BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-12 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 612
AUTHOR: Steinberg
INTRODUCED: February 17, 2011
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 27, 2011
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : Teacher Professional Development: Subject Matter
Projects.
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the establishment of three additional
California Subject Matter Projects, deletes the sunset date
on existing projects, adds new areas of emphasis for subject
matter projects, and makes various changes to the concurrence
committee and project advisory boards.
BACKGROUND
Existing law provides for the establishment and maintenance
of six California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP) for the
purpose of developing and enhancing teachers' subject matter
knowledge and pedagogical skills. Current law authorizes the
following subject matter projects: (Education Code � 99201)
a) The California Writing Project.
b) The California Reading and Literature Project.
c) The California Mathematics Project.
d) The California Science Project.
e) The California History-Social Science Project.
f) The World History and International Studies
project.
Existing law authorizes the UC to establish other subject
matter projects and specifies that no funds allocated in the
annual Budget Act shall be used for subject matter projects
in subjects not specifically authorized in statute.
(EC � 99201.5)
Existing law requires the Regents of the University of
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California (UC), with the approval of an intersegmental
Concurrence Committee, to establish and maintain the projects
and specifies the composition of the concurrence committee to
be representatives of the various segments of education.
Existing law requires the advisory board of each subject
matter project to use specified criteria in recommending
funding for local project sites. (EC � 99200)
Existing law makes the CSMP inoperative on June 30, 2012, and
repeals the authorizing statute on January 1, 2013, unless a
later enacted statute deletes or extends those dates. (EC �
99206)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Makes findings and declarations about the high dropout
rate in California high schools; the need for an
educated workforce, the value of schools offering a more
integrated approach to learning, and declares that
investments in delivering to pupils the skills and
knowledge needed for further education and employment in
California's high-growth, high-demand industries are
investments in the growth of a knowledge-intensive,
innovative economy.
2) Makes further findings and declarations about the role
and purpose of the California Subject Matter Projects
(CSMP) as a statewide network of subject-specific
professional development programs and how the CSMP
infrastructure may be leveraged to align middle and high
school curricula more closely to the needs of growing
and emerging sectors of the California economy by
providing teachers with the supports and tools necessary
to deliver career-oriented, integrated academic and
technical education content.
3) Adds two new areas of emphasis for CSMP to provide
teachers with:
a) Instructional strategies for delivering
career-oriented, integrated academic and technical
content in a manner that is linked to high priority
industry sectors identified in the California
Career Technical Education Model Curriculum
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Standards as adopted by the State Board of
Education (SBE). Requires the CSMP Concurrence
Committee, in consultation with the appropriate
state entities, industry leaders, and
representatives of organized labor, educators, and
other parties, to determine the priority of the
industry sectors.
b) Instructional strategies for ongoing
collaboration on the delivery of career-oriented,
integrated academic and technical education
content.
4) Clarifies that the CSMP provide support to teachers to
develop and enhance content knowledge and pedagogical
skills necessary to implement the state adopted content
standards and the curriculum frameworks.
5) Requires the CSMP Concurrence Committee, beginning
January 1, 2016, and every three years thereafter, to
provide a report, as specified, on the subject matter
projects to the Governor and to appropriate policy and
fiscal committees of the Legislature. Makes the
reporting requirement inoperative on January 1, 2020,
pursuant to the Government Code.
6) Modifies the composition of the nine-member CSMP
Concurrence Committee by reducing the number of
representatives selected by the SBE from two to one; and
by adding a representative selected by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI).
7) Requires the CSMP, in partnership with the University of
California Curriculum Integration Institute or other
appropriate entities, to provide teachers with support
in the implementation of career-oriented, integrated
academic and technical courses that meet course
requirements for admission to the University of
California (UC), the California State University (CSU),
and align with high-priority industry sectors as
specified.
8) Adds the following projects to the list of authorized
subject matter projects:
a) The California Physical Education-Health
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Project.
b) The California Arts Project.
c) The California Foreign Language Project.
9) Deletes the inoperative and repeal dates, thereby
extending the operation of these provisions
indefinitely.
10) Modifies the composition of project advisory boards for
each subject matter project by reducing from two to one,
representatives selected by the UC, CSU, SPI, and SBE
such that the new composition of each advisory board is
as follows:
a) One representative selected by the California
Postsecondary Education Committee (CPEC).
b) One representative, selected by the President
of the UC, who is a member of the faculty in the
discipline addressed by the project.
c) One representative, selected by the Chancellor
of the CSU, who is a member of the faculty in the
discipline addressed by the project.
d) One representative, selected by the SPI, who
is a classroom teacher in the subject area
addressed by the project.
e) One representative, selected by the SBE, who
is a classroom teacher in the subject area
addressed by the project.
f) One representative selected by the Governor.
g) One representative selected by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing.
h) One representative of a statewide professional
organization of teachers in the subject matter
addressed by the project, as specified.
i) Two representatives of the California
community colleges, selected by the Chancellor, one
of whom is a faculty member in the subject matter
addressed by the project.
