Amended in Senate May 27, 2014

Amended in Senate April 30, 2014

Amended in Senate April 10, 2014

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 amended, Corbett. Pupil curriculum: history-social science content standards.

Existing law required the State Board of Education, not later than November 1, 1998, to adopt statewide academically rigorous content standards in the core curriculum area of history-social science.

This bill would require the state board, on or before July 30, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert , to adopt, reject, or modify history-social science content standards in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a group of history-social science experts, as specified, and, with input from the group, would require the Superintendent, on or before March 30, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert , to recommend history-social science content standards to the state board. The bill would require the Superintendent and the state board, by October 1, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert , to report certain information to the Governor and appropriate policy and fiscal 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 kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive,
history-social science textbooks contain outdated and inaccurate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 therefore must
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 kindergarten
to grade 12, inclusive, 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 begin delete shall end delete begin insert must end insert 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 kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, history-social science
content standards be fair, transparent, and inclusive.

(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that the expert group created
pursuant to Senate Bill 1057 begin delete at end delete begin insert of end insert the 2013-14 Regular Session
must be a body that reflects the diversity of the state, including
groups or individuals who represent the perspectives of all major
religions, ethnicities, races, cultures, genders, sexual orientations,
and disability statuses.

(j) 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) 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 group of history-social science experts. The
Superintendent shall ensure that the members of the group include,
but are not limited to, individuals who are elementary and
secondary history-social science teachers, schoolsite principals,
school district or county office of education administrators, and
university professors begin delete , scholars of all major religious, ethnic, racial,
and cultural groups, and individuals who represent the perspectives
of all major religious, ethnic, racial, and cultural groups, genders,
sexual orientations, and disability statuses. A majority of the group
of experts convened pursuant to this paragraph shall be
history-social science teachers end delete .

begin insert

(2) The group of experts convened pursuant to paragraph (1)
shall make a good faith effort to solicit and take into consideration
input from scholars of all major religious, ethnic, racial, and
cultural groups and individuals who represent the perspectives of
all major religious, ethnic, racial, and cultural groups, genders,
sexual orientations, and disability statuses.

end insert begin delete

(2)

end delete

begin insert (3) end insert  The Superintendent shall consider for inclusion in the
history-social science content standards all topics that are required
to be considered for inclusion pursuant to the provisions of this
code.

begin delete

(3)

end delete

begin insert (4) end insert  The Superintendent, with input from the group convened
pursuant to paragraph (1), shall recommend history-social science
content standards for adoption to the state board.

begin delete

(4)

end delete

begin insert (5) end insert  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).

begin delete

(5)

end delete

begin insert (6) end insert  The Superintendent shall present the recommended
history-social science content standards to the state board on or
before March 30, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert .

begin delete

(6)

end delete

begin insert (7) end insert  On or before July 30, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert , the state board shall adopt,
reject, or modify the history-social science content standards
presented by the Superintendent.

begin delete

(7)

end delete

begin insert (8) end insert  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, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert . 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, begin delete 2016 end delete begin insert 2018 end insert , 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, begin delete 2020 end delete begin insert 2022 end insert , pursuant
to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.