Bill Text: CA AB1468 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1468

Introduced

Bill Title: Ethnic studies: content standards, curriculum frameworks, instructional materials, and compliance monitoring.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 31-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-21 - Introduced. To print. [AB1468 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB1468-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1468

Introduced by Assembly Members Zbur and Addis
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Gabriel)
(Principal coauthors: Senators Becker and Wiener)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ahrens, Alvarez, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Boerner, Carrillo, Connolly, Irwin, Krell, Lowenthal, Pacheco, Patel, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Blanca Rubio, Stefani, Ward, and Wicks)
(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Archuleta, Arreguín, Hurtado, Rubio, and Stern)

February 21, 2025

An act to add Article 9 (commencing with Section 60160) to Chapter 1 of Part 33 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1468, as introduced, Zbur. Ethnic studies: content standards, curriculum frameworks, instructional materials, and compliance monitoring.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt statewide academically rigorous content standards in the core curriculum areas of reading, writing, mathematics, history/social science, and science, as specified. Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the state board and develop criteria for evaluating instructional materials.

This bill would require the state board to, on or before January 1, 2028, develop and adopt academically rigorous content standards for ethnic studies instruction in high school. The bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2028, to review and recommend to the state board curriculum frameworks and instructional materials for ethnic studies instruction in high school, as specified. The bill would require the state board to provide the commission with evaluation criteria to use in providing its review and recommendations. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to establish an advisory committee with a majority of the advisory committee’s members being experts in African American studies, Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, Native American studies, and Latino and Chicanx studies, to provide input to the state board on proposed content standards and to the commission on proposed curriculum frameworks and instructional materials for ethnic studies instruction in high school.

Existing law requires a pupil to complete designated coursework while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. These graduation requirements include, commencing for pupils graduating in the 2029–30 school year, the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies meeting specified requirements. Under existing law, the requirement to complete an ethnic studies course may be fulfilled by the completion of, among others, a course based on the model curriculum developed by the Instructional Quality Commission, an ethnic studies course taught as part of a course that has been approved as meeting the A–G requirements of the University of California and the California State University, or a locally developed ethnic studies course approved by the governing board of a school district or the governing body of a charter school. Existing law requires the curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials for these ethnic studies courses to meet specified requirements, including that they not reflect or promote any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group of persons on the basis of certain characteristics. Existing law makes these provisions relating to ethnic studies courses operative only upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature for purposes of these provisions.

This bill would require the curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials for any high school ethnic studies course, including ethnic studies courses meeting high school graduation requirements, to meet the above-described requirements, and would require the curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials for all high school ethnic studies courses to additionally, among other things, foster multicultural respect and understanding and focus on the domestic experience and stories of historically marginalized peoples in American society. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require a school district, county office of education, or charter school to provide, on or before June 30, 2026, the State Department of Education with a copy of all curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies that schools offer or plan to offer to pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and the adoption calendar for curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies proposed for adoption by the governing board or body of the local educational agency for instruction to these pupils. The bill would require a local educational agency that does not have an ethnic studies course in place for its pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on or before June 30, 2026, to provide the department with a copy of all curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies that its schools seek to adopt at least 60 days before being first presented at a public meeting of the governing board or body of the local educational agency for instruction to these pupils. The bill would require the department to post the information received pursuant to these requirements on its internet website. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on local educational agencies, it would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require the department to monitor compliance with the requirements of this bill as part of its annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs and to provide a report to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature summarizing the data collected through compliance monitoring, as specified.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Article 9 (commencing with Section 60160) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 33 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article 9. Ethnic Studies

60160.

(a) The state board shall, on or before January 1, 2028, develop and adopt statewide academically rigorous content standards for ethnic studies instruction in high school. The state board shall adopt a process and timeline for the development and adoption of these standards. The state board shall issue guidance on implementation of these standards to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.

(b) Before adopting standards pursuant to subdivision (a), the state board shall consider input from the advisory committee established pursuant to Section 60162, teachers with knowledge in ethnic studies, and other stakeholders on these standards.

