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Subcommittee approves bill to add Cambridge international curriculum to state code parity list
Summary
SB 835 would add Cambridge International (AS/A-level, AICE) programs to statutory language that currently lists AP and IB, giving the Cambridge pathway explicit parity in references used by schools and districts; supporters said the change clarifies course recognition and increases program visibility.
Sen. Ochoa Bog presented SB 835 to add Cambridge International's AS/A-level and AICE diploma programs into statutory language that currently recognizes College Board Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) as advanced academic providers. The sponsor said the change would provide parity and clarity for California schools, pointing out Cambridge courses are already in the A–G course list and that University of California and other colleges already recognize Cambridge credentials.
Principal Will Minster of Troy High School (Fullerton) described Troy's experience offering AP, IB and Cambridge courses concurrently and said Cambridge provides options and flexibility — including staged AS/A assessments — that allow students to pursue college-level work across multiple pathways. Matthew Kaye of Cambridge North America explained Cambridge serves many U.S. schools and international jurisdictions and that statutory inclusion would reduce confusion for districts and families trying to understand options.
Pearson submitted a neutral/concern note and the witness said the author agreed to continue working with stakeholders about technical points. Sen. Gonzales expressed concern that the bill removes a CDE oversight step that had been proposed earlier and asked about safeguards for course quality; the author and Cambridge representatives said Cambridge courses are already used by California schools and are listed in A–G. The committee accepted the author's amendments and advanced the bill to the next committee.
What happens next SB 835 moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee (as part of the committee process) for further consideration; the author and stakeholders said they will continue discussions with CDE and providers to address quality-assurance and technical concerns.
