BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 897
AUTHOR: Steinberg
AMENDED: February 20, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: March 26, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : Adult Education Consortium and California Career
Pathways Trust
programs.
SUMMARY
This bill modifies the requirements established for
participation in the recently established California Career
Pathways Trust and Adult Education Consortium programs to
include civics instruction, as specified, and makes other
technical and clarifying changes.
BACKGROUND
Current law, AB 86 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2013), adopted
as part of the
2013-14 Governor's Budget, among other things, established
the following two programs:
The Adult Education Consortium Program which
provides $25 million in planning grants for purposes
of regionally creating and implementing plans to
provide adult education programs.
The California Career Pathways Trust which provides
$250 million for school districts, county
superintendents of school, charter schools, and
community college districts in the form of one-time
competitive grants for K-14 career pathways programs.
Adult Education Consortium Program
The requirements of AB 86 are being jointly implemented by
the California Department of Education and the California
Community College Chancellor's Office. Eligibility for the
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planning grant funds is limited to consortiums consisting
of at least one community college district and at least one
school district within the boundaries of a community
college district. Consortia may include other entities
providing adult education courses, such as correctional
facilities, other local public entities and community-based
organizations. The planning grants must be used to create
and implement a plan to better provide adults in its region
with all of the following:
Elementary and secondary basic skills, including
classes required for a high school diploma or high
school equivalency certificate.
Classes and courses for immigrants eligible for
educational services in citizenship and English as a
second language, and workforce preparation classes in
basic skills.
Education programs for adults with disabilities.
Short-term career technical education programs with
high employment potential.
Programs for apprentices.
The California Community College Chancellor and the
California Department of Education are required to submit a
joint status report on the plans submitted by consortia and
recommendations for improvements in the delivery system
serving adult learners by March 1, 2014, with a final
report by March 1, 2015.
(Education Code � 84830)
California Career Pathways Trust
AB 86 provided for the use of $250 million appropriated in
the Budget Act of 2013 for the purposes of career technical
education. It established the California Career Pathways
Trust to apportion funds for school districts, county
superintendents of school, charter schools, and community
college districts in the form of one-time competitive
grants for purposes of K-14 career pathways programs that,
among other things, establish regional collaborative
relationships and partnerships with business entities,
community organizations, and local institutions of
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postsecondary education.
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Replaces the provisions providing for the use of funds
apportioned in the Budget Act for purposes of
establishing the California Career Pathways Trust with
codified provisions.
2) Clarifies that, for purposes of the California Career
Pathways Trust, "business entities" include public
sector entities.
3) Requires, for a career pathways program connected with
a public sector entity, that the Superintendent of
Public Instruction consider whether the grant
recipient should be required to include the College
Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social
Studies State Standards in the program as a condition
of the receipt of funds.
4) Requires that the adult education courses for
elementary and secondary basic skills, including
classes required for a high school diploma or high
school equivalency certificate, and classes for
immigrants in citizenship and English as a second
language and workforce preparation classes in basic
skills, which are delivered via the consortia include
basic instruction in American Government and civics
with instruction to include but not be limited to
federal, state, and local government, the three
branches of government, the importance of civic
engagement, and registering to vote.
5) Requires that the new requirements on the specified
adult education courses apply to any funding provided
to the regional consortia beginning with the fiscal
year 2015-16 and in future fiscal years.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Rationale for the bill . According to the author, "Too
many studies show an alarming deficiency in civic
knowledge and in turn the ability for our residents
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and citizens to protect our democracy?..As a
democracy, we depend on a knowledgeable and engaged
population. Education plays a fundamental role in
building civic vitality within our communities and
states."
2) Clarification consistent with practice . According to
the California Department of Education (CDE), based
upon the defined needs of a consortium, a business
partner or employer can be a private business, a
governmental agency, or a nonprofit agency or
organization. This bill clarifies that partnerships
with business entities includes public sector
entities, consistent with the CDE interpretation and
implementation of the Career Pathways Trust Program
requirements.
3) Civics instruction in adult education programs .
Current law specifies that students must pass a
minimum set of required courses and an exit
examination in order to graduate from high school.
These requirements include three courses in social
studies, which, among other things, must include a
one-semester course in American government and civics.
