BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 1380
AUTHOR: Wyland
AMENDED: April 10, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 24, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : History-social science: Armenian Genocide.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission to
consider including the Armenian Genocide in the
history-social science framework, and encourages
instruction to include specific components.
BACKGROUND
Academic content standards define the knowledge, concepts,
and skills that students should acquire at each grade
level. Curricular frameworks are the blueprint for
implementing the standards, and include criteria by which
instructional materials are evaluated.
The history-social science framework was last adopted in
2005. A review of this framework was underway and nearly
complete when the state suspended the process due to budget
constraints. The process for reviewing frameworks has been
suspended since July 28, 2009. The State Board of
Education (SBE) is specifically prohibited from reviewing
frameworks and adopting instructional materials until the
2015-16 school year. However, the SBE is authorized to
revise the history-social science framework but only upon
completion of work related to the development of frameworks
for the common core standards in English language arts and
mathematics. (Education Code � 60200.7 and � 60200.8)
ANALYSIS
This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission to
consider including the Armenian Genocide in the
history-social science framework, and encourages
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instruction to include specific components. Specifically,
this bill:
1) Requires the Instructional Quality Commission, when
the history-social science framework is revised, to
consider including the Armenian Genocide in the
history-social science framework.
2) Encourages all of the following:
a) Instruction in the origins of
genocide as a phenomenon throughout history that
continues to the present day.
b) Content providers and teachers to
promote student analysis of genocides, including
the ethnic, religious and political causes.
c) Content providers and teachers to
incorporate instructional materials for students
that examine the possible means of preventing and
halting genocide policies or interventions by the
United Nations, other groups of nations, or the
United States.
d) Examinations of interventions to
prevent genocides should include arguments and
evidence for and against intervention, the role
of public support for the intervention, and the
possible consequences of such interventions.
3) Encourages the incorporation of oral testimony into
the teaching of human rights, and adds genocide,
including but not limited to the Armenian, Cambodian,
Darfur, and Rwandan genocides, to the teaching of
human rights.
4) Defines "oral testimony" as firsthand accounts of
significant historical events presented in a format
that includes but is not limited to in-person
testimony, video, or a multimedia option such as DVD
or an online video.
STAFF COMMENTS
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1) Author's amendments . The author wishes to amend this
bill to also encourage instruction in social sciences
in grades 7-12 to include instruction on the American
military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, including
Operation Desert Storm, encourage that instruction to
include a component drawn from personal testimony,
especially in the form of oral or video histories of
military veterans who were involved in those
conflicts, and provide that any oral histories used as
part of this instruction should exemplify the personal
sacrifice, courage, and sense of duty of those who
were called upon to serve.
2) Timing . The State Board of Education (SBE) is
authorized to revise the history-social science
framework upon completion of work related to the
development of frameworks for the common core
standards in English language arts and mathematics.
The updated framework for mathematics was adopted by
the SBE on November 6, 2013. The updated framework
for English language arts is in the final stages, and
is expected to be adopted by the SBE in July 2014.
3) Related legislation specific to history-social
science . AB 659 (Nazarian) encourages the California
Department of Education to include the Armenian
Genocide in its published curriculum resources,
encourages the incorporation oral testimony when
teaching specific instances of genocide (including the
genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Darfur, and Rwanda)
into existing curriculum, encourages including the
Armenian Genocide into state and local professional
development activities and in the next revision of the
history/social science curriculum framework, and makes
technical/non-substantive revisions to these sections.
AB 659 is pending referral in the Senate.
AB 1915 (Nazarian), among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider including
the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides
in the next revision of the history-social science
framework. AB 1915 is pending in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee.
SB 1419 (Wyland) encourages instruction in social sciences
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to include instruction on the American military
conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and include a
component drawn from personal testimony. SB 1419 has
been returned to the Rules Committee.
AB 1912 (Holden) requires the State Board of Education
(SBE) to consider including instruction on the
election of President Barack Obama and the
significance of the United States electing its first
African American President, in the history-social
science framework, as appropriate, in the next
adoption cycle. AB 1912 is pending on the Assembly
Floor.
SB 521 (Wyland) requires the California Department of
Education and State Board of Education to request the
Instructional Quality Commission to revise the
history-social science frameworks to include the
comparative differences between the rights of citizens
in America and those in other countries, and the
connection of civics and American government to
western civilizations. SB 521 was never heard.
SB 897 (Steinberg), among other things, requires the
Instructional Quality Commission to consider for
whether and how to incorporate the College, Career,
and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State
Standards into the history-social science framework.
SB 897 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate
Appropriations Committee on April 28, 2014.
AB 2110 (Ting) requires the Instructional Quality
Commission to consider incorporating computer science
curriculum content into the mathematics, science,
history-social science, and language arts curriculum
frameworks, as it deems appropriate. AB 2110 is
pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 945 (Morrell) adds, beginning with the 2018-19 school
year, a summative assessment in history-social science
to the state assessment system. SB 945 is pending
referral in the Senate Rules Committee.
4) Prior legislation specific to history-social science .
AB 97 (Torlakson, 2010) would have required the State
Board of Education (SBE), upon recommendation of the
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Superintendent of Public Instruction, to adopt a
schedule for the review and recommend revisions to the
science and history-social science curriculum area
content standards. AB 97 was vetoed by the Governor,
whose veto message read:
"Given California's participation in the
Common Core initiative and the anticipated
reauthorization of the federal Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, this bill is
premature. This bill could create an
unnecessary, duplicative process in the
development of content standards and in the
integration of those standards into the
state's assessment system."
AB 391 (Wieckowski, 2013) would have, among other
things, required the history-social science curriculum
framework, when it is revised, to encourage
instruction related to the understanding of personal
finances, as specified. AB 391 was held in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1325 (Wyland, 2012) would have, among other things,
authorized the Superintendent of Public Instruction
and SBE to consider developing new curriculum
frameworks and, if necessary, standards that engage
students in learning about American history and
government from oral histories to biographical
sketches and age-appropriate descriptions of heroic
efforts on the part of Americans to build our society
and its institutions. SB 1325 was never heard.
SB 283 (Wyland, 2011) was identical to SB 1325, and
was also never heard.
SB 1278 (Wyland, 2010) would have required the SBE to
adopt a revised curriculum framework and evaluation
criteria for instructional materials in history-social
science in 2011.
SB 223 (Wyland, 2009) would have required the
Curriculum Commission to consider and vote on whether
to include a unit on financial literacy in the
proposed changes to the 2014 history-social science
framework. SB 223 was held in the Assembly
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Appropriations Committee.
SB 234 (Wyland, 2009) would have required the
Curriculum Commission, as part of its regular process
of developing and revising curriculum frameworks, to
consider and vote on whether to include an oral
history component specifically related to genocides in
the proposed changes to the 2014 history-social
science curriculum framework. SB 234 was held in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1254 (Wyland, 2008) was identical to SB 1325, and
was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
None on file.
OPPOSITION
None on file.