Article 3 - Courses of Study, Grades 7 to 12

California Education Code — §§ 51220-51230

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Sections (53)

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 810, Sec. 1.5. (AB 1871) Effective January 1, 2025.

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; personal financial literacy; 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, to the extent instruction is provided on the Spanish colonization of California or the Gold Rush Era, the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans during those periods; 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, on the place of humans in ecological systems, on the causes and effects of climate change, on the methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and with appropriate applications of the interrelation and interdependence of the sciences. Appropriate coursework including material on the causes and effects of climate change and methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change shall be offered to pupils as soon as possible, commencing no later than the 2024–25 school year.

(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 that the governing board may prescribe.

§ 51220.1

Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 1455, Sec. 2.

In addition to the requirements specified in subdivision (j) of Section 51220, automobile driver education shall be designed to develop a knowledge of the dangers involved in consuming alcohol or drugs in connection with the operation of a motor vehicle.

§ 51220.2

Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 607, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1995.

(a)For purposes of subdivision (b) of Section 51220, “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” may include participation in a teen court or peer court program as described in subdivision (b).

(b)A teen court or peer court program shall include each of the following components:

(1)Adjudicates nonviolent misdemeanor offenses committed by pupils in which both the defendant and the defendant’s parents agree to participate in the teen court or peer court proceedings and agree to abide by the teen court’s or peer court’s ruling.

(2)Uses other pupils as jurors, district attorney, counsel for the defense, bailiff, and court clerk.

(3)Operates in cooperation with the court, probation department, district attorney, and public defender.

§ 51220.3

Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 497, Sec. 2. (SB 552) Effective January 1, 2014.

The instruction in all areas of study specified in subdivisions (a) to (j), inclusive, of Section 51220 as deemed appropriate by the governing board and consistent with the adopted course of study for each subject area, may include grade-level appropriate instruction on violence awareness and prevention, which may include personal testimony in the form of oral or video histories that illustrate the economic and cultural effects of violence within a city, the state, and the country.

§ 51220.4

Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 332, Sec. 1. (AB 2537) Effective January 1, 2023.

For purposes of subdivision (j) of Section 51220, a course in automobile driver education shall include, but is not limited to, both of the following:

(a)Education regarding the rights and duties of a motorist as those rights and duties pertain to pedestrians and the rights and duties of pedestrians as those rights and duties pertain to traffic laws and traffic safety.

(b)Viewing the Department of Justice’s video on proper conduct during traffic stops created pursuant to Section 1656.1 of the Vehicle Code.

§ 51220.5

Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 637, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1994. Section conditionally operative by its own provisions.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares the following:

(1)The family is our most fundamental social institution and the means by which we care for, prepare, and train our children to be productive members of society.

(2)Social research shows increasingly that the disintegration of the family is a major cause of increased welfare enrollment, child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, and criminal activity.

(3)The lack of knowledge of parenting skills and the lack of adequate preparation to assume parental responsibilities are not only major causes of family disintegration, but also contribute substantially to the disastrous consequences of teen pregnancy.

(4)Because the state government bears much of the economic and social burden associated with the disintegration of the family in California, the state has a legitimate and vital interest in adequately preparing its residents for parenthood.

(b)The Legislature recognizes that the public education system is the most efficient and effective means to educate the populace on a large-scale basis, and intends, therefore, to use the public education system to ensure that each California resident has an opportunity to acquire knowledge of parenting skills prior to becoming a parent. That knowledge should include, at a bare minimum, all of the following:

(1)Child development and growth.

(2)Effective parenting.

(3)Prevention of child abuse.

(4)Nutrition.

(5)Household finances and budgeting.

(6)Personal and family interaction and relations.

(7)Methods to promote self-esteem.

(8)Effective decisionmaking skills.

(9)Family and individual health.

