California Assembly Bill AB2016 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2016AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 21, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Alejo, Jones-Sawyer, Chiu, and Achadjian (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Eduardo Garcia, Holden, and Nazarian) (Principal coauthors: Senators Block and Hall) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ting and Williams) FEBRUARY 16, 2016 An act to add Section 51226.7 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2016, as amended, Alejo. Pupil instruction: ethnic studies. Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include, among other subjects, the social sciences. Existing law requires the State Board of Education, with the assistance of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to establish a list of textbooks and other instructional materials that highlight the contributions of minorities in the development of California and the United States. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the state board. This bill would require the Instructional Quality Commission to develop, and  for  the state board to adopt, a model curriculum in ethnic studies, and would  require   encourage  each school district and charter school that maintains any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum to offer a course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum.  By imposing new duties on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program:  yes   no  . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The State of California is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities to all of its pupils. (b) There are 92 languages other than English spoken throughout the state, with the primary languages being Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. (c) There is a growing body of academic research that shows the importance of culturally meaningful and relevant curriculum. (d) Based on the National Education Association (NEA) publication, The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies, the inclusion of ethnic studies in a curriculum has a positive impact on pupils of color. (e) Ethnic studies benefit pupils in observable ways, such as pupils becoming more academically engaged, increasing their performance on academic tests, improving their graduation rates, and developing a sense of self-efficacy and personal empowerment. (f) The state's educational standards should be guided by core values of equity, inclusiveness, and universally high expectations. (g) The state is committed to its efforts to provide all pupils with excellent educational opportunities, without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, income, sexual orientation, or disability. (h) The state is committed to its obligation to ensure its youth are college prepared and career ready, while graduating 100 percent of its pupils. (i) The implementation of various ethnic studies courses within California's curriculum that are A-G approved, with the objective of preparing pupils to be global citizens with an appreciation for the contributions of multiple cultures, will close the achievement gap, reduce pupil truancy, increase pupil enrollment, reduce dropout rates, and increase graduation rates. (j) The state should support and work with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California State University teaching credential programs, and other relevant parties in establishing a single subject ethnic studies credential. The state should also support efforts in recruiting, training, and retaining teachers who have relevant experience and educational background in the study and teaching of ethnic studies. SEC. 2. Section 51226.7 is added to the Education Code, to read: 51226.7. (a) The Instructional Quality Commission shall develop, and the state board shall adopt, a model curriculum in ethnic studies to ensure quality courses of study in ethnic studies. The model curriculum shall be developed with participation from  faculty of ethnic studies programs at  universities and colleges with ethnic studies programs and a group of representatives of local educational agencies,  of whom  a majority  of whom  are kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, teachers who have relevant experience or education background in the study and teaching of ethnic studies. (b) The model curriculum shall be written as a guide to allow school districts to adapt their courses to reflect the pupil demographics in their communities. The curriculum shall include examples of courses offered by local educational agencies  which  that  have been approved as meeting the A-G admissions requirements of the University of California and the California State University, including, to the extent possible, course outlines for those courses. (c) On or before June 30, 2019, the Instructional Quality Commission shall submit the model curriculum to the state board for adoption, and the state board shall adopt the model curriculum on or before November 30, 2019. (d) The Instructional Quality Commission shall provide 45 days for public comment before submitting the model curriculum to the state board. (e) Beginning in the school year following the adoption of the model curriculum pursuant to subdivision (a), each school district or charter school maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum  shall   is encouraged to  offer to all otherwise qualified pupils a course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum.  The course shall be offered   A school district or charter school that elects to offer a course of study in ethnic studies pursuant to this subdivision shall offer the course  as an elective in the social sciences or English language  arts,   arts  and shall  be   make the course  available in at least one year during a pupil's enrollment in grades 9 to 12, inclusive. (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that local educational agencies submit course outlines for ethnic studies for approval as A-G courses.  SEC. 3.   If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.