60605.12.
(a) Commencing on January 1, 2021, before the scheduled revision of a curriculum framework, the Superintendent, in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission, shall make a recommendation to the state board regarding the need, or lack of need, to revise the academic content standards in the subject of the curriculum framework that will be revised. The Superintendent shall notify the Governor and the Legislature of this recommendation.(b) The recommendation of the Superintendent, made in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission, 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.
(4) Whether there has been a revision of standards developed for national use.
(c) The state board, at a public meeting, shall adopt or reject the recommendation of the Superintendent.
(1) If the Superintendent recommends that academic content standards be revised and the state board intends to reject that recommendation, the state board shall explain in writing at a public meeting the reasons for the rejection and provide that written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
(2) The state board shall not reject the Superintendent’s recommendation to revise academic content standards at the same meeting the written justification is provided, but instead shall reject or adopt the Superintendent’s recommendation at a subsequent public meeting.
(d) If the state board determines that an update to the academic content standards in a subject area under review pursuant to subdivision (a) is warranted, the Superintendent shall convene an academic content standards advisory committee to recommend updates to those standards. The committee shall consist of at least 11, but not more than 20, members, who shall be appointed as follows:
(1) A majority of the committee members shall, at the time of appointment, be teachers who currently teach pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 to 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) The members 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, the regions of the state, and the range of grade levels in which the subject is taught.
(e) (1) An academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (d) 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.
(2) When making its recommendations pursuant to paragraph (1), the committee 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.
(f) Each academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (d) 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. All meetings of the committee shall be 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).
(g) Members of each academic content standards advisory committee established pursuant to subdivision (c) shall serve without compensation, except for actual and necessary travel expenses.
(h) Following receipt by the Instructional Quality Commission, the Superintendent shall recommend the revised academic content standards to the state board. Within 120 days, the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify the revisions at a public meeting.
(1) If the state board intends to reject or modify the proposed revised standards, it shall explain in writing at a public meeting the reasons for the rejection or modifications and provide that written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.
(2) The board shall not reject or modify the Superintendent’s recommendation to revise academic content standards at the same meeting the written justification is provided, but instead shall adopt, reject, or modify the proposed revised standards at a subsequent public meeting.
(i) The Superintendent shall develop, and the state board shall adopt, guidelines to implement this section.
(j) The convening of each academic content standards advisory committee pursuant to subdivision (d) 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.
(k) The Superintendent, in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission, shall send a proposal to the state board and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, by January 1, 2021, for a modified process of revising academic content standards for instances in which only very minor revisions to a set of content standards are necessary, and for which it would be inadvisable to dedicate the time and expense to comply with the process established by this section.