(1)Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. These requirements include the completion of 3 courses in social studies, including one-year courses in United States history and geography and world history, culture, and geography, and one-semester courses in American government and economics.

This bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to service learning. The bill would additionally require, commencing with the high school class graduating during the 202021 school year, and for the high school classes graduating in each subsequent school year, at least one of the social studies classes courses completed by a pupil to satisfy the graduation requirements referenced above to have a service learning component. The bill would define service learning for this purpose.

The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop curriculum standards for social studies courses that incorporate a service learning component in order to satisfy the requirements of this bill. The bill would require the Superintendent to consult with leaders of community organizations, pupils, parents, classroom teachers, school administrators, postsecondary educators, representatives of business and industry, and other persons with knowledge or experience the Superintendent deems appropriate to the task of developing these curriculum standards. The bill would require the Superintendent to submit these proposed curriculum standards to the State Board of Education on or before July 1, 2016, March 1, 2017, and for the state board to adopt or reject curriculum standards that incorporate a service learning component into social studies courses on or before January July 1, 2017.

The If the state board adopts these proposed curriculum standards, the bill would require these the curriculum standards to be implemented by school districts, commencing with the 201718 school year, as a component of social studies courses in order to satisfy the graduation requirements enacted by this bill. To the extent the implementation of these curriculum standards would impose new duties on school districts, this bill would constitute a state-mandated local program.

(2)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.

(1)Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. These requirements include the completion of 3 courses in social studies, including one-year courses in United States history and geography and world history, culture, and geography, and one-semester courses in American government and economics.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would require pupils to complete volunteer community service in order for middle school pupils to transition to high school and for pupils to graduate from high school. express legislative findings and declarations relating to service learning. The bill would additionally require, commencing with the high school class graduating during the 202021 school year, and for the high school classes graduating in each subsequent school year, at least one of the social studies classes completed by a pupil to satisfy the graduation requirements referenced above to have a service learning component.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would require pupils to complete volunteer community service in order for middle school pupils to transition to high school and for pupils to graduate from high school.

Date of Hearing: May 20, 2015

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Jimmy Gomez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 524

Author:(Low) – As Amended Ver:May 5, 2015

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to develop curriculum standards for courses that incorporate a service learning component in order to satisfy state and local high school graduation requirements. It sets forth a process for the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt or reject curriculum standards for a service learning component by July 1, 2017. And it requires the high school class graduating during 2020-21 to satisfy the service-learning component, through any subject required for high school graduation, if the standards are approved by the SBE.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Proposition 98/GF state mandated reimbursable costs, potentially in excess of $30 million, to incorporate the service learning component into high school classes. School districts may need to hire a service learning programs coordinator, if existing contracts do not allow for an existing teacher to assume this work. Supplemental instructional materials will need to be purchased and districts may incur costs associated with community-based service learning programs.

2. One-time General Fund costs of approximately $380,000 to develop curriculum standards for courses that incorporate service learning. Costs include stakeholder advisory group meetings, contracting with a primary standards writer, and other associated staffing costs.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. Service-learning is distinguished from volunteering or community service in that it connects service with structured opportunities to learn from the experience. The federal Learn and Serve program of the Corporation for National and Community Service define service-learning as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities”.

According to the author, while some school districts in California incorporate community service or service-learning into the high school curriculum and require it for graduation, other districts do not integrate service-learning into their educational experience. This bill would make service learning a high school graduation requirement in all California high schools.

2. Background. Many school districts have local service-learning or volunteer graduation requirements.

• Los Angeles Unified School District requires a service-learning experience of all high school students, measured by an approved project, not a number of hours served.

• Culver City Unified School District requires 60 hours of service-learning in high school for graduation.

• Paramount Unified School District requires 30 hours of community service for graduation, starting with this year’s graduating class.

• Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District requires 40 hours of community service for graduation.

• San Jose Unified School District requires certification of a minimum of 40 hours of community service for graduation.

3. Concerns. The California Department of Education is concerned that the timeline in the bill is unworkable. The bill requires standards to be submitted to the SBE by March 1, 2017, who would need to act by July 1, 2017. The standards would have to be implemented by districts statewide by the 2017–18 school year since the graduation requirement would be enforced starting with the graduating class of 2020-21. This could prove very difficult to implement at the local level. The CDE recommends moving the implementation date out another year.

The CDE also notes the update of the History–Social Science Framework, which is expected to be completed in early 2016 and the development of new assessments in history–social science pursuant to Assembly Bill 484 (2013) could be delayed if CDE needs to shift resources to implement the provisions of this bill. CDE further notes the current draft of the History-Social Science Framework includes a new appendix on service learning and multiple examples of service learning activities throughout the narrative course descriptions. Additionally, nothing in current law prevents school districts from implementing service learning programs.