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j) Two representatives of an independent
postsecondary institution selected by the
Association of Independent California Colleges and
Universities (AICCU), one of whom is a faculty
member in the subject matter addressed by the
project.
aa) One representative who is from an industry
sector that principally utilizes the discipline
addressed by the project and who is selected by the
advisory board.
11) Adds high pupil drop-out rates to the criteria each
project advisory board must use in recommending funding
for local project sites.
12) Specifies that for purposes of recommending funding for
local project sites that serve middle or high school
teachers, the project advisory board shall give special
consideration to sites that utilize or are preparing to
utilize instructional strategies to deliver
career-oriented, integrated academic and technical
content.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) California Subject Matter Projects . The California
Subject Matter Projects provide intensive, content-rich
and discipline-based professional development designed
to develop and enhance teachers' content knowledge and
instructional strategies for the purpose of improving
student learning and academic performance as measured
against the state's K-12 academic content standards. In
addition, the CSMP provide teachers with instructional
strategies for working with English learners and help
teachers use research and data to improve student
learning and achievement. In addition to the six
subject matter projects authorized in statute, the UC
has established and maintains three additional projects
in art, physical education-health, and foreign
languages. Together, the nine projects serve over 800
school districts and close to 100 sites statewide on
campuses of the UC, California State University, and
independent colleges and universities. According to the
UC, the projects served 94,703 teachers, administrators,
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and university faculty from 2006 to 2010.
2) Legislative history . Prior to 1998, the Education Code
provided for the establishment and maintenance of
subject matter projects in each subject area of teachers
in the public schools and established priority for
funding according to subjects required for high school
graduation and subjects that coincided with state
curriculum initiatives. With the adoption of K-12
academic content standards in the late 1990s, the state
narrowed the focus of the CSMP to the core content areas
of English language Arts, mathematics, science, and
history-social science. AB 1734 (Mazzoni, Chapter 333,
Statutes of 1998), authorized the six projects currently
specified in Education Code and authorized the UC to
establish additional subject matter projects, but
prohibited those projects from receiving funding in the
annual budget act. Although subsequent legislation
expressed legislative intent that maintenance-level
funding be provided for projects in academic fields
seeking standards approval from the State Board of
Education and although the SBE has adopted K-12 academic
content standards in visual and performing arts (2001),
physical education (2005), health education (2008), and
world languages (2009), legislative attempts to
authorize these subject areas in statute been
unsuccessful (see below). While authorizing these three
additional subject matter projects could create cost
pressure to provide maintenance-level funding, it could
be argued that authorizing them in statute will make it
easier for the UC to successfully compete for foundation
funding to provide additional support for the projects
and will provide a formal recognition that all nine
subject areas are included in the course of study
undertaken by middle school and high school students and
represent the content standards adopted by the SBE.
Given that the SBE adopted academic content standards in
"world languages" would it make more sense for the CSMP
in foreign languages to be called "The California World
Language Project?"
3) Career-oriented, integrated academic and technical
content . In recent years, many high schools have
established partnership academies, career-themed small
learning communities, and other programs that integrate
academic coursework with applied learning opportunities.
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Additionally, many schools and regional occupational
centers/programs have worked to increase the rigor of
career technical education courses to ensure that these
courses prepare students for more options following high
school. The goal of these programs is to provide
students with rigorous, relevant learning opportunities
that link what we expect them to know when they leave
high school with the skills necessary to follow a chosen
career pathway.
Pursuant to AB 2648 (Bass, Chapter 681, Statutes of 2008),
the California Department of Education (CDE) submitted a
report to the Governor and the Legislature in 2010, that
explores the feasibility of establishing and expanding
additional high school programs that prepare students to
be successful in their chosen pathways after high
school. The AB 2648 Multiple Pathways to Student
Success Report suggests that teachers in linked learning
programs "need to have competencies in four domains:
knowledge, pedagogy, professional skills, and
foundational comprehension. Teachers need knowledge of
the academic concepts that underlie work in industries,
intellectual skills to solve problems in the real world,
and must know how to work in a community of practice."
The report also noted that teachers need pedagogical
skills specific to engaging engage students in
project-based and cooperative learning, building on
students' prior knowledge and skills, and using multiple
assessment measures and ways for students to demonstrate
their competencies. Teachers must have appropriate
professional skills that equip them to work in pathway
settings and collaborate with other teachers and
industry partners. By expanding the emphasis of the
CSMP to include providing teachers with instructional
strategies to deliver career-oriented integrated
academic and technical content and by providing teachers
with strategies for ongoing collaboration in the
delivery of that content, this bill will enable the CSMP
to help teachers working in these programs and could
enable teachers of traditional academic courses
incorporate real-world examples and applied learning
opportunities into their day-to-day instruction.
