Bill Text: CA SB1391 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Teachers: preparation and retention data.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-06-03 - Referred to Coms. on HIGHER ED. and ED. [SB1391 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB1391-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
April 01, 2024 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1391
| Introduced by Senator Rubio (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alanis and Quirk-Silva) |
February 16, 2024 |
An act to amend Sections 44393, 44395, and 69617 of, and to add Sections 10868.5 and 44417.7 to, the Education Code, relating to teachers.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1391, as amended, Rubio.
Teachers: preparation and retention data.
Under existing law, the California Cradle-to-Career Data System is established to be a source for actionable data and research on education, economic, and health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities, and is established to provide for expanded access to tools and services that support the navigation of the education-to-employment pipeline. Existing law establishes a governing board to govern the data system and the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data as the managing entity required to implement and manage the data system.
This bill would require the managing entity, under the direction of the governing board, to create a teacher training and retention dashboard within the data system on or before January 1, 2026. The bill would require the dashboard to provide information on California’s teacher workforce, including, among other
things, trends regarding teacher training pipelines, teacher credentialing, teacher hiring, and teacher retention, as provided.
Existing law establishes the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification Incentive Program, under the administration of the State Department of Education, to award grants to teachers who have, among other things, attained certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Existing law establishes the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, to award grants to students enrolled in professional preparation programs who commit to work for 4 years at a priority school or a preschool program, as provided.
This bill would require the department to annually collect data on award recipients pursuant to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification Incentive Program, and would require the
commission to annually collect demographic data on grant recipients pursuant to the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, as provided.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Research shows that teachers are the single most impactful in-school factor associated with pupil outcomes and success.
(b) The shortage of qualified teachers in many areas continues to be a challenge in California. Education experts agree that shortages of qualified and effective teachers in high-poverty schools and in particular teaching fields create a need for high-quality teachers who will enter, stay, and be effective in these areas.
(c) Teacher shortages
and high turnover rates have a negative impact on both pupil achievement and the quality of education pupils receive, and disproportionately impact pupils of color and pupils from low-income households.
(d) Education experts agree that teachers of color and multilingual teachers have a positive impact on the pupils they serve, regardless of the pupils’ race or ethnicity, and further help to close pupil achievement gaps.
(e) The demographic makeup of California’s teaching force is not reflective of the diversity of its pupil population.
(f) The state has invested in initiatives to recruit, prepare, support, and retain teachers. Education experts suggest that many of the strategies used to address teacher shortages can also
help with the recruitment and retention of more teachers of color and multilingual teachers in the teacher workforce.
(g) It is critical to develop programs that increase the probability of teacher recruits succeeding and staying in the classrooms where they are needed. This will in turn help to build a teacher workforce that is more representative of the pupils they teach.
(h) To optimize these programs and inform policy decisions about how to best recruit, train, support, and sustain a diverse educator workforce, state and local leaders need a full and actionable view of data, creating a comprehensive picture of the teacher workforce at each segment of the educator pipeline from preparation, credentialing, placement,
misassignment, and retention, including demographic data.
(i) State leaders have a responsibility to provide oversight of investments in the transitional kindergarten through grade 12 education systems, including the educator workforce, which requires actionable, integrated data.
(i)
(j) The California Cradle-to-Career Data System provides the data infrastructure necessary to create a comprehensive picture of the teacher
workforce.
SEC. 2.
Section 10868.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:10868.5.
(a) In enacting this section, it is the intent of the Legislature to provide data tools that enable policymakers and agencies to assess, plan for, and optimize educational workforce programs to ensure all pupils have access to a diverse and sustainable teacher workforce.(b) On or before January 1, 2026, the managing entity, under the direction of the governing board, shall create a teacher training and retention dashboard within the data system. The dashboard shall provide information on California’s teacher workforce, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Trends regarding teacher
training pipelines, including, but not limited to, all of the following: pipelines.
(A)Whether there is a strong pipeline of individuals entering teacher preparation programs.
(B)For individuals in teacher preparation programs, the disciplines they pursued for their community college and bachelor’s degrees.
(C)Whether individuals entering teacher preparation programs reflect the pupil populations in elementary and secondary schools.
