Two bills, SB 1380 (Escutia) and AB 2744 (Goldberg) have been passed out of both houses of the legislature and are on their way to the Governor's desk for signature. SB 1380 will offer an alternative to the current materials adoption process and has the potential to make the purchase of instructional materials easier. AB 2744 provides for the periodic review and revision, by panels of teachers, of the content standards. The bills transfer some powers and responsibilities from the State Board of Education to local districts and subject matter panels. Science educators should take a look at these bills and express their opinions to the Governor. He has to decide whether to sign these bills or veto them.

These two bills will cause some significant changes to the current system of standards and textbook adoption. In brief, if you think there are flaws in the current system and that these bills help solve these problems, you may want to write the governor and tell him why you want him to sign one or both of these bills. On the other hand, if you favor the current system of standards and textbook adoption or think these bills will cause problems, you may want to write the governor and ask him to veto one or both of these bills. He is making the decision now, so you need to write soon.

Letters can be sent to:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

and cc'd to:

Secretary of Education Richard Riordan
Office of the Secretary for Education
1121 L St., Suite 600
Sacramento, CA 95814

Background:

SB 1380 (Escutia) was sponsored by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) to provide districts with an alternate adoption process for instructional materials; it does not eliminate the current adoption process but provides an alternative method by which districts can purchase the kinds of materials they feel best meet the needs of their students. It requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to solicit recommendations for instructional materials from school districts and requires that the state board adopt those materials unless the SBE can demonstrate (within 90 days) that the materials lack any of six criteria:

1. alignment to the content standards for the subject and grade level;
2. a map demonstrating the full alignment of the recommended materials to the relevant grade level content standards frameworks;
3. the scientific evidence supporting the content and approach of the materials (this can come from publishers, federal clearinghouses, or academic journals);
4. a description of the evaluation or piloting process the district used to conclude that the materials are appropriate for the district;
5. a resolution by the local school board supporting the use of the materials; and
6. publishers' documentation that the materials meet the social content guidelines (the same as in the current criteria).

There is no requirement that materials meet ALL the standards for every grade, as the current criteria require. Further, the bill explicitly states that "'instructional materials' includes textbooks, instructional technology, supplementary materials, or a grouping of two or more of these types of instructional materials from one or more source or publisher."
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_1351-1400/sb_1380_bill_20040819_amended_asm.html

AB 2744 provides for the review and revision of the content standards by a panel comprised primarily of teachers, two years prior to the adoption of the framework for the subject in question. This legislation transfers the responsibility for revising state standards from the State Board of Education (SBE) to the new review panels. The State Board still has the authority to approve or reject the revised standards.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_2701-2750/ab_2744_bill_20040823_amended_sen.html

Letters can be sent to:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

and cc'd to:

Secretary of Education Richard Riordan
Office of the Secretary for Education
1121 L St., Suite 600
Sacramento, CA 95814