4) Time to eliminate the sunset ? The Legislature
established the CSMP in 1988 and the projects have been
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providing professional development to teachers
continuously since that time. The CSMP serves as a
model of intersegmental collaboration in the delivery of
content-rich professional development that has helped
develop teacher leaders in schools. The unique
adaptable structure of the CSMP has enabled the projects
to help schools implement state academic content
standards and respond to priorities established by the
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) while maintaining a
strong focus on teachers with the most need of support:
those in low-performing schools and those working
English learners. According to a 2005 evaluation of the
CSMP conducted by SRI International, teachers reported
that the CSMP influenced their instruction more than
other professional development and contributed to
improvements in student learning. Case study evidence
gathered by SRI further suggests that when these changes
influence teaching practice across departments or grade
levels, schools have observed increases in student
achievement and made progress in closing the achievement
gap, especially for English learners. Given the
positive evaluations associated with this
long-established program and the fiscal control the
Legislature has over its funding, deleting the sunset
date appears to pose little policy risk to the state.
5) Administrative and Fiscal issues . This bill specifies
that each CSMP advisory board is to have one
representative from the UC and CSU, but provides for two
representatives each from the California Community
Colleges and an AICCU institution. To ensure balance in
the representation from higher education segments,
shouldn't the CCC and the AICCU have only one
representative on each advisory board?
The 2010-11 Budget Act allocates $9.35 million in state and
federal funding to support the six existing CSMPs.
($4.35 million is federal funding and $5.0 million in
non-98 General Funds.) Since the newly authorized
projects could be allocated funds from the annual Budget
Act, this bill could create cost pressure to increase
funding for the CSMP. Funding for CSMP in 2011-12
includes $5 million in General Funds and $5.758 million
in federal funds.
6) Amendments . Staff recommends the following amendments:
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a) Technical amendments to address incorrect code
citations:
i) The Government Code citation that
repeals the reporting requirement on page 7,
line 19 of the bill is incorrect. The correct
citation should be Government Code � 10231.5.
ii) The Education Code citation intended to
refer to the curriculum
frameworks, on page 7, line 36 of the bill is
incorrect. The correct citation should be �
51226. For clarity, staff also recommends
adding "curriculum frameworks" to the text of
that
subparagraph and adding language to allow for
standards that may be adopted pursuant to the
Common Core Initiative.
b) To ensure balance in the representation from
higher education segments on CSMP advisory
committees, staff recommends amendments to specify
that each advisory committee should have one
representative of the CCC selected by the
Chancellor and one representative of an independent
postsecondary institution selected by the AICCU.
c) To maintain consistency with the academic
content standards adopted by the SBE in "World
Languages," staff recommends amendments that would
authorize "The California World Language Project"
instead of The California Foreign Language Project
as specified in the current version of the bill.
7) Related and prior legislation .
SB 199 (Ducheny, 2009) would have authorized the
establishment of subject matter projects in arts,
physical education and health, and foreign languages,
deleted the sunset date for CSMP and authorized projects
to provide assistance to teachers providing instruction
in integrated academic and career technical education
programs. This measure was passed by the Senate
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Education Committee on a 6-0 vote and was subsequently
held by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 232 (Ducheny, Chapter 292, 2007), required the Concurrence
Committee to report to the Governor and the Legislature
on specified elements of the CSM and would have also
authorized the establishment of subject matter projects
in arts, physical education and health, and foreign
languages, and This measure was passed by the Senate
Education Committee on a 6-1 vote, and was amended in
the Senate Appropriations Committee to delete the
provisions authorizing the specified projects.
SB 1073 (Simitian, 2006) would have added the California Arts
Project, the California Foreign Language Project, and
the California Physical Education-Health Project to the
subject matter projects already created by law. This
measure was passed by the Senate Education Committee on
a 10-0 vote and was subsequently held in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
AB 108 (Mazzoni, 2000) would have, among other things,
authorized the California Arts Project, the California
Foreign Language Project, and the California Physical
Education-Health Project to the statewide subject matter
projects. This bill was passed by the Senate Education
Committee on a 10-2 vote and was subsequently vetoed by
Governor Gray Davis who opined that the highest priority
for the use of state funds should be to support the
existing subject matter projects aimed at improving
student academic performance in English, mathematics,
science, and the social sciences.
SUPPORT
California Alliance for Arts Education
California Art Education Association
California Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance
California Association of Leaders for Career Preparation
California Language Teachers Association
California Teachers Association
Genentech
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Unified School District
University of California
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OPPOSITION
None received.