4. Previous legislation. AB 1911 (Wesson and Hertzberg) of 2000, would have required school districts offering grades 9 - 12 to offer students the opportunity to enroll in courses that include service-learning activities for credit toward graduation. This bill was held on Suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Analysis Prepared by: Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 22, 2015

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Patrick O'Donnell, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 524

Author:(Low) – As Amended Ver:March 26, 2015

SUBJECT: School curriculum: social studies: service-learning

SUMMARY: Requires, beginning with the high school class of 2020-21, that at least one of the social studies classes required for graduation include a service-learning component. Also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to develop curriculum standards for social studies courses that incorporate a service-learning component. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires the SPI to develop curriculum standards for social studies courses that incorporate a service-learning component.

2. Requires the SPI, when developing these standards, to consult with leaders of community organizations, students, parents, classroom teachers, school administrators, postsecondary educators, representatives of business and industry, and other persons with knowledge or experience the Superintendent deems appropriate. Requires that these people represent, as much as feasible, the diverse regions and socioeconomic communities of this state.

3. Requires the SPI to submit the proposed curriculum standards to the State Board of Education (SBE) for review on or before July 1, 2016.

4. Requires the SBE to adopt curriculum standards that incorporate a service-learning component into social studies courses on or before January 1, 2017.

5. Requires the standards to be implemented by school districts, commencing in the 2017-18 school year, for the purpose of the graduation requirement described below.

6. Requires that, commencing with the high school class of 2020–21, at least one of the classes completed by a student to satisfy the social studies course graduation requirement must have a service-learning component.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Specifies requirements for graduation from high school, including: three courses in English; two courses in mathematics; two courses in science; three courses in social studies; one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or career technical education; and two courses in physical education.

2. Requires that, of the three courses in social studies, two must be year-long courses in United States history and geography, and in world history, culture, and geography, and that the remaining two are a one-semester courses in American government and civics, and a one-semester course in economics.

FISCAL EFFECT: The Office of Legislative Counsel has keyed this bill as a state-mandated local program.

COMMENTS:

Need for the bill. The author’s office states, “Service-learning is a powerful instructional strategy for improving the educational performance of pupils, along with contributing to the development of character, values, self-esteem, civic responsibility, and knowledge of local community issues and concerns. Like community service, service-learning requires students to serve their communities. Service-learning, however, takes community service one step further by incorporating the service experiences of students directly into their school work.

While some school districts in California incorporate community service or service-learning into the high school curriculum and require it for graduation, there is a missed opportunity for students in other districts that do not integrate service-learning into their educational experience.

According to a 1998 report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), senior pupils who are engaged in volunteer work, whether through school or on their own, are likely to have significantly higher civic assessment scale scores than pupils who did not participate in volunteer work. The date of the study is significant in that it was the last time NAEP tested students’ progress in civics.

Recognizing the need for civic and service-learning in our state, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson formed the California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning in 2013 to assess civic education in schools. It found that too often the emphasis in the classroom is on memorization rather than participatory skills and experimental learning. Many classes did not assess whether students are prepared for their roles and responsibilities as citizens or the degree to which schools provide students with learning opportunities that achieve civic outcomes.

Young people who recall their civic learning experiences are more likely to vote, know general facts about the U.S. political system, and continue to be engaged in their community. AB 524 will revitalize quality civic and service-learning experiences in the classroom and shape our students to become active and informed citizens of our state.”

Service-learning vs. community service/volunteering. Service-learning is distinguished from volunteering or community service in that it connects service with structured opportunities to learn from the experience. The federal Learn and Serve program of the Corporation for National and Community Service defined service-learning as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (see comments below for the definition in federal law).

Service-learning supports academic achievement, narrows achievement gap. A 2011 meta-analysis of 62 studies involving 11,837 students found that, compared to controls, students who participated in service-learning programs demonstrated significant gains in five outcome areas: attitudes toward self, attitudes toward school and learning, civic engagement, social skills, and academic performance. The analysis also found that following certain recommended practices—such as linking to curriculum, community involvement, and reflection—were associated with better outcomes. A 2005 analysis of 217,000 student surveys found that “service [service-learning was not measured] of only one hour per week among lower-income students was related to significant reduction of the gap in achievement-related assets between higher and lower-income students.”

Nationally, community service increasing but service-learning declining. A 2008 national study published by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that “while school-based community service remains robust, the substantial growth in service-learning documented by federally funded studies conducted in 1979 and 1999 has not continued. In fact, the 2008 survey reveals a reversal of that trend, with the percentage of schools with service-learning declining from 32 percent in 1999 to 24 percent in 2008.” The study attributed that trend, in part, to the higher value placed on service as a means to promote civic behaviors than academic engagement. The study concluded, “When faced with budget constraints and state curriculum requirements, many schools are likely to place service activities outside of the curriculum and use methods other than service-learning in the classroom.”

