BILL NUMBER: SB 140INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Lowenthal JANUARY 31, 2011 An act to add Section 60605.85 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 140, as introduced, Lowenthal. Instructional materials: common core academic content standards. Existing law establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission, consisting of 12 appointed members, as specified. The commission is required to develop academic content standards in language arts and mathematics and to present its recommended academic content standards to the State Board of Education. Existing law requires at least 85% of these standards to be the common core academic standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium or any associated or related interstate collaboration. Existing law requires the state board to adopt or reject the academic content standards. Existing law exempts instructional materials adopted pursuant to these provisions from specified requirements relating to the approval and adoption of basic instructional materials by the state board. This bill would require the State Department of Education to develop a list, on or before July 1, 2012, of supplemental instructional materials that are aligned with the common core academic content standards in language arts and mathematics adopted pursuant to the process described above. The bill would require the state board to either adopt or reject the instructional materials as proposed by the department. The bill would also permit the governing boards of school districts to adopt instructional materials other than those adopted by the state board if the governing board determines that other instructional materials are aligned with the common core academic content standards and meet the needs of the pupils of the district. The bill would require the department to maintain on its Internet Web site a portal for local educational agencies to share information about instructional materials that are aligned with the common core academic content standards. 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 finds and declares all of the following: (a) California and 40 other states have adopted common core academic content standards in language arts and mathematics to provide consistent and clear expectations of what pupils need to learn to compete in a global economy. (b) Eighty-five percent of the standards are common across the nation, with 15 percent being unique to California. (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the state collaborate with other states in the development of instructional materials to realize efficiencies, particularly for the 85 percent of the standards that are common across the nation. SEC. 2. Section 60605.85 is added to the Education Code, to read: 60605.85. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the department shall develop a list, on or before July 1, 2012, of supplemental instructional materials that are aligned with the common core academic content standards in language arts and mathematics adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8. The supplemental instructional materials shall provide a bridge between the common core academic content standards and the standards-aligned instructional materials currently being used by local educational agencies. (b) On or before August 1, 2012, the state board shall do either of the following: (1) Adopt the instructional materials as proposed by the department. (2) Reject the instructional materials as proposed by the department. If the state board rejects the instructional materials it shall provide a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed materials were rejected. (c) The governing boards of school districts may adopt instructional materials other than those adopted by the state board pursuant to subdivision (b) if the governing board determines that other instructional materials are aligned with the common core academic content standards and meet the needs of the pupils of the district. A governing board of a school district may only adopt instructional materials that comply with the requirements of Section 60226 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 60040) and Article 4 (commencing with Section 60060). (d) Prior to adopting instructional materials pursuant to this section, the state board, or the governing board of a school district that chooses to adopt instructional materials pursuant to subdivision (c), shall review the instructional materials for academic content, social content, and instructional support to teachers and pupils. Instructional materials adopted pursuant to this section shall meet required program criteria for grade-level programs, intervention programs, and English learners and shall include materials for use by teachers. (e) The department shall maintain on its Internet Web site a portal for local educational agencies to share information about instructional materials that are aligned with the common core academic content standards.