(c) Before adopting standards pursuant to subdivision (a), the state board shall hold regional hearings for the purpose of giving parents, stakeholders, and other members of the public the opportunity to comment on these standards.

60161.

(a) The Instructional Quality Commission shall review and recommend, on or before January 1, 2028, to the state board curriculum frameworks and instructional materials for ethnic studies instruction in high school, and the state board shall adopt, modify, or revise these frameworks and materials.

(b) The state board shall provide the commission with evaluation criteria to use in the commission’s review and recommendations provided pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) Before recommending curriculum frameworks or instructional materials pursuant to subdivision (a), the commission shall consider input from the advisory committee described in Section 60162.

(d) Before adopting, modifying, or revising frameworks or materials pursuant to subdivision (a), the state board shall hold a public hearing for parents and other stakeholders to provide input.

(e) (1) The state board shall issue guidance to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools on use of curriculum frameworks and instructional materials adopted, modified, or revised by the state board pursuant to subdivision (a).

(2) The guidance shall ensure that contractors providing services regarding these curriculum frameworks and instructional materials for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools are high quality and adhere, in providing these services, to the requirements of Section 60163, the requirements of clause (v) of subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3, the model curriculum established pursuant to Section 51226.7, and instructional materials adopted, modified, or revised by the state board pursuant to subdivision (a).

(3) The guidance shall be enforced pursuant to Section 60151.

60162.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to create an advisory committee with a majority of the advisory committee’s members being experts in African American studies, Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, Native American studies, and Latino and Chicanx studies, to provide input to the state board on content standards consistent with Section 60160, and to the Instructional Quality Commission on curriculum frameworks and instructional materials consistent with Section 60161.

60163.

Curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials for any high school ethnic studies course, including ethnic studies courses meeting the requirements for graduation from high school pursuant to Section 51225.3, shall meet all of the following requirements:

(a) Be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, religions, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners.

(b) Not reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group of persons on the basis of any category protected by Section 220.

(d) Be consistent and comply with all applicable existing laws and policies, including, but not limited to, Section 220, Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 234) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1, Sections 49091.12, 51204.5, and 51500, subdivision (a) of Section 51501, Sections 60040 and 60044, subdivision (a) of Section 60045, Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352), and all applicable antidiscrimination laws of the United States Constitution and the California Constitution.

(e) Foster multicultural respect and understanding and focus on the domestic experience and stories of historically marginalized peoples in American society, along with understanding the histories, origins, cultures, struggles, and contributions to American society of these peoples; the goal should not be to understand abstract ideological theories, causes, or pedagogies which then filter or limit the breadth of an ethnic group’s experience.

(f) Provide a fair, balanced, and humanizing academic presentation of various points of view regarding controversial issues, consistent with accepted standards of professional responsibility, rather than advocacy, personal opinion, bias, or partisanship.

60164.

(a) A school district, a county office of education, or a charter school shall provide, on or before June 30, 2026, the department with a copy of all curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies that its schools offer or plan to offer for pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and the adoption calendar for curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies proposed for adoption by the governing board or body of the school district, county office of education, or charter school for instruction to pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive.

(b) A school district, a county office of education, or a charter school that does not already have an ethnic studies course in place for its pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on or before June 30, 2026, shall provide the department with a copy of all curricula, instruction, and instructional materials in ethnic studies that its schools seek to adopt at least 60 days before being first presented at a public meeting of the governing board or body of the school district, the county office of education, or the charter school for instruction to pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive.

(c) Information provided to the department pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) shall not include any personal identifiable information of educators or school administrators.

(d) The department shall post the information received pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) on its internet website.

60165.

(a) The department shall monitor compliance with the requirements of this article and the requirements of subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3 as part of its annual compliance monitoring of state and federal programs.

(b) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the department shall provide a report to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature within ____ months after the conclusion of the ____ school year, summarizing the data collected through compliance monitoring over a five-year period, including the local educational agencies selected for monitoring and relevant compliance findings, if any, pursuant to this section. The department shall publicly post the report on its internet website.

(2) The report required by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

SEC. 2.

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.