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State Board of Education
The California State Board of Education (SBE) was established first by statute in 1852,
then by amendment to the California Constitution in 1884. Both the Constitution and
statutes set forth the SBE’s duties. Constitutional duties of the SBE are (1) the
appointment of one deputy and three associate superintendents upon nomination of the
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI); and (2) the adoption of textbooks for
use in grades one through eight.
The SBE, by statute, is the governing and policy-determining body of the California
Department of Education (CDE). Statute also assigns the SBE a variety of other
responsibilities, including:
• Regulations—The SBE adopts rules and regulations for its own government, the
government of its appointees, and the government of the state’s public schools.
• Standards—The SBE has approved rigorous statewide academic standards for
content and student performance in English/language arts, mathematics, history–
social science, science, visual and performing arts, and physical education.
• Curriculum frameworks—The SBE adopts curriculum frameworks in reading–
language arts, foreign language, history–social science, health, mathematics,
physical education, science, and the visual and performing arts. These
frameworks are based on previously approved academic standards. In 2007, the
SBE adopted a curricular framework for career technical education. The
frameworks inform and guide the local development and implementation of
specific curricula for kindergarten through high school, as well as serve as the
basis for the adoption of instructional materials.
• Instructional materials—The SBE adopts instructional materials for
kindergarten through grade eight (K–8) in reading–language arts, foreign
language, mathematics, science, history–social science, health, and visual and
performing arts. The state provides local educational agencies with special
funding each year for the purchase of SBE-adopted instructional materials for
grades K–8 and locally adopted instructional materials for grades 9–12.
• Waivers—The SBE considers requests from local educational agencies to waive
statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Assessment—The SBE adopts tests and sets policies for the Standardized
Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and the California High School Exit
Examination. The initial California Legislation authorizing the STAR program was
signed into law in 1997. Since the initial authorization, the SBE has designated
the achievement test, initially the Stanford 9 and currently the California
Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey, and the primary language achievement
test, Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2); adopted
regulations for the program; approved and monitored the development of the
California Standards Tests (CSTs) and the California Alternate Performance
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