Bill Text: CA AB2401 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Teachers: California Beginning Teacher Support and
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - From committee without further action. [AB2401 Detail]
Download: California-2015-AB2401-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2401 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 30, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member O'Donnell
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
An act to amend Sections 44279.2 and 44279.3 of, and to
repeal Sections 44279.25 and 44279.7 of, the Education Code,
relating to teachers, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2401, as amended, O'Donnell. Teachers: California Beginning
Teacher Support and Assessment System.
Existing law establishes the California Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment System, to be administered jointly by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing and the Superintendent of Public Instruction
for specified purposes, including providing an effective transition
into the teaching career for first-year and 2nd-year teachers in
California.
Existing law requires the Superintendent, each fiscal year, to
adjust the allocation made to a school district or consortium of
school districts for each beginning teacher participating in a local
teacher induction program pursuant to the California Beginning
Teacher Support and Assessment System by the inflation factor set
forth in a specified statute.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations
regarding the teacher shortage in the state and the California
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
This bill would make an appropriation of an unspecified amount
from the General Fund to the Superintendent and the commission for
the 2016-17 fiscal year to fund the California Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment System. The bill would instead require
the allocation described above to be adjusted each fiscal year by an
inflation factor provided in the annual Budget Act.
This bill would also state the intent of the Legislature that
future funding for the California Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment System be provided each year in the annual Budget Act.
Existing law requires the Superintendent and the
commission to award supplemental grants on a competitive basis to
California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System teacher
induction programs to be expended to assist clusters of teacher i
nduction programs operated by school districts or
consortiums of school districts.
This bill would delete the requirement to award these grants.
Exiting law required the Superintendent and the commission, by
December 1, 2007, to report to the Legislature and the Governor on
the current state of the California Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment System. Existing law also required the Superintendent and
the commission, by July 1, 2008, to review and revise the Standards
of Quality and Effectiveness for Professional Teacher Induction
Programs of March 2002.
This bill would delete these obsolete reporting requirements.
This bill would also make conforming changes, recast certain
provisions of existing law, delete other obsolete references, and
make other nonsubstantive changes.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) According to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the
number of pupils students enrolled in
teacher preparation programs declined by more than 50 percent between
2008 and 2013.
(b) At the same time that enrollment in teacher preparation
programs is declining, more than 20 percent of California's teachers
have more than 20 years of experience, meaning they are at or near
retirement age and will need to be replaced.
(c) Among new teachers, 40 percent leave the profession within the
first five years, adding to the teacher shortage and reducing the
benefits of the state's investment in teacher preparation.
(d) The California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System
(Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) of Chapter 2 of Part
25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code), which was
established in 1992, has been shown to substantially increase new
teacher retention to nearly 90 percent. In addition, the California
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System has been shown to
improve teacher effectiveness and pupil outcomes.
(e) There is a clear state interest in continuing the California
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System as a proven means of
effectively addressing the teacher shortage and improving teacher
effectiveness and pupil outcomes.
(f) With the enactment of the local control funding formula,
ongoing funding targeted to the California Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment System was eliminated.
(g) While the local control funding formula is an effective system
for targeting spending to programs whose benefits accrue to local
educational agencies and their pupils, it is not an effective system
for the support of programs whose benefits primarily are external to
local educational agencies and are more statewide than local.
(h) The California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System
serves a compelling state interest and should be funded each year in
the annual Budget Act.
SEC. 2. Section 44279.2 of the
Education Code is amended to read:
44279.2. (a) The Superintendent and the commission shall jointly
administer the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
System pursuant to this chapter. article.
In administering this section, the Superintendent and the
commission shall provide or contract for the provision of all of the
following:
(1) Establishing requirements for reviewing and approving teacher
induction programs.
(2) Developing and administering a system for ensuring teacher
induction program quality and effectiveness. For purposes of this
section, "program effectiveness" means producing excellent program
outcomes in relation to the purposes defined in subdivision (b) of
Section 44279.1. For purposes of this section, "program quality"
means excellence with respect to program factors, including, but not
limited to, all of the following:
(A) Program goals.
(B) Design resources.
(C) Management, evaluation, and improvement of the program.
(D) School context and working conditions.
(E) Support and assessment services to each beginning teacher.
(3) Developing purposes and functions for reviewing and approving
supplemental grants and standards for program clusters and program
consultants, as defined pursuant to Section 44279.7.
(4)
(3) Improving and refining the formative assessment
system.
(5)
(4) Improving and refining professional development
materials and strategies for all personnel involved in implementing
induction programs.
(6)
(5) Conducting and tracking research related to
beginning teacher induction.
(7)
(6) Periodically evaluating the validity of the
California Standards for the Teaching Profession adopted by the
commission and the Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program adopted by the
commission and making changes to those documents, as necessary.
(b) As part of the California Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment System, the commission and the Superintendent shall
establish requirements for local teacher induction programs.