CalServe program eliminated. From 1990 to 2012, the CDE operated the CalServe program, using federal funds from the Learn and Serve program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. CalServe provided funding to California’s county offices of education, districts, and schools to support the statewide implementation of service-learning. Federal funding for Learn and Serve America was eliminated from the 2011–12 budget, which eliminated CalServe's partnerships. Some participating school districts have continued to use service-learning as an instructional method.

Some districts have a volunteer or service-learning graduation requirement. While the state does not collect data on service-learning courses or community service graduation requirements, many school districts have local service-learning or volunteer graduation requirements. These vary in terms of time requirements and integration with coursework. Some districts with such requirements include:

• Los Angeles Unified School District requires a service-learning experience of all high school students, measured by an approved project, not a number of hours served.

• Culver City Unified School District requires 60 hours of service-learning in high school for graduation.

• Paramount Unified School District requires 30 hours of community service for graduation, starting with this year’s graduating class.

• Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District requires 40 hours of community service for graduation.

• San Jose Unified School District requires certification of a minimum of 40 hours of community service is required for graduation.

Other states. According to the Education Commission of the States (ECS), Maryland is the only state with a service-learning graduation requirement. The District of Columbia also has such a requirement. Maryland’s service-learning requirement was instituted in 1992, and requires students to either complete seventy-five hours of student service that includes preparation, action, and reflection components, or a locally-designed program in student service that has been approved by the State Superintendent of Schools.

Twenty-two other states offer credit toward graduation for service-learning or community service. Some states have created service-learning elective courses, and others offer a half or full credits for service that meets certain criteria. A few states encourage or explicitly permit districts to offer service-learning as part of required coursework or as a graduation requirement. California law does not explicitly permit either of these ways of earning credit toward state graduation requirements through service-learning.

Is service-learning on this scale feasible now? In order to create meaningful opportunities for students to serve and learn from the experience, teachers must engage in thoughtful curriculum and service placement design. Doing this for the 400,000 annual graduates of California schools is a significant task, especially at a time when schools are managing many complex changes to curriculum, instruction, and school finance. The Committee may wish to consider if school districts can reasonably meet the requirements of this bill in the current policy environment.

Arguments in opposition. The California Council for the Social Studies writes, “While the subject matter of your bill should be part of every high-performing secondary school…the CCSS takes a principled stand against legislative measures that statutorily mandate micromanaged curriculum of Social Studies coursework.  The Education Code sections amended by your measure should remain broadly defined, while the more detailed standards and frameworks should be developed by subject-matter experts through the normal, curriculum design process within the Department of Education (Instructional Quality Commission) and eventually adopted by the State Board of Education., For that reason, alone -- and not for any opposition to the intent behind your measure vis-a-vis service learning, CCSS must respectfully oppose AB 524.”

Define service-learning. Because service-learning is often confused with volunteering or community service, and because the intent of this bill is to promote the integration of service and academic work, staff recommends that the bill be amended to define service-learning, based on the definition used in the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (reauthorized through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009), amended to refer to secondary school and academic content standards, as follows: “For purposes of this act, the term service-learning means 1) a method under which students or participants learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that a. is conducted in and meets the needs of a community; b. is coordinated with a secondary school and with the community; and c. helps foster civic responsibility; and 2) that a. is integrated into and enhances the standards-based academic curriculum of the students; and b. provides structured time for the students or participants to reflect on the service experience.”

Allow service-learning to be integrated into any class required for graduation. This bill requires that students complete at least one social studies course which has a service-learning component. But service-learning can be a powerful instructional strategy in a range of subjects, and there are opportunities for service-learning in nearly every discipline taught in high school. LAUSD students in physical education courses have, for example, developed standards-based physical education lessons and taught them to elementary school students. Other LAUSD students in a science course have partnered with a local aquarium to test water quality and develop water quality action plans. Allowing service-learning to occur in any course required for graduation would also lessen the burden on social studies teachers, who would have sole responsibility for implementing these projects under this bill. Staff recommends that the bill be amended to allow the service-learning requirement to be met in any course required for graduation either by the state or local governing boards.

Adjust standards timelines. The CDE advises that the shortest possible timeline for the development of standards through the Instructional Quality Commission is 14 months. This bill requires standards for service-learning in social studies courses to be completed six months after the effective date of the bill. Staff recommends that the bill be amended to 1) make the standards applicable to service-learning in any subject required for high school graduation (consistent with the above recommendation), 2) change the date by which the CDE must submit standards to the SBE to March 1, 2017 and corresponding date by which they must be adopted by the SBE, and 3) consistent with other legislation approved by this Committee, require the SBE to adopt or reject the standards, and if the standards are rejected provide a written explanation to the Legislature and Governor.

Previous legislation. AB 1911 (Wesson and Hertzberg) of the 1999-2000 Session, as heard by this Committee, would have required school districts offering grades 9 - 12 to offer students the opportunity to enroll in courses that include service-learning activities for credit toward graduation. This bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None on file

Opposition

California Council for the Social Studies

Analysis Prepared by: Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087