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We Did It! ESMC Was Adopted!

APISBMA is pleased to announce the final draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) on the State Board of Education (SBE) agenda for approval on March 16-18 was adopted!  All of APISBMA'S recommendations were incorporated.


APISBMA's effort to ensure a usable, accessible, and equitable Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum will impact many generations to come.



THIRD REVIEW DRAFT ADVOCACY

 

Please click here to view letter template 


KEY POINTS OF THE APISBMA POSITION LETTER


Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association (APISBMA) recommends that the final draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) be approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) on March 18, 2021. APISBMA’s key priorities include:

  • Retaining all sample lessons in the AAPI unit in Chapter 4 of the final ESMC draft.
  • Supporting the placement of additional Korean American lesson plans in the California Educators Together website under the Ethnic Studies Group Resources. We recommend that the California Department of Education develop a process for submitting additional lesson plans to be housed at the website so it can be a valuable living resource for educators.


APISBMA also maintains that AAPI Studies in Chapters 3,4,5, and 6 be approved. Furthermore, APISBMA endorses all suggestions by the California Department Education to the AAPI Studies with the following revisions to improve clarity:

  • Include an ESMC section on “The Benefits of Ethnic Studies” to discuss how Ethnic Studies benefits all students. 
  • In Chapter 3:  Instructional Guidance for K-12 Education, Jewish American Studies should not be listed as a subfield under Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies.  


We also urge the State Board of Education and the California State Legislature to take the following steps to improve Ethnic Studies:

  • Provide sufficient financial and other resources for professional development programs in Ethnic Studies.
  • Establish sufficient funding and other resources and support for staff to update curriculum and improve Ethnic Studies in California K-12 education. 


Background:


The following draft chapters contain proposed revisions to the draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that are being recommended to the State Board of Education (SBE) by the CDE. These recommendations will be considered by the SBE at its meeting on March 16–18, 2021. Please see the SBE agenda page for more information, including a table that lists all of the substantive edits.


  • The Model Curriculum (preface)(DOCX)
  • Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview(DOCX)
  • Chapter 2: District Implementation Guidance(DOCX)
  • Chapter 3: Instructional Guidance for K–12 Education(DOCX)
  • Chapter 4: Sample Lessons and Topics(DOCX)
  • Chapter 5: Lesson Resources(DOCX)
  • Chapter 6: UC-Approved Course Outlines(DOCX)


Summary of Journey to Date including Public Comment Metrics

  • Item 9 ESMC Adoption Cover Letter

CDE recommended changes from Third Field Review for final approval

  • Item 9 Attachment 2 ESMC Line Edits

Comprehensive Final Draft

  • https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/cdereceditsesmc.asp


Thank you to our statewide coalition including many non-profit organizations for their support!

Learn More About the State Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

ESMC Timeline

December 7, 2020 - January 21, 2021 45 Day Third Field Review Draft

December 7, 2020 - January 21, 2021 45 Day Third Field Review Draft

  • September 16, 2016| AB 2016 signed into law requiring development of ESMC
  • June 2019 ESMC draft | Contains 7 lessons in AAPI unit - draft is reviewed by an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Advisory Committee
  • July 31, 2020 ESMC draft | Contains 3 lessons from original draft in AAPI unit, revised by California Department of Education (CDE)
  • Aug 13, 2020 ESMC draft | New Pacific Islander lesson added by CDE, commitment to add Arab American lesson by Nov draft
  • September 1-30 | The California Department of Education released the third draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum to the public for public comment period
  • September 2020 | AB 331 which makes Ethnic Studies a high school graduation requirement is awaiting Governor’s signature
  • November 6 | CDE to release ESMC draft for November IQC meeting
  • November 18-19 | The IQC will vote on a fourth and final draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum 
  • Dec 7, 2020-Jan 21, 2021 | 45 day field review of final ESMC draft
  • March 17-18, 2021 | The State Board of Education adopts the final draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

CLICK HERE FOR CA DEPT of ED ESMC EVENTS TIMELINE

December 7, 2020 - January 21, 2021 45 Day Third Field Review Draft

December 7, 2020 - January 21, 2021 45 Day Third Field Review Draft

December 7, 2020 - January 21, 2021 45 Day Third Field Review Draft

At its November 18-19, 2020, meeting, the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) recommended 240 changes to the draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) in response to more than 57,000 public comments including those with suggested line edits received over an 18-month development process. The IQC further recommended a 45-day public comment period on the revised draft that includes the IQC’s changes. Please direct your comments to this draft.

  • The Model Curriculum (preface)(DOCX)
  • Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview(DOCX)
  • Chapter 2: District Implementation Guidance(DOCX)
  • Chapter 3: Instructional Guidance for K–12 Education(DOCX)
  • Chapter 4: Bibliography(DOCX)
  • Appendix A: Sample Lessons and Topics(DOCX)
  • Appendix B: Lesson Resources(DOCX)
  • Appendix C: UC-Approved Course Outlines(DOCX)

Following this third and final field review, CDE will present a final draft and a summary of public comments to the State Board of Education (SBE) at its March 17-18, 2021 meeting.

All written comments on the draft will be made available to SBE members prior to the meeting. Personal contact information such as emails, phone numbers, and addresses will be redacted. Duplicate comments (e.g., form letters or preprinted postcards) may be tallied and posted as a single copy with a note indicating the total number received.