(c) A school district or consortium of school districts may apply
to the Superintendent for funding to establish a local teacher
induction program pursuant to this section. From amounts appropriated
for purposes of this section, the Superintendent shall allocate
three thousand dollars ($3,000) for each beginning teacher
participating in the program. That amount shall be adjusted each
fiscal year by the an inflation factor
set forth in Section 42238.1. as provided in
the annual Budget Act. To be eligible to receive
funding, a school district or consortium of school districts shall,
at a minimum, meet all of the following requirements:
(1) Develop, implement, and evaluate teacher induction programs
that meet the Quality and Effectiveness for Beginning Teacher
Induction Program Standards adopted by the commission.
(2) Support beginning teachers in meeting the competencies
described in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession
adopted by the commission.
(3) Meet criteria for the cost-effective delivery of program
services.
(4) From amounts received from local, state, or resources
available for purposes of teacher induction programs, contribute not
less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for the costs of each
beginning teacher served in the induction program.
(d) Teachers who have received their preliminary credential in a
district intern program pursuant to Article 7.5 (commencing with
Section 44325) or an intern program pursuant to Article 3 (commencing
with Section 44450) of Chapter 3 and who are participating in an
induction program pursuant to this section are not eligible for
funding pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with Section 44380) of
Chapter 2.
(e) In consultation with the Superintendent, the commission shall
revise the formative assessment system for beginning teachers, as
necessary to ensure that related tasks and activities are aligned to
the current standards.
(f) The Superintendent and the commission shall identify effective
practices and techniques and provide for the dissemination of these
to local induction program providers.
(g) The commission shall review induction programs as necessary to
determine whether local teacher induction programs are meeting
current standards of quality and effectiveness and to ensure greater
program quality and consistency.
(h) The Superintendent and the commission shall ensure that
teacher credential candidates are notified of the opportunity to
choose an early completion option pursuant to Section 44468.
SEC. 3. Section 44279.25 of the
Education Code is repealed.
44279.25. (a) By December 1, 2007, the Superintendent and the
commission shall report to the Legislature and the Governor on the
current state of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
The report shall review the articulation of teacher preparation
programs and teacher induction programs to eliminate duplicative
requirements and, at a minimum, do all of the following:
(1) Recommend revisions to laws, regulations, or policies to
eliminate duplicative requirements between teacher preparation and
teacher induction programs, with particular attention paid to
eliminating duplication between induction requirements and
requirements for completion of state-approved alternative
certification programs.
(2) Recommend revisions to the system to ensure that teacher
credential candidates achieve teaching competence and programs use
best practices to transition candidates from teacher preparation
programs to induction programs.
(3) Recommend ways to ensure that beginning teachers receive
direct assistance from experienced teachers who are familiar with the
grade span, subject matter, and teaching and classroom management
techniques appropriate to the teaching assignment of each beginning
teacher.
(b) By July 1, 2008, the Superintendent and the commission shall
review and revise, as necessary, the Standards of Quality and
Effectiveness for Professional Teacher Induction Programs of March
2002 to ensure that these standards address the application of
knowledge and skills previously acquired in a preliminary credential
program and to remove any requirements or activities that require
candidates to duplicate the acquisition of knowledge through
coursework. This review shall include, but need not be limited to,
all of the following:
(1) A review of formative assessment systems in use to ensure that
the systems are appropriately flexible and may be adapted to reflect
progress of individual candidates.
(2) A review of professional development provided to induction
participants to ensure that it is not duplicative of coursework
completed during teacher preparation.
(3) A review of new teacher support to ensure that the focus is on
application and enhancement of skills and knowledge acquired in a
preliminary credential program.
(4) Recommendations for program monitoring with respect to this
subdivision.
(c) In consultation with the Superintendent, the commission shall
revise the formative assessment system for beginning teachers, as
necessary to ensure that related tasks and activities are aligned to
the revised standards.
(d) The Superintendent and the commission shall identify effective
practices and techniques and provide for the dissemination of these
to local induction program providers.
(e) Immediately following the adoption of revised standards
pursuant to subdivision (b), the commission shall review induction
programs to determine whether local teacher induction programs are
meeting standards of quality and effectiveness adopted pursuant to
subdivision (b) and to assure greater program quality and
consistency. The commission shall schedule regular reviews following
the initial review of programs pursuant to this subdivision.
(f) The Superintendent and the commission shall ensure that
teacher credential candidates are notified of the opportunity to
choose an early completion option pursuant to Section 44468.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature that funds appropriated in
Provision 44 of Item 6110-001-0890 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act
of 2006 (Chapter 47 of the Statutes of 2006) be made available for
reviews and preparation of the reports required pursuant to
subdivisions (a) and (b), and that the implementation of
recommendations proceed immediately following the adoption of those
reviews and reports.
SEC. 4. Section 44279.3 of the
Education Code is amended to read:
44279.3. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the
executive secretary of the commission and the Superintendent
of Public Instruction shall recommend to the commission
standards of beginning teachers' support and performance, and an
assessment process for verifying attainment of the performance
standards, which shall be based on the results of the evaluation
study required by Section 44279.2, as that section read on December
31, 1992.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission shall
adopt and promulgate standards and requirements for earning the
professional teaching credential pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a) of Section 44225 in accordance with Chapter 3.5
(commencing with Section 11340) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code. The proposed regulations shall be developed jointly
with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and shall be
drafted in consultation with the panel established pursuant to
subdivision (b) of Section 44259.2. Superintendent.