(D)If individuals in teacher preparation programs are studying subjects where there are teacher shortages.
(E)The types of teacher preparation programs prospective teachers are participating in.
(F)The sectors other than schools in which prospective teachers get jobs.
(2) Trends regarding teacher credentialing, including, but not limited to, all of the following: credentialing.
(A)Whether individuals who complete teacher preparation programs obtain teaching credentials.
(B)The extent to which those who complete teacher preparation programs and earn teaching credentials reflect the pupil populations in elementary and secondary schools.
(C)Whether individuals who complete teacher preparation programs are earning credentials in subjects where there are teacher shortages.
(D)The types of teacher preparation programs that produce individuals who earn credentials.
(E)The ways in which prospective teachers demonstrate subject matter competency and other required skills.
(3) Trends regarding teacher hiring and assignments, including, but not limited to, all of the following: assignments.
(A)Whether newly credentialed teachers get jobs in public schools.
(B)The number of years it takes for newly credentialed teachers to get jobs in public schools.
(C)The types of jobs newly credentialed teachers get.
(D)The extent of the alignment between the subject in which teachers earned credentials and their teaching assignments.
(E)The setting and course type for teacher misassignments according to the monitoring data obtained pursuant to Section 44258.9.
(4) Trends regarding teacher retention, including, but not limited to, all of the following: retention.
(A)The ways in which retention rates differ by teacher characteristics.
(B)Whether teachers from different racial or ethnic groups are more likely to remain in the profession over time.
(C)Whether retention rates differ by credentialing pathways.
(D)Whether retention rates differ based on a teacher’s participation in different state-funded programs.
(5) Trends regarding educator demographic data, including, but not limited to, race and ethnicity, languages spoken other than English, and years of service, including all of
the following information: data.
(A)The ways in which the race or ethnicity of newly credentialed teachers compares to those of the pupils they teach.
(B)The relationship between the racial mix of newly credentialed teachers and types of pupils in schools where they teach.
(C)The relationship between the racial mix of newly credentialed teachers and the geographic location of the schools where they teach.
(6) Trends regarding teacher vacancies and mobility, including, but not limited to, all of the following: mobility.
(A)The number of teachers local educational agencies need to hire, as estimated in data from the California Basic Educational Data System.
(B)The ways in which estimated hiring and vacancies differ by course and category.
(C)The ways in which estimated hiring and vacancies differ by region.
(7) Evaluation of all programs for investments in Trends regarding participation in programs for addressing teacher shortages and teacher diversity, as appropriate, to determine the effectiveness of these programs in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining special education, bilingual education, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and teachers of color, including, but not limited to, the Teacher Residency Grant Program established in Section 44415, the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program established
in Section 44393, the Golden State Teacher Grant Program established in Section 69617, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification Incentive Program established in Section 44395. The evaluation of Data on these programs shall address all of the following topics, to the extent applicable:
(A) The percentage of program participants who complete a teacher preparation program and earn a preliminary teaching credential.
(B) The extent to which program graduates are teaching in high-need subjects and locations.
(C) The extent to which program graduates increase the diversity of the grant recipient’s workforce, including the number and percentage of program graduates who are members of underrepresented groups.
(D) Teacher retention rates for program graduates, within the boundaries of the grant recipient and within California public schools.
(E) Program graduate achievement, as determined by first-time pass rates on the state teaching performance assessment pursuant to Section 44320.2.
(F) The percentage of program participants who complete a beginning teacher induction program and earn a clear teaching credential.
(G) Results from candidate and
program graduate surveys of the quality of preparation they received.
SEC. 3.
Section 44417.7 is added to the Education Code, to read:44417.7.
To the extent feasible, it is the intent of the Legislature that, upon the implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, the data required to provide the reports described in Sections 44417 and 44417.5 should be integrated within the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.SEC. 4.
Section 44393 of the Education Code is amended to read:44393.