(c)Commencing with the 1995–96 fiscal year, the adopted course of study for grade 7 or 8 shall include the equivalent content of a one-semester course in parenting skills and education. All pupils entering grade 7 on or after July 1, 1995, shall be offered that course or its equivalent content during grade 7 or 8, or both. On or before January 1, 1995, the State Department of Education shall supply, to each school district that includes a grade 7 or 8, a sample curriculum suitable either for implementation as a stand-alone one-semester course or for incorporation within identified existing required or optional courses, with content designed to develop a knowledge of topics including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1)Child growth and development.

(2)Parental responsibilities.

(3)Household budgeting.

(4)Child abuse and neglect issues.

(5)Personal hygiene.

(6)Maintaining healthy relationships.

(7)Teen parenting issues.

(8)Self-esteem.

A district that implements the curriculum set forth in this subdivision in a stand-alone required course may exempt a pupil from the course if the pupil requests the exemption and satisfactorily demonstrates mastery of the course content. The district shall determine the method by which a pupil may demonstrate this mastery.

(d)Commencing with the 1993–94 fiscal year, community college districts may offer, to interested individuals, noncredit fee-supported courses in parenting skills and education as described in subdivision (c).

(e)This section is not intended to replace existing courses that accomplish the intent of this section. School districts may meet the requirements of this section with existing courses of study offered in any of grades 6 to 9, inclusive, that includes the course contents identified in subdivision (c). When the parenting skills and education curriculum is incorporated within courses other than consumer and home economics courses, these courses are not subject to the curricular standards specified in Section 2 of Chapter 775 of the Statutes of 1989 or in the consumer and home economics education model performance standards and framework. Teachers of courses other than consumer and home economics that incorporate parenting skills and education are not required to meet the qualifications specified for teachers of consumer and home economics.

(f)This section shall become operative only if a funding source is identified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the purposes of this section on or before January 1, 1995.

(g)The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall identify the funding source for this section from existing resources or private resources, or both, that may be available for the purposes of this section. The superintendent shall notify school districts when sufficient funds have been identified and are allocated to cover all costs relating to the operation of this section.

§ 51220.6

Repealed and added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 314, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2006.

(a)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a private school is not required to offer courses in driver education or driver training.

(b)This section shall not be construed to require a private school to offer automobile driver education that meets the requirements of this chapter unless the private school requests the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a certificate of satisfactory completion form.

(c)For purposes of subdivision (j) of Section 51220, Section 51220.1, and subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 12814.6 of the Vehicle Code, the satisfactory completion by a pupil of an Internet-based, correspondence, or other distance-learning course in automobile driver education offered by a private secondary school satisfies the driver education instructional requirements of those provisions and the Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue certificates of satisfactory completion forms if all of the following conditions are met:

(1)The private secondary school has a current affidavit or statement on file in compliance with Section 33190.

(2)The private secondary school utilizes the Department of Motor Vehicles’ driver education curriculum developed under subdivision (f) of former Section 12814.8 of the Vehicle Code for providing the automobile driver education course, or the private school certifies to the Department of Motor Vehicles that the curriculum used is educationally equivalent to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ curriculum.

(3)All certificates issued to a private school by the Department of Motor Vehicles shall remain under the exclusive control of that school. A school shall only issue a certificate to a student who is enrolled in the private school, and has successfully completed a driver education course offered by that school.

(4)All course curriculums contain the school name, school address, and telephone number.

(5)Internet web pages or CD courses are reasonably secure and protected from unauthorized access, modifications, or extraction of confidential data.

(6)Test questions for Internet and CD courses are secured and randomly extracted to safeguard from copying.

§ 51221

Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.

Instruction required by subdivision (b) of Section 51220 in the area of study of social sciences shall also provide a foundation for understanding the wise use of natural resources.

§ 51221.1

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 890, Sec. 2. (SB 1277) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)As used in this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)“Collaborative” means the California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education.

(2)“Genocide” means, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group:

(A)Killing members of the group.

(B)Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members

of the group.

(C)Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about, in whole or in part, its physical destruction.

(D)Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.

(E)Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

(3)“Holocaust,” as described by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of 6,000,000 European Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators; the Nazis also targeted other groups for persecution and murder, including Roma, people with disabilities, some Slavic peoples, especially Poles and Russians, Black people, communists, socialists,

Jehovah’s Witnesses, gay men, and people the Nazis called “asocials” and “professional criminals.”

