience.
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Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avi?a / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0001242