Educational programs: history-social science framework: adult education: civics instruction.

(1) Existing law requires the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education to request that the Instructional Quality Commission review and revise, as necessary, the course requirements in the history-social science framework, as specified. Existing law requires the commission, when revising the history-social science framework and as appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course, to ensure that certain historical documents are incorporated into the framework, consider incorporating additional specified historical documents into the framework, and encourage instruction that promotes an understanding of the governments of California and the United States of America. This bill would also require the commission, whenever it revises the history-social science framework and as appropriate and based on the subject matter of the course, to, among other things, receive input from civics learning experts for purposes of integrating civics learning content, concepts, and skills, at all appropriate grade levels, with certain standards, and ensure that voter education information is included in the American government and civics curriculum at the high school level, as specified. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature, for purposes of the history-social science framework that is revised any time after July 1, 2015, that the commission consider whether and how to incorporate a specified social studies framework into that framework. The bill also would require the state board to consider incorporating the specified social studies framework into the history-social science content standards when those content standards are next revised after January 1, 2015. (2) Existing law, pursuant to funding made available in the annual Budget Act, requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the State Department of Education to jointly provide 2-year planning and implementation grants to regional consortia of community college districts and school districts for purposes of developing regional plans to better serve the educational needs of adults. Existing law requires the grant funds to be used by each regional consortium to create and implement a plan to better provide adults in the region with certain classes and programs, including, among other things, elementary and secondary basic skills, including classes required for a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate, and classes and courses for immigrants eligible for educational services in citizenship and English as a 2nd language, and workforce preparation classes in basic skills. This bill would require the classes and courses related to elementary and secondary basic skills and the classes and courses for immigrants, as described above, to distribute basic information on American government and civics that includes, but is not limited to, instruction on (A) federal, state, and local government, (B) the 3 branches of government, (C) the importance of civic engagement, and (D) registering to vote. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 33540 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1599 that would become operative if this bill and AB 1599 are both enacted on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is enacted last.