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K-12 areas of instruction required by statute in California

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See also: K-12 education content standards in the states

This page features information about K-12 areas of instruction required by state statute in California public schools.

Background

See also: K-12 education content standards in the states and K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states

State education officials may develop content standards and curricula, depending on the state, in order to facilitate instruction in public schools. In some states, lawmakers also adopt required areas of instruction by statute.

K-12 content standards and curriculum development

State or local education officials may develop K-12 curricula for classroom instruction that generally includes lessons and materials used in a particular course of study.[1] Depending on the state, K-12 curricula may reflect or incorporate state content standards—educational learning and achievement goals that state education officials either require or recommend that local schools satisfy in K-12 instruction.

Areas of instruction required by statute

Some state laws require the inclusion of specific areas of instruction in K-12 public school curricula. In these cases, lawmakers—rather than state education officials—mandate certain education requirements for students. Laws governing specific areas of instruction in K-12 curricula vary by state.

Statutorily required areas of instruction in California

The following table provides information about selected areas of instruction required by statute in California as of 2021. The statutes provided may not be comprehensive. The statutory text is provided below the table.

Statutorily required areas of instruction in California
Area(s) of instruction Statute(s)
Course of study for grades 1 to 6 (English, mathematics, social sciences, science, visual and performing arts, health, physical education) California Education Code § 51210 (2021)
Course of study for grades 7 to 12 (English, mathematics, social sciences, world languages, physical education, science, visual and performing arts, applied arts, career technical education, automobile driver education) California Education Code § 51220 (2021)


California Education Code § 51210 (2021):

“ Course of Study, Grades 1 to 6


(a) The adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall include instruction, beginning in grade 1 and continuing through grade 6, in the following areas of study:

(1) English, including knowledge of, and appreciation for literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking, reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.
(2) Mathematics, including concepts, operational skills, and problem solving.
(3) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; contemporary issues; and the wise use of natural resources.
(4) Science, including the biological and physical aspects, with emphasis on the processes of experimental inquiry and on the place of humans in ecological systems.
(5) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
(6) Health, including instruction in the principles and practices of individual, family, and community health.
(7) Physical education, with emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period.
(8) Other studies that may be prescribed by the governing board.[2]
 ”

California Education Code § 51220 (2021):

“ Courses of Study, Grades 7 to 12


The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall offer courses in the following areas of study:
(a) English, including knowledge of and appreciation for literature, language, and composition, and the skills of reading, listening, and speaking.

(b) (1) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; instruction in our American legal system, the operation of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, and the rights and duties of citizens under the criminal and civil law and the State and Federal Constitutions; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; human rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust; and contemporary issues.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, genocide may include the Armenian Genocide. The “Armenian Genocide” means the torture, starvation, and murder of 1,500,000 Armenians, which included death marches into the Syrian desert, by the rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people during the period from 1915 to 1923, inclusive.


(c) World language or languages, beginning not later than grade 7, designed to develop a facility for understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the particular language.

(d) Physical education, with emphasis given to physical activities that are conducive to health and to vigor of body and mind, as required by Section 51222.

(e) Science, including the physical and biological aspects, with emphasis on basic concepts, theories, and processes of scientific investigation and on the place of humans in ecological systems, and with appropriate applications of the interrelation and interdependence of the sciences.

(f) Mathematics, including instruction designed to develop mathematical understandings, operational skills, and insight into problem-solving procedures.

(g) Visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts, with emphasis upon development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.

(h) Applied arts, including instruction in the areas of consumer education, family and consumer sciences education, industrial arts, general business education, or general agriculture.

(i) Career technical education designed and conducted for the purpose of preparing youth for gainful employment in the occupations and in the numbers that are appropriate to the personnel needs of the state and the community served and relevant to the career desires and needs of the pupils.

(j) Automobile driver education, designed to develop a knowledge of the Vehicle Code and other laws of this state relating to the operation of motor vehicles, a proper acceptance of personal responsibility in traffic, a true appreciation of the causes, seriousness, and consequences of traffic accidents, and the knowledge and attitudes necessary for the safe operation of motor vehicles. A course in automobile driver education shall include education in the safe operation of motorcycles.

(k) Other studies as may be prescribed by the governing board.[2]

”

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Glossary of Education Reform, "Curriculum," accessed July 26, 2022
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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