AB 1734, Mazzoni. Instructional strategies.
Existing law provides for the establishment and maintenance of subject matter projects by the Regents of the University of California, with the concurrence of the Trustees of the California State University, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to establish and maintain cooperative endeavors designed to strengthen the subject matter knowledge and enhance the instructional strategies in each subject area of teachers in the public schools. Existing law specifies priorities for funding subject matter projects and declares the intent of the Legislature that a project policy board be established within each subject matter project to assist in the administration of the projects. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature with respect to the criteria for approval of subject matter projects. Existing law makes those provisions inapplicable to any subject matter area that is specifically addressed by one or more subject matter projects already established in statute, but requires subject matter projects already established in statute to coordinate with programs and projects established by those provisions.

This bill would instead authorize the Regents of the University of California to establish and maintain cooperative endeavors designed to accomplish specified goals, with the approval of a 9-member Concurrence Committee, which the bill would establish. The bill would prescribe the duties of the Concurrence Committee regarding subject matter projects. The bill would require a 4-year independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the subject matter projects undertaken to be performed by a contractor selected pursuant to specified provisions to be reported to the State Board of Education, the Governor, and the Legislature by July 1, 2002, and would require an annual report of the preliminary results of this evaluation beginning July 1, 2000. The bill would prescribe the required components of the evaluation.

The bill would require that statewide subject matter projects accomplish specified goals. The bill would delete those provisions regarding the priority for funding subject matter projects, and would instead require that certain specified subject matter projects be funded. The bill would delete the statement of legislative intent regarding a project policy board, and would instead require, within each subject matter project, a project advisory board, composed as specified, to be established to perform specified duties. The bill would require the project advisory board of each statewide subject matter project to use specified criteria in recommending funding for local project sites.

This bill would make these provisions inoperative on June 30, 2002, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2003. The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.


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


SECTION 1. Section 99200 of the Education Code is amended to read:

99200.

(a) With funds appropriated therefor, and with the approval of the Concurrence Committee, the Regents of the University of California shall establish and maintain cooperative endeavors designed to accomplish the following:

(1) Develop and enhance teachers' subject matter knowledge in the
subject matter areas specified in Section 99201.
(2) Develop and enhance teachers' instructional strategies to improve student learning and academic performance as measured against State Board of Education standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.
(3) Provide teachers with access to and opportunity to examine
current research that is demonstrably linked to improved student
learning and achievement as measured by performance levels on state
tests administered pursuant to Section 60605.
(4) Maintain subject-specific professional communities that create ongoing opportunities for teacher learning and research.
(5) Develop and deploy as teacher leaders, teachers with demonstrated levels of expertise in the classroom and certifiable levels of content knowledge.

(b) The duties of the Concurrence Committee shall include, but need not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Ensuring that the statewide and local subject matter projects comply with requirements of this chapter.
(2) Developing rules and regulations for the statewide subject matter projects.
(3) Selecting a contractor for a four-year independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the subject matter projects.

(c) A four-year independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the subject matter projects shall be performed by a contractor selected pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), and shall be reported to the State Board of Education, the Governor, and the Legislature by July 1, 2002. Preliminary results shall be reported annually beginning January 1, 2000. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Documenting the impact of participation in the program on student achievement in the statewide tests administered pursuant to Section 60605.
(2) Measuring the results of research on learning, knowledge, and educational materials developed by the statewide subject matter projects.
(3) Documenting the quantity, quality, cost effectiveness, and inclusiveness of subject matter project programs.
(4) The impact of the subject matter projects on the performance levels of low-performing schools affiliated with the subject matter projects.

(d) Grants to establish local sites of statewide subject matter projects shall be available to institutions of higher education, county offices of education and school districts, or any combination thereof, with a subject matter proposal approved pursuant to this article. Once established, each subject matter project shall be administered by the University of California in cooperation with the Concurrence Committee. Local sites of statewide subject matter projects shall be distributed throughout the state so that elementary, secondary, and postsecondary school personnel located in rural, urban, and suburban areas may avail themselves of subject matter projects.

(e) The composition of the Concurrence Committee shall be as follows:

(1) One representative selected by the Regents of the University of California.
(2) One representative selected by the Board of Trustees of the California State University.
(3) Two representatives selected by the State Board of Education.
(4) One representative selected by the Governor.
(5) One representative selected by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(6) One representative selected by the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission.
(7) One representative of the California Community Colleges selected by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
(8) One representative of an independent postsecondary institution selected by the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.

