BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 580
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 580 (Davis)
As Introduced February 16, 2011
Majority vote
EDUCATION 6-2 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Ammiano, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Butler, Carter, Eng, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Williams | |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| | | |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Solorio |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Norby, Wagner |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, |
| | | |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Establishes the California Civil Rights Education
Advisory Committee (CCREAC) within the California Department of
Education (CDE), as specified, to advise the State Board of
Education (SBE) and the Curriculum Development and Supplemental
Materials Commission (Curriculum Commission) on the inclusion of
civil rights education in the history-social science (H/SS)
framework and criteria for evaluating instructional materials.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the CCREAC to study and review the H/SS framework
developed by the H/SS Curriculum Framework and Criteria
Committee of the SBE and advise the SBE and the Curriculum
Commission, as specified.
2)Provides that in completing its tasks, the CCREAC may act as a
liaison with various entities, including, but not necessarily
limited to, the United States Congress, the California
Legislature, and the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP), as well as other national and
international agencies.
3)Specifies that the CCREAC shall consist of 14 members who
shall serve a maximum of two three-year terms and shall
consist of the following members:
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a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI);
b) The President of the University of California or his or
her designee;
c) The Chancellor of the California State University or his
or her designee;
d) The Chancellor of California Community Colleges or his
or her designee; and,
e) 10 members appointed by the SPI, as specified.
4)Requires the members of the CCREAC be California residents,
and be appointed with due regard for broad geographic
representation, and requires a chairperson to be designated
from the membership of the CCREAC.
5)Provides that members of the CCREAC shall receive no
compensation for the performance of their duties, but shall be
reimbursed for the expenses they incur in performing their
duties.
6)Authorizes the CDE to apply for, and receive, gifts, grants,
and donations from any public or private sources, including,
but not necessarily limited to, federal funds and private
foundation grants for purposes of supporting the expenses
incurred in operating the CCREAC.
7)Makes findings and declarations relative to the importance of
the civil rights movement in the lives of African Americans
and all other Americans and the importance of teaching about
the civil rights movement.
EXISTING LAW provides that instructional materials adopted by
the SBE for social science shall include information designed to
instruct pupils on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights
movement, and contributions made by ethnic minority groups to
the history of the United States, and requires the SBE to ensure
that the materials present the information in a manner
consistent with the instruction provided in each grade level.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, General Fund administrative costs, of at least
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$200,000, to the CDE to support the CCREAC.
COMMENTS : This bill establishes the CCREAC to advise the SBE
and the Curriculum Commission on matters related to the
development and adoption of curriculum frameworks in H/SS,
specifically relating to the inclusion of civil rights movement
education.
The Curriculum Commission is established in statute to advise
the SBE on the adoption of kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12)
curriculum frameworks and kindergarten to grade 8 (K-8)
instructional materials. The 18-member Curriculum Commission
recommends curriculum frameworks to the SBE. Curriculum
frameworks are aligned to the content standards, and 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.
Status of curriculum frameworks and instructional material
adoptions: AB 2 X4 (Evans), Chapter 2, Statutes of 2009, Fourth
Extraordinary Session, suspends the requirement for the SBE to
conduct any of the activities related to the adoption of
instructional materials for use in K-8 through the fiscal year
(FY) 2012-13, and for FY 2008-09 to FY 2012-13, inclusive, local
educational agencies are not required to purchase newly adopted
instructional materials within 24 months of adoption by the SBE.
Additionally, the funding for the Curriculum Commission has
been suspended and the Commission is not currently meeting nor
conducting any of its duties. As part of the 2011 budget
process, SB 70 (Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee),
Chapter 7, Statutes of 2011, extends the ability of districts to
not purchase instructional materials and the SBE to not adopt
instructional materials or conduct the adoption process by two
additional years, until 2015-16. It will be several years
before the curriculum frameworks and instructional materials
processes restart.
The existing 11th grade content standards and framework in H/SS
include the analysis of the development of federal civil rights
and voting rights, as well as the history of the civil rights
movement in the 25 years after World War II and the social and
political transformations that it brought. Additionally, the
H/SS framework touches upon various aspects and key events of
the civil rights movement including landmark court cases.
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An already complex process: The framework development and
instructional materials adoption processes have been criticized
for being overly complex and highly prescriptive. The process
that had been in place prior to the suspension of adoption
processes, involves several different groups, some of which
duplicate work. One step in the process of developing and
revising curriculum frameworks involves the selection of a
Curriculum Framework and Criteria Committee (CFCC), which is
charged with drafting the framework. The framework is then
presented to the Curriculum Commission and to the H/SS Subject
Matter Committee, which is separate from the CFCC. After a
field review process, the Curriculum Commission approves the
framework and criteria and submits them to the SBE for approval.
The time involved for this process is approximately 18 months
from the first meeting to the approval of the framework by the
SBE. This bill could potentially create an additional step in
the already lengthy and complex process of developing curriculum
frameworks. On the other hand, it can be argued that civil
rights education should have more coverage in the curriculum and
having a separate advisory committee to focus on civil rights
might help ensure the curriculum further highlights this
subject.
The author states, "Hate crimes and racial tension across the
nation, provides a compelling reason to completely re-approach
the process of developing state curriculum in the field of
history-social science. Far too many citizens obviously do not
appreciate the complexity of racial, social, economic, and
political problems. There is clearly a deficiency in the what,
and how of civil rights instruction. The impact of the Civil
Rights Movement cannot be understated when it comes to
understanding the conditions that encourage democracy to
prosper."
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avina / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000875
AB 580
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