BILL NUMBER: AB 131	CHAPTERED  09/28/08

	CHAPTER  487
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 28, 2008
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  SEPTEMBER 28, 2008
	PASSED THE SENATE  JULY 2, 2008
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 12, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 19, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 10, 2008
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 11, 2008
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 1, 2007
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 22, 2007

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Beall

                        JANUARY 12, 2007

   An act to add and repeal Section 44265.2 of the Education Code,
relating to teacher credentialing, and declaring the urgency thereof,
to take effect immediately.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 131, Beall. Teacher credentialing: specialist credential:
pupils with autism.
   Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, by
December 1, 2007, to report to the Legislature and the Governor on
the existing process and requirements for obtaining a specialist
credential in special education and recommend modifications to
enhance and expedite those procedures.
   This bill would authorize a local educational agency or school to
employ and assign an individual to provide instruction to pupils who
are 3 and 4 years of age and who are diagnosed as autistic, as
defined, if the individual holds a valid level 1 or clear education
specialist credential, is authorized to provide instruction to pupils
with autism, and meets specified competence criteria, as determined
by the local educational agency or school. The local educational
agency or school would be required to maintain on file in its office
verification that the individual has met the competence criteria.
These provisions would become inoperative on August 31, 2011, and
would be repealed on January 1, 2012.
   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 44265.2 is added to the Education Code, to
read:
   44265.2.  (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a local educational
agency or school may employ and assign an individual to provide
instruction to pupils who are three and four years of age and who are
diagnosed as autistic, as defined by Section 300.8(c)(1) of Title 34
of the Code of Federal Regulations, if the individual holds a valid
level 1 or clear education specialist credential, is authorized to
provide instruction to pupils with autism, and meets the competence
criteria set forth in subdivision (b).
   (b) (1) The local educational agency or school shall determine
that an individual described in subdivision (a) has satisfied either
of the following competence criteria allowing the individual to
provide instruction to pupils who are ages three and four years of
age with autism:
   (A) He or she has provided full-time instruction for at least one
year prior to September 1, 2007, in a special education program that
serves pupils who are three and four years of age with autism
pursuant to their individualized education programs and received from
the local educational agency or school a favorable evaluation or
recommendation to teach pupils with autism.
   (B) He or she has completed at least three semester units of
coursework in the subject of special education, early childhood
education at a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

   (2) The local educational agency or school shall maintain
verification of experience or coursework on file in its office.
   (c) This section shall become inoperative on August 31, 2011, and,
as of January 1, 2012, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2012, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
  SEC. 2.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   In order to allow local educational agencies and nonpublic,
nonsectarian schools to hire and retain more credentialed special
education teachers to provide instruction to pupils with autism at
the earliest possible time, it is necessary that this act take effect
immediately.