(a) The California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program is hereby established for the purpose of recruiting classified school employees to participate in a program designed to encourage them to enroll in teacher training programs and to provide instructional service as teachers in the public schools.(b) Subject to an appropriation for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute, the commission shall issue a request for proposals to all school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education in the state in order to solicit applications for funding. The criteria adopted by the commission for the selection of school districts, charter
schools, or county offices of education to participate in the program shall include all of the following:
(1) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the capacity and willingness to accommodate the participation of classified school employees in teacher training programs conducted at institutions of higher education or a local educational agency.
(2) The extent to which the applicant’s plan for the implementation of its recruitment program involves the active participation of one or more local campuses of the participating institutions of higher education in the development of coursework and teaching programs for participating classified school employees. Each selected applicant shall be required to enter into a written articulation agreement with the participating campuses of
the institutions of higher education.
(3) The extent to which the applicant’s plan for recruitment attempts to meet the demand for bilingual cross-cultural teachers and teachers in shortage areas in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(4) The extent to which a developmentally sequenced series of job descriptions leads from an entry-level classified school employee position to an entry-level teaching position in that school district, charter school, or county office of education.
(5) The extent to which the applicant’s plan for recruitment attempts to meet its own specific teacher needs.
(c) An applicant that is selected to
participate pursuant to subdivision (b) shall provide information about the program to all eligible classified school employees in the school district, charter school, or county office of education and assistance to each classified school employee it recruits under the program regarding admission to a teacher training program.
(d) (1) An applicant shall require participants to satisfy both of the following requirements before participating in the program:
(A) Pass a criminal background check.
(B) Provide verification of one of the following:
(i) Has earned an associate or higher level degree.
(ii) Has successfully completed at least two years of study at a postsecondary educational institution.
(2) An applicant shall certify that it has received a commitment from each participant that the participant will accomplish all of the following:
(A) Graduate from an institution of higher education under the program with a bachelor’s degree.
(B) Complete all of the requirements for, and obtain, a multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential.
(C) Complete one school year of classroom instruction in the school district, charter school, or county office of education for each year that the participant receives
assistance for books, fees, and tuition while attending an institution of higher education under the program.
(e) The commission shall contract with an independent evaluator with a proven record of experience in assessing teacher training programs to conduct an evaluation to determine the success of the program. The evaluation shall be completed on or before July 1, 2021. The commission shall submit the completed evaluation to the Governor and the education policy and fiscal committees of the Assembly and Senate.
(f) (1) On or before January 1 of each year, the commission shall report to the Legislature regarding the status of the program, including, but not limited to, the number of classified school employees recruited, the academic progress of the classified
school employees recruited, the number of classified school employees recruited who are subsequently employed as teachers in the public schools, the degree to which the applicant meets the teacher shortage needs of the school district, charter school, or county office of education, and the ethnic and racial composition of the participants in the program. The report shall be made in conformance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) To the extent feasible, it is the intent of the Legislature that, upon the implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, the data required to provide the reports described in paragraph (1) should be integrated within the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.
SEC. 5.
Section 44395 of the Education Code is amended to read:44395.
(a) (1) The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification Incentive Program is hereby established to award grants to school districts for the purpose of providing awards to teachers who are employed by school districts or charter schools, are assigned to teach in California public schools, and have attained or will attain certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Awards shall be granted to the extent that funds have been appropriated for this purpose in the annual Budget Act.(2) (A) Commencing July 1, 2021, any teacher who has attained certification from the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards is eligible to receive an award of up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) if the teacher agrees to teach at a high-priority school for at least five years. Teaching service before July 1, 2021, may not be counted towards satisfaction of this five-year commitment.
(B) Awards granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be disbursed in annual payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) over a five-year period. The annual payment shall be made upon completion of the school year, and upon approval of a district-certified application pursuant to the guidelines of subdivision (c) of Section 44396.
(3) (A) Commencing July 1, 2021, any teacher who initiates the process of pursuing a certification from the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards when teaching at a high-priority school is eligible to receive an award of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500).
(B) Awards granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be disbursed from the department to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Any unused funds shall be applied to future candidates.
(C) A teacher who receives an award pursuant to this paragraph may still apply to receive funds under paragraph (2) after completion of a certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to the extent funds are available.
