BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 234
AUTHOR: Wyland
AMENDED: April 13, 2009
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 29, 2009
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : High School Graduation Requirements: oral
histories.
SUMMARY
This bill, beginning in the 2010-11 school year, increases
high school graduation requirements by prohibiting a
student from receiving course credit for any world history,
culture and geography course which satisfies high school
graduation requirements without exposure to an oral history
component in that course specifically related to genocides,
as specified.
BACKGROUND
Current law establishes minimum requirements for graduation
from California high schools. State requirements for high
school graduation include a total of 13 courses that must
include the following:
a) Three years of English courses.
b) Two years of mathematics courses.
c) Two years of science courses including
biological and physical sciences.
d) Three years of social science courses
including US History and geography; world
history, culture, and geography, a one semester
course in American government and civics and a
one semester course in economics.
e) One year of either foreign language or
visual and performing arts.
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f) Two years of physical education, unless
exempt by law
Current law also requires students to pass the California
High School Exit Exam to graduate from high school, and
local governing boards may set graduation requirements in
addition to those established by the State.
ANALYSIS
This bill expands existing high school graduation
requirements beginning in the 2010-11 school year.
Specifically it:
1) Prohibits a high school student from receiving course
credit for any world history, culture and geography
course without exposure to an oral history component
in that course specifically related to genocides.
2) Specifies that the oral history component should
relate to genocides that include but are not limited
to, the Darfur, Rwandan, Cambodian, Jewish Holocaust,
or Armenian genocides.
3) Defines "exposure to an oral history component" to
include, but not be limited to, in-person testimony,
video, or a multimedia option such as DVD or online
video.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Unreasonable consequence ? Current law requires
completion of at least 13 courses, passage of the
California High School Exit Exam, and completion of
any additional requirements adopted by a local school
district governing board in order for a student to
graduate high school. Is it reasonable to prohibit a
student from graduating if all these requirements have
been met but the school failed to provide an oral
history component on a very specific topic in a single
class, as required by this bill?
2) Mandate . Legislative counsel has noted that, to the
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extent districts are required to provide a higher
level of service in order for students to meet this
requirement, the bill creates a state-reimbursable
mandate.
3) Related activity . The 2010 History-Social Science
framework update is currently underway. According to
the California Department of Education, the updated
framework is proposed to include a new chapter on
Instructional Strategies and Professional Development.
The following paragraph appears on page 23 of the
March 20, 2009, draft of the new proposed chapter:
"The teacher can introduce students to a wide array of
primary sources that include such written texts and
letters, excerpts of speeches, diaries, and ledgers,
as well as visual materials such as photographs,
paintings, maps, political cartoons, charts, and
graphs, digital materials, and oral histories.
Effective teachers find age-appropriate primary
sources that reveal historical thinking."
It appears that the proposed framework would support
the inclusion of oral histories as an effective
instructional strategy without limiting its use to
instruction on genocides or imposing reimbursable
mandated graduation requirements.
4) Prior legislation . SB 1254 (Wyland, 2008) required
the revision of the history-social science content and
performance standards, and adoption of instructional
materials emphasizing biographical information and
oral history. Although this version of the bill was
scheduled for hearing by this Committee in April 2008,
the hearing was cancelled at the request of the
author. The bill was subsequently amended to
encourage the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
make other changes to the history-social science
framework, standards and curriculum. That bill was
ultimately held under submission by the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
5) Similar legislation . Several measures that propose
modification of high school graduation requirements
have been introduced this session. These include:
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a) AB 156 (Jeffries) authorizes school
districts to offer one credit towards the
required number of credits required for
graduation from high school for training and
certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or
use of an automatic external defibrillator, or
both.
b) AB 167 (Adams) requires school districts to
exempt a pupil in foster care who transfers to
the district in grade 11 or 12 and would not be
able to graduate from high school by his/her 19th
birthday from the additional graduation
coursework requirements the governing board has
adopted
c) AB 554 (Furutani) authorized a pupil, with
the consent of his or her parent or guardian and
with the concurrence of the governing board, to
replace a visual or performing arts, foreign
language, or physical education course required
for graduation with a career technical course.
d) SB 223 (Wyland) requires that one-half of
the economics course required for high school
graduation focus on personal finance and
financial literacy. SB 223 is also on the agenda
for the Committee's consideration today.
e) SB 381 (Wright) prohibits districts from
adopting a college preparatory graduation
requirement as specified unless the district also
requires an equal amount of coursework to attain
entry-level employment skills in business or
industry. SB 381 was heard and passed by this
Committee by a vote of 6-3 on April 22, 2009.
f) SB 520 (Pavley) authorizes the governing
board of a school district to offer one credit
towards the required number of credits required
for graduation from high school, as specified.
SB 520 is set for hearing by this Committee on
May 6, 2009.
SUPPORT
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None received.
OPPOSITION
None received.