Amended  IN  Assembly  April 18, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 617

Introduced by Assembly Member Gomez

February 14, 2017

An act to amend Section 33540 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction. add Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 370) to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to English learners.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 617, as amended, Gomez. Pupil instruction: voter education and registration. English learners: school district and school advisory committees: pupil members.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. An existing regulation requires school district advisory committees on programs and services for English learners to be established in each school district with more than 50 English learners in attendance and requires school advisory committees on education programs and services for English learners to be established in each school with more than 20 English learners in attendance.
This bill would authorize a school district advisory committee on programs and services for English learners and a school advisory committee on programs and services for English learners to each include a pupil member who is an English learner.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education to request that the Instructional Quality Commission review and revise, as necessary, the course requirements in the history-social science framework. Existing law requires the commission, when revising the history-social science framework, to ensure that voter education is included in the American government and civics curriculum, including, but not limited to, information on the requirements, importance, and process of registering to vote in local, state, and federal elections.

This bill would require the commission to ensure that the voter education information included in the American government and civics curriculum at the high school level include information on preregistering to vote and that government and civics instruction provides pupils the opportunity to preregister and register to vote.

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

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


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 370) is added to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER  4. English Learner Advisory Committees

370.
 A school district advisory committee on programs and services for English learners and a school advisory committee on programs and services for English learners, as provided for in Section 11308 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, may each include a pupil member who is an English learner.

SECTION 1.Section 33540 of the Education Code is amended to read:
33540.

(a)The state board and the department shall request that the commission review and revise, as necessary, the course requirements in the history-social science framework developed by the History-Social Science Curriculum Framework and Criteria Committee of the state board to ensure that minimum standards for courses in American government and civics include sufficient attention to teaching pupils 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, and that the course requirements in the history-social science framework are also included in all history and social science courses and all grade levels, as appropriate.

(b)Whenever the history-social science framework is revised as required by law, the commission shall do, as appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course, all of the following:

(1)Receive input from civics learning experts, including civics education program providers, associations of civics educators, and organizations dedicated to research on civics learning, for purposes of integrating civics learning content, concepts, and skills, at all appropriate grade levels, with the standards established by the state board in core curriculum areas, as specified in Section 60605, as that section read on June 30, 2011, and Section 60605.8.

(2)Consider how civics and history instruction, at all appropriate grade levels, includes, in addition to the acquisition of content knowledge, the application of that content to develop the competence and skills needed for civic engagement.

(3)(A)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 preregistering and registering to vote in local, state, and federal elections, how to preregister and register to vote, both online and by mail, what the requirements are to preregister and register to vote, how to request an absentee ballot, how to fill out and return an absentee ballot, what to expect on election day, how to find a polling place, and where and how to access and understand the voter information pamphlet and other materials to become an informed voter.

(B)Ensure that government and civics curriculum at the high school level provides pupils the opportunity to preregister and register to vote.

(4)Ensure the following historical documents are incorporated into the framework:

(A)The Declaration of Independence.

(B)The United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

(C)The Federalist Papers.

(D)The Emancipation Proclamation.

(E)The Gettysburg Address.

(F)George Washington’s Farewell Address.

(5)Consider incorporating the following historical documents into the framework:

(A)The Magna Carta.

(B)The Articles of Confederation.

(C)The California Constitution.

(6)Encourage instruction that promotes an understanding of the governments of California and the United States of America, including, but not limited to, the development of democracy and the history of the development of the United States Constitution.

(c)It is the intent of the Legislature, for purposes of the history-social science framework that is revised any time after January 1, 2015, that the commission consider whether and how to incorporate the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards into that framework.

(d)It is the intent of the Legislature, for purposes of only the history-social science framework that is revised after January 1, 2015, that the requirements imposed pursuant to paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (b) may be satisfied under the framework adoption procedures currently being used by the department as of January 1, 2015.

(e)When the history-social science content standards are next revised after January 1, 2015, the state board shall consider incorporating the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards into the history-social science content standards.