The purpose of the Governmental Relations Committee of CCSS is to... 

• Develop and recommend strategies and procedures by which CCSS can influence public policy, promote social studies, and enhance civic education. 
• Monitor the work of the Legislative Information Officer and advise and assist CCSS Board of Directors on issues related to legislation and public policy impacting social studies education. 
• Establish, enhance, maintain, and support the dissemination of legislative information to the CCSS membership. 
• Sponsor the Governmental Relations Breakfast at the annual conference. 
• In collaboration with the local CCSS affiliates in the region of the annual conference, select a recipient for the public policy leadership award recognizing actions by a government leader that positively impacts social studies education.

---

April 11, 2013: CCSS adds support of SB 521 (Wyland) and SB 696 (Block) dealing with civic education and project based assessment for civic education to earlier support of AB 137 (Buchanan), below.

Senate Bill 521 (Wyland)  would include “…comparative differences between the rights of citizens in America and those of other countries….”, and to have students connect “…civics and American government to western civilization….”  in the definition of civic education, and lists the same documents at AB 137 to include.

 SB 696 (Block) would change the Academic Performance Index (API) formula for high schools and have project based assessment of civic education be included in that calculation, and lists as civic education learning objectives   ‘the relevance of public policy, the structure of the federal, state, and local governments, and both the California and United States Constitutions.’ The assessment ‘shall use an approach that engages pupils in learning essential knowledge and skills through a pupil-influenced inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed projects and tasks.’

 CCSS is sending letters of support for these bills to their respective authors, and encourages members of CCSS and of other social studies related organizations to send letters also.

Text of support letter for SB 521:

The California Council for the Social Studies writes in support of SB 521 which would require the State’s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), when he history-social science framework is revised, include minimum standards for courses in American government and civics that include sufficient attention to teaching pupils how to interact,  in a practical manner, with state and local governmental agencies and representatives to solve problems and to petition for changes in law. Also to be included are comparative differences between the rights of citizens in America and those in other countries, and the connection of civics and American government to Western civilizations, as part of those standards.

CCSS believes that providing a historical framework and context for civic learning both broadens and deepens and the understanding of and the recognition of the importance of civic learning and civic participation by citizens. Such study should be an essential component of civic education.

As reported by The Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement National Task Force, “Despite all of the energy being devoted to the development of ‘Common Core Standards’ by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the standards released in 2010 do not address the content knowledge students need for democratic citizenship or global participation. At the federal level, the Department of Education’s March 2010 ESEA Blueprint for Reform calls for “a complete education” that includes not only literacy, mathematics, science, and technology but also history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, and other subjects.”

In recent years, civic learning has been increasingly pushed aside. The 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics report found that not even 30 percent of fourth-, eighth- and 12th-grade students were proficient in civics. NAEP also documented a decline in the overall civic knowledge of high school seniors between 2006 and 2010. The health of our American Democracy depends on the understanding of civic values and active participation among our students, residents and citizenry.

CCSS strongly supports SB 521.

Text of support letter for SB 696:

Due to an unfortunate crowding-out of the instructional day by a fixation on the two core disciplines that are disproportionately represented on our state’s high-stakes testing and accountability system, ELA/Mathematics, most California students are not receiving adequate instruction in the core academics of Social Studies (the disciplines of history/social sciences).  As a result, far too many California citizens lack basic understandings of civics, and with this lack of knowledge their ability to truly be civically engaged.

SB 696 is one facet of an effort to reinvigorate the civic engagement of our citizenry by asking the SPI to recommend to the State Board a project-based assessment that measures civics learning objectives.  Specifically, such assessment is to support students in  “…learning essential knowledge and skills through a pupil-influenced inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed projects and tasks…..”

CCSS leaders believe that such an approach will broaden the performance standards the public holds their community schools accountable to, and thereby increase the relevance and priority of civics instruction and engaging learning opportunities.

The health and sustainability of America’s experiment in self-governance is wholly dependent on the civic virtues, dispositions and understandings of the governed. Those values are being marginalized by our current accountability systems, which SB 696 seeks to begin to correct. 

CCSS strongly supports SB 696.

April 4, 2013: CCSS Supports AB 137, which would require the addition of civic education in the next revision of the HSS Framework. Following is the text of the support letter being sent to State Assembly Education Chair Joan Buchanan.