(4) (A) (i) Commencing July 1, 2023, any teacher who initiates the process of maintenance of
certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards when teaching at a high-priority school is eligible to receive an award of four hundred ninety-five dollars ($495).
(ii) Awards granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be disbursed from the department to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Any unused funds shall be applied to future candidates.
(iii) A teacher who receives an award pursuant to this paragraph may still apply to receive funds under paragraph (2).
(B) This paragraph may be implemented using funds appropriated pursuant to Section 137 of Chapter 44 of the Statutes of 2021.
(b) The department
shall administer the awards authorized by subdivision (a), and shall develop, in consultation with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, certification and award information, criteria, procedures, and applications, all of which shall be submitted to the state board for approval. Amendments requested by the state board to that information, criteria, procedures, and applications shall be made before the dissemination of the material and the granting of any award under this article.
(c) The department shall distribute the materials described in subdivision (b) to school districts. Each school district is strongly encouraged to ensure that teachers employed by the district or by charter schools affiliated with the district are informed about the program and can acquire the necessary application and information materials.
(d) School districts are encouraged to provide for adequate release time and support for a teacher to complete the certification process. As a condition to providing that release time and support, a school district may require that a teacher serve in a mentor teacher capacity.
(e) (1) The department shall annually collect data on award recipients pursuant to this section, including assignment and demographic data.
(2) To the extent feasible, it is the intent of the Legislature that, upon the implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, the data collected pursuant to paragraph (1) should be integrated within the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.
(f) For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(1) “School district” means school district, county board of education, county superintendent of schools, a state operated program, including a special school, a regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority or a county office of education, or an education program providing instruction in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that is offered by a state agency, including the Department of Youth and Community Restoration and the State Department of Developmental Services.
(2) “High-priority school” means a school with 55 percent or more of its pupils being unduplicated pupils, as defined in subdivision
(b) of Section 42238.02. This designation shall be determined by the department.
SEC. 6.
Section 69617 of the Education Code is amended to read:69617.
(a) (1) Subject to moneys appropriated by the Legislature for purposes of this section, the commission shall administer the Golden State Teacher Grant Program. Under the program, the commission shall provide one-time grant funds of up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) to each student enrolled, or who has applied for enrollment, on or after January 1, 2020, in a professional preparation program leading to a preliminary teaching credential or a pupil personnel services credential, at either a qualifying institution, as defined in subdivision (l) of Section 69432.7, or a professional preparation program approved by the Commission on Teaching Credentialing that has a main campus location or administrative entity that resides in California, including professional preparation programs operated by local educational agencies in California, if the student commits to working at a priority school or a California preschool program for four years within the eight years following the date the student completes the professional preparation program.(2) Under the program, the commission shall provide one-time grant funds of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to each California resident student enrolled, or who has applied for enrollment, on or after January 1, 2020, in a professional preparation program leading to a preliminary teaching credential or pupil personnel services credential at a qualified institution, as determined by the commission pursuant to Section 69617.5, if the student commits to working at a priority school or a California preschool program for four years within the eight years following the date the student
completes the professional preparation program. Of the funds appropriated in support of the program, no more than 8 percent of the total funding may be allocated for the purpose of awards provided pursuant to this paragraph.
(3) Funds appropriated for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program in the Budget Act of 2020 and the Budget Act of 2021 shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure by the commission until June 30, 2026.
(4) Grant funds shall be used to supplement and not supplant other sources of grant financial aid, and may be disbursed in more than one academic year, provided that the total amount of funds granted to an applicant does not exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
(b) The one-time
grant funds issued pursuant to this section shall not exceed the amount appropriated for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program in the Budget Act of 2020 and the Budget Act of 2021.
(c) (1) A grant recipient shall agree to serve at a priority school or a California preschool program for four years and shall have eight years, upon completion of the recipient’s professional preparation program, to meet that obligation. Except as provided in paragraph (4), a grant recipient shall agree to repay the state 25 percent of the total received grant funds annually, up to full repayment of the received grant funds, for each year the recipient fails to do one or more of the following:
(A) Be enrolled in or have successfully completed a professional preparation program approved
by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(B) While enrolled in the professional preparation program, maintain good academic standing.