SECTION 2. Section 99200.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:

99200.5. The statewide subject matter projects shall accomplish all of the following goals:

(a) Create opportunities for researchers, higher education faculty, and elementary and secondary school faculty to work together to accomplish all of the following:

(1) Identify exemplary teaching practices.
(2) Examine and develop research on learning, knowledge, and educational materials.
(3) Provide support to teachers to develop and enhance the content knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary to implement State Board of Education standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.

(b) Collect the necessary data to perform the evaluation required by subdivision

(c) of Section 99200.

SECTION 3. Section 99201 of the Education Code is repealed.

SECTION 4. Section 99201 is added to the Education Code, to read:

99201. The following subject matter projects shall be authorized
pursuant to this chapter:

(a) The California Writing Project.

(b) The California Reading and Literature Project.

(c) The California Mathematics Project.

(d) The California Science Project.

(e) The California History-Social Science Project.

(f) The World History and International Studies Project.

SECTION 5. Section 99201.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

99201.5. Nothing in this chapter shall preclude the University of California from establishing other subject matter projects in subject areas not specified in Section 99201. However, no funds allocated in the annual Budget Act for the purposes of this chapter shall be used for subject matter projects in subject areas not specified in Section 99201.

SECTION 6. Section 99202 of the Education Code is amended to read:

99202.

(a) Within each subject matter project, a project advisory board shall be established to do all of the following:

(1) Set guidelines for project sites.
(2) Review and recommend site proposals for funding.
(3) Monitor project activities to ensure that they adequately reflect the priorities of the project and that projects comply with the requirements of this chapter.
(4) Perform other duties as determined by the Concurrence Committee rules and regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision(b) of Section 99200.

(b) The composition of each advisory board shall be as follows:

(1) One representative selected by the California Postsecondary Education Commission.
(2) Two representatives selected by the President of the University of California, one of whom is a member of the faculty in the discipline addressed by the project.
(3) Two representatives selected by the Chancellor of the California State University, one of whom is a member of the faculty in the discipline addressed by the project.
(4) Three representatives selected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, one of whom is a classroom teacher in the subject areas addressed by the project.
(5) Two representatives of the State Board of Education, one of whom is a classroom teacher in the subject areas addressed by the subject.
(6) One representative selected by the Governor.
(7) One representative selected by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(8) One representative of the statewide professional organization of teachers in the subject matter addressed by the project, to be selected by the president of that organization. If there is more than one statewide professional organization of teachers in that subject area, the members of the advisory board may choose which organization shall select the representative and may choose to
include a representative of one or more of the other organizations as nonvoting members of the advisory board.
(9) Two representatives of the California community colleges selected by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, one of whom is a faculty member in the subject matter area addressed by the project.
(10) Two representatives of an independent postsecondary institution selected by the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, one of whom is a member of the faculty in the discipline addressed by the project.

SECTION 7. Section 99203 of the Education Code is amended to read:

99203. The project advisory board of each statewide subject
matter project shall use the following criteria in recommending
funding for local project sites:

(a) The proposed site is designed to provide support to teachers to develop and enhance the content knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary to implement State Board of Education standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.

(b) The proposed site allocates a minimum of 75 percent of program slots to teachers from schools achieving scores on the state tests administered pursuant to Section 60605 that rank the school in the bottom 40 percent of all California schools.

(c) The proposed site develops formal partnerships with low-performing schools that achieve scores on the state tests administered pursuant to Section 60605 that rank the school in the bottom 40 percent of all California schools.

(d) The proposed site maintains evaluation data as required by subdivision (c) of Section 99200.

(e) The proposed site gives attention to instructional strategies that make use of educational technology to support the instructional program.

(f) The proposed site involves various levels and segments of education in a cooperative approach.

(g) Participating school districts, colleges, and universities provide financial and personnel support for the proposed site.

(h) The proposed site uses participants as professional development providers in school districts, colleges, and universities.

(i) The proposed site provides continuing professional development to project participants.

(j) The proposed site addresses the need to integrate existing standards of competence in the subject matter into the curriculum at the grade level taught by each participating teacher.

(k) The proposed site contributes to the effectiveness of school and district development plans and coordinates with existing agencies or entities, such as the resource agency or consortia established pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 44680) of Chapter 3.1 of Part 25.

(l) Neighboring institutions have worked collaboratively to develop a proposal which clearly indicates their intention to continue to work cooperatively throughout the duration of the local project.

SECTION 8. Section 99205 of the Education Code is repealed.

SECTION 9. Section 99206 is added to the Education Code, to read:

99206. This chapter shall become inoperative on June 30, 2002, and, as of January 1, 2003, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2003, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SECTION 10. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

To provide for continuity in the establishment and maintenance of subject matter projects, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.

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