The Orange County Department of Education has invited the public to review the ethnic studies curriculum developed for its ACCESS program, which it is offering to share with other school districts.
In 2021, a new state mandate required ethnic studies to be offered in all California high schools by 2025 and made it a graduation requirement by 2030. The state provided a framework for the courses, leaving school districts responsible for creating the curriculum.
Last September, the O.C. Board of Education directed Superintendent Stefan Bean to work with OCDE staff in creating the curriculum. The result was a course “intended to empower students, foster civic responsibility and promote a broader understanding of the American experience,” Bean said in a statement.
“We’ve worked thoughtfully to develop an academically sound curriculum that reflects shared values and supports student success by exploring the histories, contributions and experiences of communities that have helped shape our state and nation,” Bean said.
Public feedback will help ensure the final version is “inclusive, balanced and responsive to the needs” of students and educators, officials said.
The county department’s ACCESS — Alternative, Community, and Correctional Education Schools and Services — program serves more than 2,300 students annually in community day schools, county correctional programs and independent study programs. The county education department does not regulate school districts’ policies or curriculum, but could offer its ethnic studies curriculum for their use.
The course materials — a course overview, five instructional units and the course’s purpose and approach — are available for public review until May 2. All feedback will be confidential, officials said.
The curriculum can be requested digitally by emailing espublicreview@ocde.us or reviewed in person at the department’s Argosy Campus at 601 S. Lewis St., in Orange.
For more information, visit link.ocde.us/ethnicstudies.