(b)The California Teachers Collaborative for Holocaust and Genocide Education is hereby established. The collaborative shall be responsible for establishing a statewide teacher professional development program on genocide, including the Holocaust, for school district, county office of education, and charter school teachers.

(c)The collaborative shall consist of leading genocide and Holocaust education organizations and institutions, genocide survivors, educators, and community leaders.

(d)The collaborative’s mission is to ensure that genocide, including Holocaust, education is taught consistent with the current content standards, curriculum frameworks, and instructional materials adopted by the state board, and any

other requirements of this code, including, but not limited to, Sections 51204.5 and 60040, in ways that are interdisciplinary and age-appropriate to pupils of different grade levels.

(e)In addition to focusing on education regarding the Holocaust and other genocides, including, but not limited to, those of the Armenian, Bosnian, Cambodian, Guatemalan, Indigenous American, Rwandan, and Uyghur peoples, the collaborative shall focus on education to identify and confront antisemitism and hate in modern society.

(f)The duties of the collaborative shall include, but are not limited to, both of the following:

(1)Developing and providing curriculum resources on genocide and Holocaust education.

(2)Providing a statewide teacher professional development

program on genocide and Holocaust education.

(g)Subject to available funding, the collaborative duties may include all of the following:

(1)Distributing grants to genocide and Holocaust education organizations and institutions to provide teacher training programs, and developing innovative academic standards-based curricula and digital tools, consistent with the purposes of this section.

(2)Creating a robust digital library of lesson plans and resources on genocide, including Holocaust, education that align with the academic standards, distributing these lesson plans to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools statewide, and supporting teachers with the successful implementation of the lesson plans through workshops, conferences, and digital tools.

(3)Organizing statewide and regional workshops, and providing participating teachers with transportation and accommodation.

(4)Launching and maintaining an internet website that serves as a central hub for sharing the latest educational resources, including curricula and other materials, and best practices on genocide education to provide access to all California teachers of pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, and increasing the use of high-quality resources, in school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools.

(5)Evaluating the implementation and administration of this section annually to assess whether teaching about genocide, including the Holocaust, has improved, and whether the mission of the collaborative, as described in subdivision (d), has been met.

(6)Providing, as determined by the department, annual verbal or written reports to the department and the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the collaborative’s achievement of its mission, as described in subdivision (d).

(h)The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

§ 51221.2

Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 761, Sec. 1. (SB 472) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a)(1) The department shall issue a notice to all local educational agencies serving pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, clarifying that social science instruction provided pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220 is designed to provide a foundation for the understanding of human rights issues with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust. In furtherance of this instruction, the notice shall advise these local educational agencies of all of the following:

(A) Holocaust and

genocide education are part of the adopted History-Social Science Content Standards and Framework adopted by the state board.

(B) The History-Social Science Framework adopted by the state board provides information about instruction on the Holocaust and genocide.

(2)The department shall include, within the notice described in paragraph (1), information about the existing resources available to support local educational agencies and teachers in the instruction of Holocaust and genocide education.

(3)The department is authorized to issue a survey to local educational agencies, no more than two years after these local educational agencies are issued the notice described in paragraph (1), on the status of Holocaust and genocide instruction at their schools.

(b)(1) The Superintendent shall establish the Holocaust and Genocide Education Grant Program to provide direct allocations to local educational agencies for the purposes of providing Holocaust and genocide education and professional development on Holocaust and genocide education.

(2)Grants provided under the grant program shall be used to provide resources and opportunities related to Holocaust and genocide education, which may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

(A)Providing instructional materials on topics about the Holocaust and genocide.

(B)Hosting an event or an organization at a schoolsite maintained by the local educational agency for purposes related to Holocaust or genocide education.

(C)Financing teacher attendance at professional development opportunities focused on Holocaust and genocide education.

(D)Hiring substitute teachers to support teacher attendance at professional development opportunities focused on Holocaust and genocide education.

(E)Financing faculty and staff time to plan and facilitate local educational agency or school-based programs related to Holocaust and genocide education.