Click here for ESMC Third Field Review

Advocacy

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

The California Department of Education (CDE), in collaboration with leading ethnic studies educators of color, are currently drafting the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC). The ESMC is intended to reflect and acknowledge California’s rich diversity. 
APISBMA's effort to ensure a usable, accessible, and equitable Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum is asking for you and/or your organization to write a letter of support to the California Department of Education.

Key Points for Revision:

  1. The “Asian Americans and the Model Minority Myth” Lesson, Sample Lesson #31 in Appendix A, should be listed as the first sample lesson in the AAPI unit and be rewritten to remove stereotypes and to incorporate reflection based on analyzing data.
  2. Language should be added to Chapter 3: Instructional Guidance for K-12 Education to frame “Asian Americans and the Model Minority Myth” as a foundational lesson to the AAPI Unit and as an indispensable component of any Ethnic Studies course.
  3. In the AAPI Unit, the pan-Asian lesson plans should be listed first, followed by one lesson plan per ethnic group in alphabetical order, and concluding with an additional resources section for groups with more than one lesson plan.  Groups with more than one lesson plan should provide input on which lesson plan is foundational for their group.
  4. Appendix A should be reclassified as "Chapter 4" in the ESMC and "Chapter 4: Bibliography" should be reclassified as  "Chapter 5: Bibliography" Appendices A and B (formerly Appendices B and C).  The lesson plans must be highlighted as core content for educators to build Ethnic Studies courses, not as supporting content in an Appendix. 

POSITION STATEMENT 9/2020

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

The Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association (APISBMA) strongly advocates for Ethnic Studies, however, APISBMA does not support the lack of AAPI inclusion in the Model Curriculum. Because we are AAPI School board members, we see the value in seeing AAPI experiences reflected in the curriculum.  As a school board association that stewards education in California we recognize the importance of students learning the contributions of communities of color. 


Specifically, we believe that the ESMC must reflect the diversity of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.  The ESMC June 2019 draft, Chapter 2, Sample Lesson 2, "Myths and Realities Surrounding the Asian Pacific Islander American Community" offers a foundational overview of Pan-Asianism and the socio-political construction of Asian American and Pacific Islander identity. This lesson guides students through dispelling the model minority myth and provides resources for a discussion on the importance of disaggregating AAPI data. Sample Lesson 2 is absent from the current draft and needs to be restored in the final draft.


While we appreciate that the Pacific Islander lesson has been included in the current ESMC draft, and the IQC has committed to developing an Arab American lesson by the November meeting, APISBMA does not understand why the Cambodian American lesson was removed from the original draft and demands that the lesson be restored.  Based on 2010 census data, some of the largest AAPI ethnic groups - Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Asian Indian - should also be represented with lessons in the ESMC.  For AAPI lessons, we implore that the California Department of Education (CDE) reach out to community stakeholders to review lesson content for authenticity prior to submission to the IQC in November.

The CDE’s Instructional Guidance for K-12 Education in Chapter 3 of the ESMC states that an “Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies course can be designed to be an introduction to the socio-political construction of Asian American and Pacific Islander identity in the United States...This course can explore a broad range of topics and events pertaining to the Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences, and examine their contributions to U.S. history.”


APISBMA maintains that the “Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies” unit must offer the foundational overview of the AAPI pan-ethnic identity, include the full spectrum of the AAPI community, and be aligned with the expansive CDE vision imagined in Chapter 3. Ethnic Studies affords us all the opportunity to be champions of racial justice in the classroom. We look forward to embracing and empowering the global citizens in California’s youth.

PRESS RELEASE 7/31/20

POSITION STATEMENT 1/2021

PRESS RELEASE 7/31/20

The Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association (APISBMA) strongly opposes the July 2020 Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) Draft because it unnecessarily excludes communities of color that were present in previous drafts. 


Specifically, the draft no longer includes course outlines and lesson plans on Cambodian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Arab Americans, and Asian Americans (as a pan-ethnic group).  In addition, Resistance Against Mass Incarceration: The Attica Uprising lesson was removed from African American Studies and the Context of Oppression and Struggle and Indian Land: Purpose, Politics, and Practice of Land Acknowledgment lessons were removed from Native American Studies.  All of these items were included in the prior June 2019 ESMC Draft.


APISBMA acknowledges that the June 2019 Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Draft needed revision; however, no groups and course outlines that were a part of the original draft should have been removed during the revision process.  During this era of xenophobia, violence, and hatred, it is not the time for the exclusion of any communities of color already presented in the draft. In fact, this period underlines why we need Ethnic Studies across our state and nation. One of the strengths of Ethnic Studies is that while it is necessarily centered on people of color, it is designed to uplift all students and to benefit everyone with the knowledge of what race is, what racism is, and how both race and racism structure American life.


APISBMA advocates that removed groups and course outlines be returned to the ESMC draft, revisions be made to further inclusion, and most importantly, a model curriculum be approved by March 2021 so that the work of incorporating ethnic studies into K-12 curriculum can proceed statewide.  


By introducing Ethnic Studies content as early as elementary school, students will be able to develop their skills about race over time, just as students develop their math and language skills over time.  Future generations of Americans will have the race skills necessary to have positive interracial interactions and friendships, engage in difficult race related conversations, and work collaboratively to dismantle systemic racism.


APISBMA maintains that the “Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies” unit is categorically insufficient to assist teachers in building content on educating students about the full spectrum of the API community. The absence of sample course outlines and lesson plans in the July 2020 ESMC draft on Cambodian Americans, Arab Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans (as a pan-ethnic group) is exclusionary.  It will be to California’s detriment to lose the richness and diversity of API experiences if the current Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum draft is approved.

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