BILL NUMBER: SB 1200 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 25, 2012
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 2, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Senator Hancock
FEBRUARY 22, 2012
An act to add Sections 60605.10 and 60605.11 to the Education
Code, relating to academic content standards.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1200, as amended, Hancock. Academic content standards:
standards review commission. recommended additional
standards or modifications: expert group.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt
statewide content and performance standards in the core curriculum
areas of reading, writing, mathematics, history/social science, and
science, as specified. Existing law authorizes the state board to
modify any proposed content standards or performance standards prior
to adoption, and to adopt content and performance standards in
individual core curriculum areas as those standards are submitted to
the state board.
Existing law, until July 1, 2014, establishes the Academic Content
Standards Commission and requires the commission to develop
internationally benchmarked academic content standards, at least 85%
of which are required to be the common core academic standards
developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium or
another specified interstate collaboration. Existing law requires
the commission to present its recommended academic content standards
to the state board and requires the state board by August 2, 2010, to
either adopt the standards proposed by the commission or reject
them.
This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction
to recommend and the state board to adopt the college and career
readiness anchor standards developed by the Common Core State
Standards Initiative consortium. The bill would also authorize the
state board to take action to resolve any technical issues in the
academic content standards it adopted pursuant to the above-described
provisions.
This bill would authorize the review of the mathematics
standards described above by a 11-member standards review commission,
appointed as specified and convened for that purpose, if the
Superintendent and the state board jointly find that there is a need
to revise or modify the standards. The bill would authorize the
standards review commission that is convened for these purposes to
review and make recommendations to modify only the grade 8 common
core standards in mathematics. The bill would require the state
board, upon receiving recommendations from this standards review
commission, to adopt, reject, or revise the standards as proposed by
the commission and to notify the Governor, the Senate Committee on
Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly that it has acted. If the
state board rejects the recommendations, the bill would require the
state board to provide to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the
appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a
specific written explanation of the reasons why the proposed
standards were rejected. If the state board revises the standards,
the bill would require it to present its reasons for revising the
standards at a public meeting held pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open
Meeting Act, and to adopt the revised standards at a subsequent
meeting no later than June 30, 2013 Superintendent to
recommend to the state board by July 30, 2013, and the state board to
adopt, reject, or modify by September 30, 2013, additional standards
or modifications to the common core academic content standards for
English language arts and mathematics. The bill would require the
state board to explain, in writing, to the Governor and the
Legislature the reasons for approving the additional standards or
modifying the standards. The bill would require the Superintendent,
in consultation with the state board, to consult a group of experts
in English language arts and mathematics for purposes of developing
the recommendations. The bill would require the Superintendent and
the state board to hold a minimum of 2 public hearings in
order for the public to provide input on the Superintendent's
recommendations .
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 60605.10 is added to the Education Code, to
read:
60605.10. For purposes of meeting federal requirements and
applying for federal grants, the Superintendent shall recommend and
the state board shall adopt the college and career readiness anchor
standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative
consortium. The state board may also take action to resolve any
technical issues in the standards adopted pursuant to Section
60605.8.
SEC. 2. Section 60605.11 is added to the Education Code, to read:
60605.11. (a) If the Superintendent and the state board jointly
find that there is a need to revise or modify the mathematics
academic content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8, the
review shall be conducted by a standards review commission convened
for that purpose and in accordance with this section.
(b) (1) After making a finding pursuant to subdivision (a), the
Superintendent and the state board shall notify the Governor, the
Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly of the
need for modifications, the reasons for the needed modifications, and
the reasons for the need to appoint members to a standards review
commission. Consequently, a standards review commission consisting of
11 members shall be appointed as follows:
(A) The Governor shall appoint four members.
(B) The Senate Committee on Rules shall appoint three members.
(C) The Speaker of the Assembly shall appoint three members.
(D) The Superintendent shall appoint one member.
(2) Not less than one-half of the members appointed by each of the
appointing authorities pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be current
public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers.
(3) In making appointments to the commission, the appointing
authorities shall consult with each other to ensure that the
commission includes all of the following:
(A) Individuals with expertise in the subject area under review.
(B) Individuals from different geographical areas of the state.
(C) Individuals who reflect the ethnic and gender diversity of
California.
(D) Individuals who are knowledgeable about English learners and
pupils with disabilities.
(4) Members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the
appointing authority.
(5) Pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3
of Title 2 of the Government Code), all meetings and hearings of the
commission shall be open and available to the public.
(c) (1) If a standards review commission is convened, the
commission may only review and make recommendations to modify the
grade 8 common core standards in mathematics.
(2) The recommendations of the standards review commission made
pursuant to paragraph (1) and modifications approved by the state
board with regard to those recommendations shall ensure all of the
following:
(A) The rigor of the state common core standards is maintained so
that all high school graduates are prepared for college and careers,
as specified in the common core standards.
(B) All of the state common core standards developed by the
consortium or the interstate collaboration set forth in Section
60605.7 are adopted.
(C) Modifications, including additions and revisions, amount to no
more than 15 percent of the state common core standards adopted by
the state board.
(d) Upon receiving recommendations from a standards review
commission, the state board shall do one of the following:
(1) Adopt the standards as proposed by the commission.
(2) Reject the standards as proposed by the commission. If the
state board rejects the standards, it shall provide to the
Superintendent, the Governor, and the appropriate policy and fiscal
committees of the Legislature a specific written explanation of the
reasons why the proposed standards were rejected.
(3) Revise the standards as proposed by the commission. If the
state board revises the standards, it shall, in a public meeting held
pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing
with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2
of the Government Code), provide written reasons for its revisions.
The state board shall not adopt the revised standards at the same
meeting at which it provides the written reasons for revising the
standards, but shall instead adopt these revisions at a subsequent
meeting no later than June 30, 2013.
(e) The Superintendent and the state board shall notify the
Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the
Assembly after the state board takes action pursuant to subdivision
(d) on recommendations submitted by a standards review commission
pursuant to this section.
60605.11. (a) The Superintendent may recommend to
the state board, and the state board may approve, additional
standards or modifications, or both, to the common core academic
content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Section
60605.8. If the state board approves additional standards or modifies
the common core academic content standards, it shall explain, in
writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for
approving the additional standards or modifying the standards. The
Superintendent's recommendations and the state board's actions shall
assist schools in the implementation of the standards.
(1) In consultation with the state board, the Superintendent shall
consult a group of experts in English language arts and mathematics
for purposes of developing recommendations pursuant to this section.
The Superintendent shall ensure that the group of experts includes,
but is not limited to, individuals who are teachers of mathematics
and English language arts in elementary and secondary schools,
schoolsite principals, administrators of school districts or county
offices of education, and university professors.
(2) The Superintendent and the state board shall hold a minimum of
two public hearings pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act
(Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) in order for the public
to provide input on the additional standards or modifications
recommended pursuant to this section.
(3) On or before July 30, 2013, the Superintendent shall present
the recommended additional standards or modifications to the state
board.
(4) On or before September 30, 2013, the state board shall adopt,
reject, or modify the recommendations presented by the
Superintendent.
(b) The additional standards or modifications to the common core
academic content standards that the Superintendent recommends to the
state board and that the state board approves shall ensure all of the
following:
(1) The rigor of the state common core academic content standards
is maintained so that all high school graduates are prepared for
college and careers, as specified in the common core academic content
standards.
(2) All of the common core academic standards developed by the
consortium or interstate collaboration set forth in Section 60605.7
are adopted.
(3) Modifications, including additions and revisions, amount to no
more than 15 percent of the common core academic content standards
adopted by the state board and improve the implementation of
standards and reduce the costs of implementation.