(C) Before or upon completion of the professional preparation
program, satisfy the state basic skills requirement pursuant to Sections 44252 and 44252.5.
(D) Complete the required teaching service or clinical practice following completion of the recipient’s professional preparation program.
(E) Complete their teacher preparation program and earn a preliminary credential within six years after the first distribution of grant funds.
(2) Nonperformance of the commitment to serve at a priority school or a California preschool program for four years shall be certified by the commission.
(3) Nonperformance of the commitment to earn a preliminary teaching credential or pupil personnel services credential
shall be certified by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to the Student Aid Commission.
(4) Any exceptions to the requirement for repayment shall be defined by the commission, and may include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, counting a school year towards the required four-year service requirement at a priority school or a California preschool program if a grant recipient is unable to complete the school year when any of the following occur:
(A) The grant recipient has completed at least one-half of the school year or preschool program year, as applicable.
(B) The employer deems the grant recipient to have fulfilled the grant recipient’s contractual requirements for the school year or preschool
program year, as applicable, for purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement.
(C) The grant recipient was not able to serve due to the financial circumstances of the school district, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year.
(D) The grant recipient has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.) or similar state law.
(E) The grant recipient was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States.
(d) The commission may use up to 1.5 percent of
funding appropriated for purposes of this section for outreach and administration.
(e) The commission shall develop a process by which students interested in a professional preparation program leading to a preliminary teaching credential or a pupil personnel services credential may submit a request for a preenrollment conditional award notice from the commission. The notice shall provide information regarding the Golden State Teacher Grant Program award amount the student may be eligible to receive upon enrollment in the professional preparation program and formal application to the commission to participate in the Golden State Teacher Grant Program.
(f) (1) A “priority school” means a school with 55 percent or more of its pupils being unduplicated
pupils, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 42238.02.
(2) The commission, in coordination with the State Department of Education, shall publish a list of priority schools by April 15 of each year.
(3) For purposes of satisfying the service requirement, a grant
recipient may use service at a school listed on the most recent list of priority schools published by the commission that is available when the grant recipient seeks employment at a priority school. Further service at that school shall continue to satisfy the four-year service requirement, even if the school is no longer included on future priority school lists.
(g) (1) The commission may adopt regulations, including any amendments to regulations, necessary for the implementation of the Golden State Teacher Grant Program. The commission may adopt emergency regulations it deems necessary for the implementation of this program, in accordance with the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government
Code). For purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of those regulations or amendments to those regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare, notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law and without further compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), any emergency regulations and amendments to the emergency regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall remain in force and effect until June 30, 2025.
(3) No rule, policy, or standard
of general application issued by the commission in implementing this section shall be subject to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of
Title 2 of the Government Code).
(h) (1) The commission shall conduct, in partnership with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, an evaluation of the Golden State Teacher Grant Program to determine the effectiveness of the program in recruiting credential candidates and employing credentialholders at priority schools and California preschool programs. The commission is encouraged to use qualitative and quantitative measures to quantify the number of credential candidates the program recruited into professional preparation programs, disaggregated by program and institution type, and the number of credentialholders employed at priority schools and California preschool programs, disaggregated by subject matter placement, and to describe the effects of the program on the decisions of credential
candidates to enter and remain in the education field. The commission shall provide, with respect to the evaluation, a report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on or before December 31, 2025, and every two years thereafter.
(2) (A) The commission shall annually collect demographic data on grant recipients.
(B) To the extent feasible, it is the intent of the Legislature that, upon the implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, the data collected pursuant to subparagraph (A) should be integrated within the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.
(i) The commission shall accept applications for the Golden State Teacher
Grant Program beginning on September 1 for the following academic year and shall establish a process and timeline that allows institutions of higher education to provide applicants with grant eligibility determinations before the deadline for enrolling in their professional preparation program.
(j) The commission shall permit grant recipients to receive funds in more than one academic year, provided the total amount of funds granted to any applicant does not exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
(k) As used in this section, “California preschool program” means a state-funded or federally funded preschool program in the state, including California state preschool programs, tribal preschool programs, and Head Start programs.