(EC � Section 51225.3) Current law also provides for
the General Educational Development (GED) test for
adults who do not have a high school diploma. Those
who pass the test receive a California High School
Equivalency Certificate. GED testing reports that 25%
of the questions in the social studies area are from
the civics and government content areas.
It appears that, for some adult education courses, the
civics instruction proposed by this bill may already
be required. However, for some of the individual
basic skills or basic workforce courses, it may not be
practical or advisable to require actual civics
instruction. According to the author, the intent of
the legislation is to insure that information on these
topics is provided, not that curriculum be developed
and instructed. Staff recommends the bill be amended
to insert new language to clarify that it is the
legislature's intent that, consistent with the
requirements of education code sections 51225.3 and
52555, that participants in the specified adult
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education programs receive instruction in civics and
government. Staff further recommends the bill be
amended on page 6, line 17 to replace "shall include
basic instruction" with "shall distribute basic
information" in the specified classes and courses.
4) C3 Framework ? According to the National Council for
the Social Studies, the C3 framework is not a
standards document, but rather, provides a framework
to assist states, districts and schools in framing
their own standards and curriculum requirements. The
Council also notes that they purposefully avoided
dictating standards and requirements which might be
acceptable in some places and not others. In addition,
the Council notes that the C3 framework is not part of
the Common Core.
5) Inappropriate authority ? This bill directs the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to consider
whether to require the inclusion of the C3 framework
as a condition of the receipt of grant funds.
Directing the SPI to consider whether to require a
curriculum which has never been reviewed or adopted
for any state purpose would extend a new authority to
the SPI. Currently the Instructional Quality
Commission (IQC) reviews and recommends, and the State
Board of Education (SBE) adopts any curriculum
frameworks and standards. The processes for reviewing
frameworks and adopting instructional materials have
been suspended since July 28, 2009, and the SBE is
specifically prohibited from reviewing frameworks and
adopting instructional materials until the 2015-16
school year, except as provided is staff comment #6.
(EC � 60200.7)
6) Alternative ? Current law requires the SBE to adopt
revised frameworks that are aligned to the common core
standards in Mathematics by November 30, 2013, and
English language arts by May 30, 2014.
(EC � 60207)
Current law also authorizes the SBE to adopt a revised
framework for history social science, but only after
the CDE has completed work related to the frameworks
for the common core standards. (EC � 60200.8)
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Although civics is generally included in the
history-social science standards and framework,
current law requires the SBE and the CDE to request
that the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) review
and revise, as necessary, the course requirements in
the history-social science framework to ensure that
minimum standards for courses in American government
and civics include sufficient attention to teaching
students how to interact, in a practical manner, with
state and local governmental agencies and
representatives to solve problems and to petition for
changes in laws and procedures. In addition, when the
history-social science framework is revised, the IQC
must ensure that specified historical documents are
incorporated into the framework, as appropriate. (EC
� 33540)
If it is the desire of the committee that the C3
framework be considered for use in any state purposes,
staff recommends the bill be amended to require the
Instructional Quality Commission, when revising the
history-social science framework, to consider whether
and how to incorporate the C3 Framework.
7) Prior legislation . Similar efforts to integrate civics
instruction into curriculum have recently been enacted
by the Legislature and Governor. As proposed to be
amended per staff comment #6, the process established
by the bill would be consistent with these recent
efforts:
AB 700 (Gomez, Chapter 483, Statutes of 2013) requires
the Instructional Quality Commission, in its regular
adoption schedule for the history/social science
framework, to ensure that voter education information
is included in the American government and civics
curriculum at the high school level, including, but
not limited to, information on the importance of
registering to vote in local, state, and federal
elections, where and how to access and understand the
voter information pamphlet and other materials to
become an informed voter.
AB 137 (Buchanan, Chapter 225, Statutes of 2013)
requires the Instructional Quality Commission, when
revising the history-social science framework, among
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other things, to receive input from civics learning
experts, including civics education program providers,
associations of civics educators, and organizations
dedicated to research on civics learning, for the
purpose of integrating civics learning content,
concepts, and skills, at all appropriate grade levels
and with the SBE adopted standards in the core
curriculum areas.
SUPPORT
California Adult Education Administrators Association
California Council for Adult Education
California Council for the Social Studies
California School Boards Association
State Bar of California
Students First
OPPOSITION
California Right to Life Committee