(F)Financing transportation to events and educational opportunities related to Holocaust and genocide education.

(3)The Superintendent shall adopt detailed regulations for the grant program, which shall include, but not be limited to, programmatic details, application

criteria and deadlines, and reporting requirements on how allocations were spent.

(c)The Holocaust and Genocide Education Grant Program Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Superintendent for purposes of the grant program established pursuant to subdivision (b).

(d)For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)“Genocide” means, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group:

(A)Killing members of the group.

(B)Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group.

(C)Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about, in whole or in part, its physical destruction.

(D)Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.

(E)Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

(2)“Holocaust,” as described by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of 6,000,000 European Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators; the Nazis also targeted other groups for persecution and murder, including Roma, people with disabilities, some Slavic peoples, especially

Poles and Russians, Black people, communists, socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, gay men, and people the Nazis called “asocials” and “professional criminals.”

(3)“Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

§ 51221.3

Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 211, Sec. 1. (SB 993) Effective January 1, 2013.

(a)Instruction in the area of social sciences, as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220, may include instruction on World War II and the American role in that war. The Legislature encourages this instruction to include, but not be limited to, a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories, if available, of American soldiers who were involved in World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as part of the instruction regarding World War II shall exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate. The oral histories shall contain the views and comments of

their subjects regarding the reasons for American participation in World War II and the actions taken to end the war in the Pacific. These oral histories shall also solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of World War II in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

(b)The Legislature finds and declares that the current state-adopted academic content standards already include instruction on the Korean War and the Vietnam War in the appropriate grade level consistent with those standards. The Legislature encourages that this instruction include a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories, if available, of American soldiers who were involved in those wars.

(c)(1) The Legislature

encourages the instruction required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220 to include instruction on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war, consisting of an accurate history of the contributions of the Filipino American veterans who fought courageously in the United States Army for freedom and democracy in World War II under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur.

(2)The Legislature encourages the instruction described in paragraph (1) to include a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories of Filipinos who were involved in World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role of Filipinos in World War II are encouraged to do all of the following:

(A)Exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and to provide intelligence for the United States.

(B)Contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in World War II.

(C)Solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of World War II and the immigration of Filipinos to the United States.

(d)(1) Instruction in the area of social sciences, as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220, may include instruction on the Bracero program.

(2)The instruction described in paragraph (1) may include a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories of individuals who were involved with the Bracero program. Oral histories used as part of the instruction regarding the Bracero program may do all of the following:

(A)Exemplify the economic and cultural effects of the Bracero program during and after World War II, including, but not limited to, its effects on the railroad system, agriculture, and immigration in California and the United States of America.

(B)Contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in the Bracero program and their

immigrant story, generally.

(3)This subdivision shall be carried out in a manner that does not result in new duties or programs being imposed on a school district. In that regard, the Legislature finds and declares that this subdivision does not mandate costs to local agencies or school districts and that materials used to comply with this subdivision shall be part of normal curriculum materials purchased by school districts in their normal course of business and purchasing cycles.

§ 51221.4

Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 73. Effective January 1, 2008.

(a)The Legislature encourages instruction in the area of social sciences, as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220, which may include instruction on the Vietnam war including the “Secret War” in Laos and the role of Southeast Asians in that war. The Legislature encourages that this instruction include, but not be limited to, a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in the form of oral or video history of Southeast Asians who were involved in the Vietnam war and those men and women who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role of Southeast Asians in the Vietnam war and the “Secret War” in Laos shall exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and provide intelligence for the United States. The oral histories shall contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their participation in the war. These oral histories shall also solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of the war and the immigration of Southeast Asians to the United States.

(b)This section shall be carried out in a manner that does not result in any new duties or programs being imposed on the school district. In that regard, the Legislature finds and declares that this section does not mandate costs to local agencies or school districts and that materials used to comply with this section shall be part of normal curriculum materials purchased by school districts in their normal course of business and purchasing cycles.

§ 51221.5

Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 988, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.

