Senate Bill No. 1057

Introduced by Senator Corbett

February 18, 2014

An act to add Section 60605.84 to the Education Code, relating to pupil curriculum.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1057, as introduced, Corbett. Pupil curriculum: history-social science content standards.

Existing law provides for the adoption and modification of academic content standards by the State Board of Education in the subjects of language arts and mathematics in accordance with specified procedures.

This bill would require the state board to adopt history-social science standards in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a diversity advisory group, as specified, and, with input from the diversity advisory group, would require the Superintendent, on or before March 30, 2016, to recommend history-social science content standards to the state board. The bill would require the state board to adopt, reject, or modify the history-social science content standards on or before July 30, 2016. The bill would require the Superintendent and the state board, by October 1, 2016, to report certain information to the Governor and appropriate committees of the Legislature. The bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to history-social science content standards.

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.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) In contrast to other subject areas, the state’s 16-year-old
history-social science content standards were developed in 1998
and have failed to keep up with modern research and scholarship.

(b) There is nothing in current law that requires history-social
science content standards to be reviewed and updated.

(c) California has long been home to many diverse cultures. As
this diversity has grown, there is a greater need than ever before
for understanding the foundational ideas and philosophy of our
country and the world.

(d) California’s current K-12 history-social science textbooks
contain outdated and inaccurate information, and reflect negatively
on members of several groups, in violation of existing law.
Hinduism, for instance, is portrayed in an inequitable manner, and
Hindus are depicted negatively and as implicitly inferior to other
religious groups.

(e) Existing law prohibits the State Board of Education from
adopting any instructional materials for use in schools that contain
any matter reflecting adversely upon persons on the basis of race
or ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, nationality, or sexual
orientation.

(f) The history-social science content standards must therefore
be rectified to address concerns of accuracy, rigorous scholarship,
equality, diversity, religious and cultural sensitivity, and adherence
to existing law. Furthermore, the standards should be updated to
ensure that they are consistent with changes to other subjects in
California’s education system.

(g) It is the intent of the Legislature that the revised K-12
history-social science content standards must be equitable in their
coverage and depiction of any world religion, ethnicity, race,
culture, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status
and that no group shall be portrayed negatively or as inferior based
on any of these characteristics.

(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that the process to update
the K-12 history-social science content standards be fair,
transparent, and inclusive.

(i) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a schedule and
process for the review and revision, as necessary, of the state’s
history-social science content standards.

SEC. 2.  

Section 60605.84 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 60605.8, to read:

60605.84.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the state board
shall adopt history-social science content standards pursuant to
the following requirements:

(1) The Superintendent, in consultation with the state board,
shall convene a diversity advisory group. The Superintendent shall
ensure that the members of the diversity advisory group include,
but are not limited to, individuals who are scholars in major
religious, ethnic, racial, and cultural groups, individuals who
represent the perspectives of all genders, sexual orientations, and
disability status, as well as individuals who are elementary and
secondary history-social science teachers, schoolsite principals,
school district or county office of education administrators, and
university professors. The Superintendent, with input from the
diversity advisory group, shall recommend history-social science
content standards for adoption to the state board.

(2) The Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public
meetings 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 history-social science content
standards that would be recommended pursuant to paragraph (1).

(3) The Superintendent shall present the recommended
history-social science content standards to the state board on or
before March 30, 2016.

(4) On or before July 30, 2016, the state board shall adopt, reject,
or modify the history-social science content standards presented
by the Superintendent.

(5) If the state board modifies the history-social science content
standards presented by the Superintendent, the state board shall
provide written reasons for its modifications in a public meeting.
The state board shall adopt its modifications to the history-social
science content standards at a subsequent public meeting held no
later than July 30, 2016. The public meetings required by this
paragraph shall be 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).

(b) (1) On or before October 1, 2016, the Superintendent and
the state board shall present to the Governor and the appropriate
policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a schedule and
implementation plan for integrating the history-social science
content standards adopted pursuant to this section into the state
educational system.

(2) The requirement for submitting the report required pursuant
to this subdivision is inoperative on October 1, 2020, pursuant to
Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.