The California Council for the Social Studies writes in support of AB 137, which would require the State’s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), when the history-social science framework is revised, to receive input from civic learning experts, including civic education program providers, associations of civic educators and organizations dedicated to research on civic learning, for the purpose of recommending how to integrate civics learning content, concepts and skills, at each grade level, with Common Core State Standards.

 AB 137 would also require the IQC to ensure that the civic learning content, concepts and skills to be taught shall include, but not be limited to a basic understanding of the responsibilities and operation of the three branches of state and federal government, the importance of civic engagement and the competencies needed to become effective and responsible residents and citizens in the 21st century.

 As reported by The Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement National Task Force, “Despite all of the energy being devoted to the development of ‘Common Core Standards’ by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the standards released in 2010 do not address the content knowledge students need for democratic citizenship or global participation.  At the federal level, the Department of Education’s March 2010 ESEA Blueprint for Reform calls for “a complete education” that includes not only literacy, mathematics, science, and technology but also history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, and other subjects.”

 In recent years, civic learning has been increasingly pushed aside. The 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics report found that not even 30 percent of fourth-, eighth- and 12th-grade students were proficient in civics. NAEP also documented declines in the overall civic knowledge of high school seniors between 2006 and 2010.

 The health of our American Democracy depends on the understanding of civic values and active participation among our students, residents and citizenry.  We urge your support of AB 137.

 Brent Heath

President
California Council for the Social Studies

Committee Agenda/Notes for March 9 2013 meeting at CCSS conference

Update of state and national activities related to civic education; especially the campaign in California (Dr. Michelle Herczog, HSS Coordinator, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Vice President NCSS, Past President CCSS, Co-Chair Gov Rel Committee

Update of assessment/accountability proposal from State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Torlakson to the State Board of Education on 8 January 2013 to suspend non NCLB required CST testing in 2014. Discussion of issues related to proposal. (Jim Hill, Chair Gov Rel Committee; faculty, Educational Leadership Doctoral Program (assessment & accountability), Cal State Univ San Bernardino)Craft a policy recommendation to the CCSS Board of Directors regarding the SPI’s proposal above that includes the perspectives of other organizations within the HSS community. 

Hold extended discussion;this led to committee members agreement to submit resolutions to the CCSS Board that 1) Oppose the new plan to eliminate non ESEA required testing in 2014; 2) Support adding performacne based assessment of civic education to the Academic Performance Index currently undergoing changes; 3) that CCSS support legislating a proces to update HSS standards.

History Social Science To Be Given More Weight in California API Formula!

SB1458, signed by Governor Brown in the last week of September 2012, requires that by Oct 1 2013, the State Superintendent present a plan to the State Board of Education to increase the weight of history social science and science in all schools' API calculation. Among other major changes made to the API that will take effect fully in 2016, this increase will most likely require additional testing in history social science at additional grade levels than is currently the case (grades 8, 10, 11 only). An increase in the weight of history social science and science will mean a decrease in the weight of English and or math, thus providing more of a balance in the state accountability system for more curricular areas. The CCSS legislative analyst Fred Jones played a strong role in this legislative endeavor, and is most excited to see this revision in the state API formula, which over the years encouraged schools and districts to narrow their curricula. CCSS has for years been supportive of this change to encourage the inclusion of citizenship education, which permeates history social science instruction.

Framework Bill Signed

Governor Brown signed (early September 2012) the most recent bill that asks the State Board of Education to consider adopting the updated, revised History Social Science framework after the Department of Education finishes work on the new English and Math frameworks. This major step forward in the process of adopting the revised framework advances the process for new materials. The revised framework is currently in draft form, and can be viewed on the CDE website.

CCSS Members Urged to Write Letters for Federal Funding for Social Studies Education

Anthony Pennay Receives CCSS 2012 Civic Action Award!

Anthony Pennay, Director of the Walter & Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center (APLC) at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation was presented the prestigious CCSS Government Relations Civic Action Award at the Annual CCSS Legislative Breakfast on March 3, 2012 for his profound work in advocating, supporting and promoting social studies education through civic education events and professional development opportunities, the development of civic education programming and curriculum, and active engagement with CCSS, NCSS and the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.

Thank you Mr. Pennay for your support, advocacy and stewardship of social studies education!

Government Relations Committee Conducts Task Force Meeting at CCSS 2012 Conference