For the purposes of this code, the phrase “vocational-technical education” shall have the same meaning as “career technical education” as described in subdivision (i) of Section 51220.

§ 51222

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 88, Sec. 5. (AB 1216) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a)All pupils, except pupils excused or exempted pursuant to Section 51241, shall be required to attend upon the courses of physical education for a total period of time of not less than 400 minutes each 10 schooldays, except as provided in subdivision (c). Any pupil may be excused from physical education classes during one of grades 10, 11, or 12 for not to exceed 24 clock hours in order to participate in automobile driver training. A pupil who is excused from physical education classes to enroll in driver training shall attend upon a minimum of 7,000 minutes of physical education instruction during such school year.

(b)The governing board of each school district that maintains a high school and that elects to exempt pupils from required attendance in physical

education courses pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) or both of subdivision (b) of Section 51241 shall offer those pupils so exempted a variety of elective physical education courses of not less than 400 minutes each 10 schooldays.

(c)The governing board of a school district that maintains any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, may adopt a policy providing for an alternate term schedule for physical education courses, which shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of a course in physical education for purposes of subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3, if all of the following conditions are met:

(1)(A) For a pupil in grade 6, the pupil receives no less than 400 minutes of instruction every 10 schooldays for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 3,600 instructional minutes for the

school year.

(B)For a pupil in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, the pupil receives no less than 800 minutes of instruction every 10 schooldays for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 7,200 instructional minutes for the school year.

(2)The physical education program is aligned with the physical education framework adopted by the state board in that it provides a sequential, articulated, age-appropriate program.

(3)The physical education program complies with the course of study requirements of high school physical education programs specified in Article 3.1 (commencing with Section 10060) of Subchapter 1 of Chapter 10 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, as applicable.

(4)Pupils

are prepared for, and participate in, the physical performance testing required pursuant to Section 60800.

(d)(1) A complaint that a school district or county superintendent of schools has not complied with the instructional minute requirements of subdivision (a) or (c) may be filed with a school district or county superintendent of schools pursuant to the Uniform Complaint Procedures set forth in Chapter 5.1 (commencing with Section 4600) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

(2)A complainant not satisfied with the decision of a school district or county superintendent of schools may appeal the decision to the department pursuant to Chapter 5.1 (commencing with Section 4600) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations and shall receive a written appeal decision within 60 days of the department’s receipt of the

appeal.

(3)If a school district or county superintendent of schools finds merit in a complaint, or the Superintendent finds merit in an appeal, the school district or county superintendent of schools shall provide a remedy to all affected pupils, parents, and guardians.

(e)The Legislature finds and declares that neither the original provisions of this section, nor any subsequent amendments to it, were intended to create a private right of action. However, nothing in this subdivision shall restrict or expand the existing right of any party to seek relief from noncompliance with this section pursuant to a writ of mandate.

§ 51223

Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 706, Sec. 2. (AB 1391) Effective October 9, 2015.

(a)Notwithstanding Sections 51210 and 51222, instruction in physical education in an elementary school maintaining any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, shall be for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10

schooldays, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period.

(b)(1) A complaint that a school district or county superintendent of schools has not complied with the instructional minute requirements of subdivision (a) may be filed with a school district or county superintendent of schools pursuant to the Uniform Complaint Procedures set forth in Chapter 5.1 (commencing with Section 4600) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

within 60 days of the department’s receipt of the appeal.

(c)The Legislature finds and declares that neither the original provisions of this section, nor any subsequent amendments to it, were intended to create a private right of action. However, nothing in this subdivision shall restrict or expand the existing right of any party to seek relief from noncompliance with this section pursuant to a writ of mandate.

§ 51223.3

Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 296, Sec. 69. (AB 1023) Effective January 1, 2012.

(a)During the first revision of the physical education framework that occurs on or after January 1, 2011, the state board and the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission shall include self-defense instruction and safety instruction in that framework for pupils in grades 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12.

(b)As used in this section:

(1)“Safety instruction” includes, but is not necessarily limited to, awareness and avoidance of potentially dangerous situations.

(2)“Self-defense instruction” includes, but is not necessarily limited to, martial arts, boxing, and other defensive

techniques.

