Bill Text: CA AB852 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 852 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Pupil instruction: academic content standards: update of adopted standards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-01-21 - Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file. [AB852 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB852-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 852

Introduced by Assembly Members Burke and Weber

February 20, 2019

An act to add Section 60605.12 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 852, as introduced, Burke. Pupil instruction: academic content standards: update of adopted standards.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt statewide academic content standards in the core curriculum areas of reading, writing, and mathematics, and requires the Academic Content Standards Commission to develop academic content standards in language arts and mathematics. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend, and authorizes the state board to approve, modifications to the common core academic content standards in mathematics, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to recommend to the state board revisions to the visual and performing arts content standards in the subjects of dance, theater, music, and visual arts, and to recommend visual and performing arts standards in the subject of media arts, and requires the state board to adopt, reject, or modify the recommendations.

On or before January 1, 2021, this bill would require the Superintendent to recommend to the state board a schedule for the regular review and update of academic content standards in all subject areas for which academic content standards have been adopted by the state board. If the Instructional Quality Commission determines, when academic content standards for a subject area are up for review pursuant to the schedule, that the standards need to be updated, the bill would require the commission to convene an academic content standards review committee to recommend to the commission updates to the standards, as specified. The bill would dissolve the committee after it provides this recommendation. The bill would require the commission to recommend the updates it adopts to the state board for adoption. The bill would make the convening of each academic content standards review committee contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for the appropriate fiscal year.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES 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) Since 1997, the state has adopted academic content standards in a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to, English language arts, mathematics, science, history-social science, visual and performing arts, health education, world languages, physical education, and career technical education.

(b) Starting in 2010, the state adopted new academic content standards in certain subjects, including the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics, world languages, visual and performing arts, computer science, and the Next Generation Science Standards.

(c) There is currently no process in place to update existing academic content standards, except for enacting new legislation that authorizes new academic content standards in a given subject area.

(d) Given regular changes in disciplinary knowledge and academic research, it is often necessary to modify academic content standards that do not constitute a complete revision.

(e) A process for regularly updating the standards should be designed to emphasize public access to the process, a reliance on scholarship and current and confirmed research, and minimal disruption to school districts using curricula and assessments based upon the standards.

SEC. 2.

Section 60605.12 is added to the Education Code, to read:

60605.12.

(a) By January 1, 2021, the Superintendent shall recommend to the state board a schedule for the regular review and update of academic content standards in all subject areas for which academic content standards have been adopted by the state board. The schedule shall be aligned to the current eight-year cycle of curriculum framework updates and instructional materials adoptions pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 60200.

(b) When academic content standards in a subject area are under review according to the schedule adopted under subdivision (a), the Instructional Quality Commission shall determine if those standards require an update. The determination shall be based upon all of the following considerations:

(1) The amount of time since the standards were adopted or last updated.

(2) If additional research conducted since the standards were adopted or last updated justifies updating the standards.

(3) The potential impact on existing curricula, instructional materials, and assessment systems based upon the standards.

(c) If the Instructional Quality Commission determines that an update to the academic content standards in a subject area under review according to the schedule adopted under subdivision (a) is warranted, it shall convene an academic content standards advisory committee to recommend updates to those standards. The committee shall consist of at least eleven, but not more than twenty, members, who shall be appointed as follows:

(1) A majority of the committee members shall, at time of appointment, be teachers who teach pupils in kindergarten or grades 1-12, inclusive, and have a teaching credential issued pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 44250) of Chapter 2 of Part 25 of Division 3.

(2) At least one member of the committee shall possess thorough knowledge of the academic content standards in the subject area under review.

(3) The committee membership shall reflect the diversity of the pupils, types of school districts, and regions of the state.

(4) At least five members of the committee shall have advanced degrees in the subject area under review.

(5) At least one member of the committee shall have a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), doctor of education (Ed.D.), or an equivalent degree in the subject area under review.

(d) (1) An academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (c) shall review the academic content standards for the subject matter under review, and shall prepare proposed updates to the standards as it deems necessary. The committee shall recommend its proposed updates to the Instructional Quality Commission. At least 60 days before the committee forwards the proposed updates to the Instructional Quality Commission, the department shall post the proposed updates on its internet website, and shall include a link for members of the public to submit comments on the proposed updates. The Instructional Quality Commission shall adopt or reject the proposed updates within 120 days of receipt, and shall recommend proposed updates it adopts to the state board for adoption.

(2) When making their respective recommendations pursuant to paragraph (1), the committee and the Instructional Quality Commission shall consider both of the following:

(A) The extent to which the proposed updates reflect current and confirmed research in the subject area under review.

(B) The impact that the proposed updates will have upon school districts and existing curricula and assessments.

(3) Upon completing its duties required under paragraph (1), the committee shall dissolve.

(e) Each academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (c) shall conduct at least two, but not more than six, face-to-face meetings that are open to the public and include opportunities for public input. The committee may convene additional meetings by teleconference or over the internet, subject to the requirements of 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).

(f) Members of each academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (c) shall serve without compensation, except for actual and necessary travel expenses.

(g) The Superintendent shall develop, and the state board shall adopt, guidelines to implement this section.

(h) The convening of each academic content standards advisory committee pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for the appropriate fiscal year to the Instructional Quality Commission for purposes of establishing the committee.