BILL NUMBER: AB 97	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 30, 2010
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 31, 2010
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 20, 2010
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 19, 2009
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JULY 23, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 1, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 14, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torlakson

                        JANUARY 6, 2009

   An act to add Section 60605.85 to the Education Code, relating to
school curriculum.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 97, Torlakson. School curriculum: content standards.
   Existing law, operative until July 1, 2011, and to be repealed on
January 1, 2014, requires the State Board of Education to adopt
statewide academic content standards and performance standards, based
on the recommendation of the Commission for the Establishment of
Academic Content and Performance Standards and the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, respectively. Existing law authorizes the state
board to modify any proposed content standard or performance standard
prior to its adoption.
   This bill would establish the Academic Content Standards
Commission for Science and History-Social Science consisting of 21
appointed members, as specified. This bill would require the state
board, upon recommendation of the Superintendent, to adopt a schedule
for the commission to review and recommend revisions to the science
and history-social science curriculum area content standards, when
funding permits. This bill would require the state board to either
adopt or reject the academic content standards as proposed by the
commission within 90 days of their receipt and would also require the
Superintendent and the state board to present specified information
to the Governor and appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the
Legislature.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 60605.85 is added to the Education Code, to
read:
   60605.85.  (a) There is hereby established the Academic Content
Standards Commission for Science and History-Social Science. The
commission shall consist of 21 members, appointed as follows:
   (1) Eleven members appointed by the Governor.
   (2) Five members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
   (3) Five members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
   (b) Members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the
appointing authority.
   (c) Not less than half of the members appointed by each of the
appointing authorities pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be current
public school elementary or secondary classroom teachers.
   (d) Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, the state board
shall adopt a schedule for the commission to review and recommend
revisions to the science and history-social science curriculum area
content standards, when funding permits.
   (e) The commission shall develop academic content standards in
science and history-social science. The standards shall be
internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career
readiness by the time of high school graduation.
   (f) Pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code), all meetings and hearings of the commission shall
be open and available to the public.
   (g) Within 90 days of receiving the commission's proposed academic
content standards, the state board shall do either of the following:

   (1) Adopt the academic content standards as proposed by the
commission.
   (2) Reject the academic content standards as proposed by the
commission. If the state board rejects the standards it shall provide
a specific written explanation to the Superintendent, the Governor,
and the Legislature of the reasons why the proposed standards were
rejected.
   (h) The Superintendent and state board shall present to the
Governor and to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the
Legislature a schedule and implementation plan for integrating the
academic content standards adopted pursuant to this section into the
state educational system.