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Legislation

Last updated: July 22, 2010

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

STEM Education Task Force

CSTA has been working with the American Chemical Society, NSTA, and the Hands-On Science Partnership (HOSP) on ways to engage the California legislature in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education issues. With ACS taking the lead, we met with Assemblymember Tom Torlakson’s office to ascertain his interest in heading up an effort to form a legislative task force that would increase legislative awareness about current trends and best practices in STEM subjects and address the shortage of Californians prepared to enter into STEM careers. Assemblyman Torlakson introduced a joint resolution, ACR 88, that would establish the California Task Force on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education. The task force would include legislators, K-12 teachers with STEM-related experience, two- or four-year college educators with STEM-related expertise, and business or association representatives. ACR 88 made it out of the Assembly in record time and passed the Senate Education Committee in June. It is currently awaiting passage by the full Senate.

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Instructional Materials and Frameworks

SB 1278, as introduced, would have reinstated the adoption of instructional materials that was halted last year due to budget constraints and would have required that the science and history-social science frameworks, also halted last year, be adopted in 2011. Unfortunately, the bill was amended to eliminate any mention of the science framework and instructional materials adoption and now just calls for the completion of the history-social science framework.
STATUS: The bill passed the Senate and is in the Assembly awaiting a floor vote.

Common Core Standards

AJR 39, co-sponsored by CSTA and the California Council for the Social Studies, calls on the National Governors Association (NGA)and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to replicate the process they undertook to develop common core standards for language arts and math to develop common core standards for science and social studies.
STATUS: Passed both houses and chaptered by the Secretary of State. Chaptered bill.

For current status of these and other science education-related bills, see recent legislation.

Full texts of these and other bills can be found at Leg. Info.

For Senate and Assembly education committees, and to find your legislator, see Legislators.