§ 51224

Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1058, Sec. 39. Effective January 1, 2001.

The governing board of any school district maintaining a high school shall prescribe courses of study designed to provide the skills and knowledge required for adult life for pupils attending the schools within its school district. The governing board shall prescribe separate courses of study, including, but not limited to, a course of study designed to prepare prospective pupils for admission to state colleges and universities and a course of study for career technical training.

§ 51224.5

Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 165, Sec. 1. (AB 220) Effective January 1, 2016.

(a)The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall include algebra as part of the mathematics area of study pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 51220.

(b)Before receiving a diploma of graduation from high school, a pupil shall complete at least one course, or a combination of the two courses required for graduation pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3, that meets or exceeds the rigor of Algebra I or Mathematics I, that is aligned to the content standards adopted by the state board pursuant to Sections 60605.8 and 60605.11.

(c)A pupil who, before

enrollment in grade 9, completes a course in Algebra I or Mathematics I, or mathematics courses of equal rigor, that is aligned to the content standards adopted by the state board, is exempt from subdivision (b), but is not exempt from the requirement that the pupil complete two courses in mathematics while enrolled in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, as specified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 51225.3.

(d)A pupil who has completed a course or courses that meet or exceed the content standards for Algebra I adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605, as that section read on June 30, 2011, shall be deemed to have satisfied the graduation requirement specified in subdivision (b).

§ 51224.7

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 508, Sec. 2. (SB 359) Effective January 1, 2016.

(a)This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.

(b)Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies that serve pupils entering grade 9 and that have not adopted a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy, as described in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, as of January 1, 2016, shall, before the beginning of the 2016–17 school year, develop and adopt, in a regularly scheduled public meeting, a fair, objective,

and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils entering grade 9 that does all of the following:

(1)Systematically takes multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance into consideration. For purposes of this paragraph, “objective academic measures” means measures, such as statewide mathematics assessments, including interim and summative assessments authorized pursuant to Section 60640, placement tests that are aligned to state-adopted content standards in mathematics, classroom assignment and grades, and report cards.

(2)Includes at least one placement checkpoint within the first month of the school year to ensure accurate placement and permit reevaluation of individual pupil progress.

(3)Requires examination of aggregate pupil placement data annually to ensure that pupils who are qualified to progress in mathematics courses based on their performance on objective academic measures selected for inclusion in the policy pursuant to paragraph (1) are not held back in a disproportionate manner on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background. The local educational agency shall report the aggregate results of this examination to the governing board or body of the local educational agency.

(4)Offers clear and timely recourse for each pupil and his or her parent or legal guardian who questions the pupil’s placement.

(5)For nonunified school districts, addresses the consistency of mathematics placement policies between

elementary and high school districts.

(c)Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies serving pupils who are transitioning between elementary and middle school or elementary and junior high school may develop and implement a mathematics placement policy for these pupils, as applicable, that satisfies paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (b).

(d)Each governing board or body of a local educational agency shall ensure that its mathematics placement policy is posted on its Internet Web site.

(e)For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school.

§ 51225

Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 41, Sec. 3. (AB 104) Effective July 1, 2021.

(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)“Governing body” means the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, or a county board of education, as applicable.

(2)“Local educational agency” means a school district, charter school, or county office of education.

(b)Notwithstanding any other law, a local educational agency shall do both of the following:

(1)Exempt a pupil who was enrolled in the pupil’s third or fourth

year of high school during the 2020–21 school year and who is not on track to graduate in four years from all coursework and other requirements adopted by the governing body that are in addition to the statewide coursework requirements specified in Section 51225.3.

(2)Provide a pupil who was enrolled in the pupil’s third or fourth year of high school during the 2020–21 school year, and who is not on track to graduate in the 2020–21 or 2021–22 school years, the opportunity to complete the statewide coursework required for graduation pursuant to Section 51225.3, which opportunity may include, but is not limited to, completion of the coursework through a fifth year of instruction, credit recovery, or other opportunity to complete the required coursework.

§ 51225.1