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AB-189 School curriculum: model curriculum: service learning.(2017-2018)

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Date Published: 09/13/2017 09:00 PM
AB189:v94#DOCUMENT

Enrolled  September 13, 2017
Passed  IN  Senate  September 06, 2017
Passed  IN  Assembly  September 11, 2017
Amended  IN  Senate  September 01, 2017
Amended  IN  Senate  June 15, 2017
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 30, 2017
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 27, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 189

Introduced by Assembly Member Low

January 19, 2017

An act to add Section 51221.1 to the Education Code, relating to school curriculum.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 189, Low. School curriculum: model curriculum: service learning.
Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission to develop, and for the State Board of Education to adopt, modify, or revise, a model curriculum in ethnic studies.
This bill would require the commission to develop, and the state board to adopt, reject, or modify, a model curriculum for pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in service learning, as defined, for voluntary use by educators. The bill would require the model curriculum to incorporate evidence-based and applied instructional practices for developing service learning skills, and to identify the ways in which the model curriculum aligns with, and is supportive of, the common core state standards.
The bill, if the state board adopts the model curriculum through prescribed procedures conducted in accordance with a specified timeline, would then require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to post the model curriculum on its Internet Web site for use on a voluntary basis by educators. The bill, beginning in the school year immediately following adoption of the model curriculum by the state board, would encourage local educational agencies and charter schools to use the model curriculum to provide instruction in service learning. The bill would specify that these provisions would become operative only if an appropriation of sufficient funds for its purposes is enacted in the annual Budget Act or another statute.
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) California has been a national leader in promoting service and volunteerism, including support for youth service and the conservation corps, service learning, and statewide mentor initiatives.
(b) Service learning is a powerful instructional strategy for improving the educational performance of pupils, along with contributing to the development of character, values, self-esteem, civic responsibility, and knowledge of local community issues and concerns.
(c) This act is based on the results of numerous research studies that identify the following benefits associated with pupils who engage in high-quality service learning programs infusing well-planned service activity into the school curriculum, including, but not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(1) Pupil academic achievement increases, as demonstrated by higher standardized test scores and by higher grade point averages.
(2) Pupils are less likely to drop out of school.
(3) Pupils are less likely to have discipline problems, or to engage in behaviors that lead to pregnancy or arrest.
(4) Pupils are likely to maintain higher attendance rates in school.
(5) Pupils are more likely to develop a sense of civic responsibility and an ethic of service in their communities.
(6) Pupils report greater acceptance of cultural diversity and show increased awareness of cultural differences, including positive attitudes toward helping others.
(7) Pupils show increases in measures of personal and social responsibility, perceive themselves to be more socially competent, and are more likely to increase their sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.
(d) This act is intended to promote volunteer service performed by pupils, since research has demonstrated many positive outcomes of pupil volunteer service, including, but not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(1) Senior pupils who are engaged in volunteer work, whether through school or on their own, are likely to have significantly higher civics assessment scale scores than pupils who did not participate in volunteer work, as reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 1998.
(2) Community leaders report that service learning partnerships help build more positive community attitudes toward youth.
(3) Schools that support service learning and community service are more likely to have positive relationships with their communities.

SEC. 2.

 Section 51221.1 is added to the Education Code, to read:

51221.1.
 (a) (1) The Instructional Quality Commission shall develop, and the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify, a model curriculum for pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in service learning, for voluntary use by educators. The model curriculum shall incorporate evidence-based and applied instructional practices for developing service learning skills, and shall identify the ways in which the model curriculum aligns with, and is supportive of, the common core state standards.
(2) For purposes of this section, “service learning” is defined as follows:
(A) It is a method through which pupils or participants learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that: (i) is conducted in, and meets the needs of, a community; (ii) is coordinated with a secondary school and with the community; and (iii) helps foster civic responsibility.
(B) It is a method that: (i) is integrated into, and enhances, the standards-based academic curriculum of the pupils; and (ii) provides structured time for the pupils or participants to reflect on the service experience.
(b) The model curriculum in service learning shall provide model lessons and activities for each grade level, and identify supporting instructional materials for use in its implementation.
(c) In developing the model curriculum under this section, the Superintendent shall consult with leaders of community organizations, pupils, parents, classroom teachers, school administrators, postsecondary educators, representatives of business and industry, and other persons with knowledge or experience the Superintendent deems appropriate to the task of developing the model curriculum. The persons the Superintendent consults with pursuant to this section shall represent, as much as feasible, the diverse regions and socioeconomic communities of this state.
(d) The Instructional Quality Commission shall hold a minimum of two public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the service learning model curriculum. The public hearings and meetings required by this subdivision shall be held pursuant to 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).
(e) On or before December 31, 2020, the Instructional Quality Commission shall submit to the state board the service learning model curriculum.
(f) On or before March 31, 2021, the state board shall adopt, reject, or modify the model curriculum in service learning submitted by the Instructional Quality Commission, at a subsequent public meeting.
(g) If the state board modifies the model curriculum in service learning submitted by the Instructional Quality Commission, the state board shall explain, in writing, the reasons for the modifications to the Governor and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature.
(h) If the state board modifies the service learning model curriculum, the state board shall, in a meeting conducted pursuant to 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), provide written reasons for its revisions. The state board shall not adopt the service learning model curriculum at the same meeting it provides its written reasons, but, instead, shall adopt these revisions at a subsequent meeting conducted no later than July 31, 2021.
(i) If the state board rejects the service learning model curriculum, the state board shall transmit to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a specific written explanation of the reasons for the rejection of the model curriculum presented by the Superintendent.
(j) Following the adoption of the model curriculum in service learning, the Superintendent shall post the model curriculum on its Internet Web site for use on a voluntary basis by educators.
(k) Subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the Budget Act or other statute, the department shall create an online professional development module that instructs educators on the use of the service learning model curriculum, and shall make this module available at no cost on its Internet Web site for voluntary use by educators.
(l) Beginning in the school year following the adoption of the model curriculum in service learning, local educational agencies and charter schools are encouraged to use the model curriculum to provide instruction in service learning.
(m) This section shall become operative only if an appropriation of sufficient funds for its purposes is enacted in the annual Budget Act or another statute.