BILL NUMBER: AB 482INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mendoza FEBRUARY 24, 2009 An act to add Section 60200.7 to the Education Code, relating to instructional materials. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 482, as introduced, Mendoza. Instructional materials: English learners. Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt regulations concerning the development of curriculum frameworks and the adoption of instructional materials. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to provide school districts with quality instructional materials written and taught in the English language to accelerate English language acquisition for English learners while upholding and teaching California's English language arts content standards. The bill would require the state board to revise the reading/language arts framework to include, as a core program, the English Language Development Literacy Program, a basic comprehensive English language literacy program for English learners, that would be aligned to both the reading/language arts content standards and the English language development standards adopted by the state board. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature hereby finds and declares the following: (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that school districts be provided with as many standards aligned instructional material options as is possible so that educators may have a selection of the best instructional materials to choose from in order for their pupils to master the state academic content standards. (b) It also is the intent of the Legislature that the state's 1.6 million English learners acquire English as quickly as possible and to assist in the narrowing of the academic achievement gap between English learners and their native English speaking peers. To accomplish this, it is the intent of the Legislature to provide school districts with quality instructional materials written and taught in the English language to accelerate English language acquisition for English learners while upholding and teaching the state English language arts content standards. SEC. 2. Section 60200.7 is added to the Education Code, to read: 60200.7. The state board shall revise the reading/language arts framework to include, as a core program, a basic comprehensive English language literacy program for English learners, to be referred to as the English Language Development Literacy Program, during the next revision cycle in 2013. It shall be a stand-alone program that is enriched, scaffolded, and amplified, and simultaneously develops listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the English language and the academic content standards. It also shall be aligned to both the reading/language arts content standards adopted under Section 60605 and the English language development standards adopted under Section 60811.