BILL NUMBER: SB 1444	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 22, 2010

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Hancock

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2010

   An act to add Section 51207 to the Education Code, relating to
pupil instruction.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1444, as amended, Hancock. Pupil instruction: science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
   Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to
6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in
specified areas of study, including mathematics and science.
   This bill would  define   set forth various
findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education
 . The bill would define STEM education  as courses or a
sequence of courses that prepare pupils for occupations and careers
that require technically sophisticated skills, including the
application of mathematical and scientific skills and concepts, as
specified  ,   and would express the Legislature's
intent that the Superintendent of Public Instruction allocate funds
designated for STEM education consistent with the definitions set
forth in the bill  .
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    (a) The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
   (1) The elements of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) are critical parts of the United States of America'
s key economic sectors, including biotechnology, health care, energy,
infrastructure, and national security, and growth in these areas is
fundamental to the nation's and California's economic and social
well-being
   (2) During the next decade, demand for scientists and engineers in
the United States is expected to increase at four times the rate for
all other occupations.
   (3) The Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) projects
that, unless California takes action now, we face a shortfall of
almost 40,000 engineers by 2014. The LWDA forecasts that California
will need approximately 20,000 to 24,000 additional engineers
educated in California to begin meeting the growing engineering needs
of both the private and public sectors over the next decade.
   (4) Two major factors impede STEM growth. First, the pending
retirement of the baby boomer generation will significantly affect
the STEM labor force. Twenty-six percent of people with science and
engineering degrees currently working are 50 years of age or older.
Second, too few students are choosing to pursue STEM careers. From
1985 to 2005, inclusive, the number of bachelor's degrees earned in
engineering fell from 77,572 to 66,133, and the number of associate
degrees in engineering technology fell from 53,700 to 28,800.
   (5) The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has found
that among novice teachers overall, 24% are under prepared, and in
STEM disciplines, the proportions are much higher: 39% of high school
mathematics teachers, 38% of high school science teachers, 31% of
middle school mathematics teachers, and 33% of middle school science
teachers are under prepared. In California, 12% of mathematics
teachers, 18% of physical science teachers, and 11% of life science
teachers are considered out-of-field teachers. One-third of middle
school algebra teachers do not hold a mathematics authorization.
   (6) In order to address the need for a workforce with STEM skills,
the Legislature finds it necessary to provide opportunities for high
school students to acquire science, math, technology, and
engineering knowledge skills through STEM focused academic and career
courses.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Superintendent of
Public Instruction allocate funds designated for STEM education,
including state, federal or private funds, consistent with the
definitions set forth in the provisions of this bill. 
   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.   Section 51207 is
added to the Education Code, to read:
   51207.  (a)  STEM education is science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, and the integration of those four
disciplines into comprehensive and real-world approaches to teaching
and learning. 
    (b) STEM education embodies the intersection of science,
mathematics, technology, and individuals' understandings of design
principles and systems thinking commonly employed by engineers to
develop solutions to problems. 
    (c)    Science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education means courses or a sequence of courses
that prepare pupils for occupations and careers that require
technically sophisticated skills, including the application of
mathematical and scientific skills and concepts. 
   (d) STEM education for grades 1 to 12, inclusive, may include, but
is not limited to, instruction as follows:  
   (b) 
    (1)  In grades 1 to 6, inclusive, STEM education
includes foundational courses in mathematics, science, and technology
that lead to success in challenging and applied courses in grades 7
to 12, inclusive. It is in grades 1 to 6, inclusive, that awareness
of STEM careers and occupations  in fields related to science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics  begins. 
   (c) 
    (2)  In grades 7 to 12, inclusive, STEM education
includes rigorous and challenging courses that include the
application of science, mathematics,  engineering,  and
technology. In grades 7 and 8, awareness of STEM careers and
occupations continues, and career exploration begins. In high school,
STEM education includes courses and pathways for pupils to explore
and prepare for careers and occupations in STEM fields.