It
(c) It is the intent of the
Legislature that the requirements of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a)
of Section 44225 be operative within six months of the commission's
adoption of standards and requirements for earning the professional
credential. First priority shall be given to cost-effective
requirements that maximize the use of existing state and local
resources. The commission shall consider the use of credential fees
and assessment fees to support the cost of implementing the
requirements. In adopting professional teacher certification
requirements pursuant to this subdivision, the commission shall
include the criteria specified in subdivision (d) of Section 44225,
and, in addition, shall include the following:
(1) A rigorous program of candidate-centered assessment that
relies upon individually evaluating the fitness of each individual
candidate for a credential.
(2) Rigorous assessments of each teaching candidate's general
knowledge and subject matter knowledge, that are designed to verify
reading skills, writing ability, mathematical reasoning, and other
elements of a liberal arts education.
(3) Assessments of each teaching candidate's instructional
skills and classroom management skills, including
an assessment of each teaching candidate's ability to work
effectively with students pupils of
both sexes and from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural,
academic, and linguistic backgrounds.
(4) Alternatives for professionally supervising, supporting, and
assisting beginning teachers for at least the critical first full
teaching year.
(5) Deregulation of the academic training of teachers by shifting
the emphasis from granting credentials on the basis of program
approval to granting credentials on the basis of comprehensive
assessments of individual candidates.
(c)
(d) If the professional teacher certification
requirements adopted by the commission include passage of a
standardized examination, the commission shall establish a procedure
for approval by the commission of alternative examinations or
assessments whose scope, contents, and level of difficulty are
determined by the commission to be equivalent to the scope, contents,
and level of difficulty of the standardized examination. In making
these determinations, the commission may refer to and utilize, to the
extent consistent with this section, accepted national and
professional standards governing the use of tests and assessments,
and governing the determination of equivalence between alternative
tests and assessments. The commission shall recover the costs of
administering any standard examination that the commission adopts by
collecting examination fees from examinees. An agency or organization
that recommends an alternative examination that is approved by the
commission shall pay the costs of developing and administering the
alternative examination from any available source of funds, including
examination fees, existing budget allocations, and amended budget
allocations.
(d)
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that no
detailed prescriptive checklists of competencies be adopted at the
state level for the assessment of each beginning teacher's classroom
performance.
(e)
(f) Until the operative date of the regulations that
are adopted and promulgated in accordance with subdivision (b), the
commission shall continue to administer teacher certification
requirements and regulations that were in effect on December 31,
1988. The commission may amend those requirements and regulations, as
the need arises.
SEC. 5. Section 44279.7 of the
Education Code is repealed.
44279.7. (a) The superintendent and the commission shall award
supplemental grants on a competitive basis to Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment System teacher induction programs established
pursuant to Section 44279.2 that are identified as having expertise
according to criteria established by the superintendent and the
commission. The supplemental grants received pursuant to this section
shall be expended to assist clusters of teacher induction programs
operated by school districts or consortiums of school districts.
(b) The superintendent and the commission shall designate each
school district and consortium of school districts participating in
the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System established
pursuant to Section 44279.2 as belonging to a cluster according to
the criteria established pursuant to this subdivision. For the
purposes of this section "cluster" means a cluster of school
districts or consortium of school districts established pursuant this
section. The superintendent and the commission shall establish
criteria for the formation of school districts or consortiums of
school district teacher induction program clusters based upon, but
not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Geographic proximity.
(2) Program size.
(3) The number of beginning teachers served.
(4) The similarity of teacher characteristics and pupil
populations in each school district.
(c) School districts and consortiums of school districts awarded
supplemental grants pursuant to this section shall identify a teacher
induction program consultant to assist the school district or
consortiums of school districts forming a cluster. The superintendent
and the commission shall identify the purpose and functions of each
consultant. Those purposes and functions shall include, but not
necessarily be limited to, all the following:
(1) Assisting in designing, implementing, refining, and evaluating
their teacher induction programs.
(2) Assisting in building the capacity to provide professional
development for all personnel involved in the implementation of
teacher induction programs, including, but not limited to, beginning
teachers, support providers, and administrators.
(3) Disseminating information on teacher induction programs to all
interested participants within the cluster and collaborating with
other consultants statewide and with state administrative agency
staff to ensure ongoing program improvement.
(d) The superintendent and the commission shall ensure that each
grant awarded pursuant to this section supports the salary and
benefits and other related costs based on the prorated amount of time
dedicated to this function for a consultant to assist each cluster.
SEC. 2. SEC. 6. The amount of ____
dollars ($____) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the
Superintendent of Public Education
Instruction and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for the
purposes of Section 44279.2 of the Education Code for the 2016-17
fiscal year.
SEC. 3. SEC. 7. It is the intent of
the Legislature that funding for the California Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment System (Article 4.5 (commencing with Section
44279.1) of Chapter 2 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Education Code) be provided each year in the annual Budget Act.
