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AB-852 Pupil instruction: academic content standards: update of adopted standards.(2019-2020)

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Date Published: 09/13/2019 09:00 PM
AB852:v96#DOCUMENT

Enrolled  September 13, 2019
Passed  IN  Senate  September 09, 2019
Passed  IN  Assembly  September 10, 2019
Amended  IN  Senate  June 26, 2019
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 04, 2019

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, 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.
Commencing January 1, 2021, this bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission and based on certain considerations, to 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, and to notify the Governor and the Legislature of this recommendation. The bill would require the state board, at a public meeting, to adopt or reject the recommendation of the Superintendent in accordance with a specified procedure.
If the state board determines that the academic content standards need to be updated, the bill would require the Superintendent 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 Superintendent, following receipt of the recommendation by the Instructional Quality Commission, to recommend the revised standards to the state board. 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. The bill would require the state board, within 120 days, to adopt, reject, or modify the revised standards at a public meeting in accordance with a specified procedure.
The bill would require the Superintendent, by January 1, 2021, and in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission, to send a proposal to the state board and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature for a modified process of revising standards for instances in which only very minor revisions to a set of academic 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 bill.
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 academic content 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) 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.