BILL NUMBER: AB 272 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 14, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Solorio
FEBRUARY 12, 2009
An act to add and repeal Chapter 3.75 (commencing with
Section 44788) of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education
Code, relating to teachers.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 272, as amended, Solorio. Teachers: professional development.
Existing law establishes the professional development block grant
to apportion funds to school districts for the purpose of funding
specified staff development, credentialed teacher retention in
high-priority schools, as defined, and intersegmental programs, as
specified.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to
enact legislation that would provide public school teachers with
professional development opportunities in order to improve
instruction of English learners authorize an
institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization
specializing in English learner research or professional development,
or a county office of education with demonstrated success in
establishing and implementing English learner professional
development programs to offer a Leadership for English
Learner Success Program for school administrators or counselors, or
both, under contract or other cooperative arrangement with a school
district. The program would be required to include specified
components. Necessary facilities and equipment would be provided by
the school district and the necessary instructional materials would
be provided by the contractor. The program would be implemented with
funds from the school improvement grants component of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program would become inoperative
on July 1, 2015, and, as of January 1, 2016, would be repealed,
unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before
that date, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes
inoperative and is repealed .
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
(1) Millions of school-aged immigrants have arrived at the doors
of California's public schools, filling our classrooms with the most
ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse populations ever.
(2) Each year, thousands of California children who are United
States citizens come to school from homes where languages other than
English are spoken primarily.
(3) Educators need to make sure these learners reach the new,
higher standards set for all pupils in California as well as teach
them English.
(4) Schools must show that their programs are research based, has
sufficient resources to succeed, and result in pupils overcoming the
language barrier.
(5) Good instruction, a comprehensive program, and an accountable
school community must all be in place for English learner success.
Effective schools are able to put these ingredients into place
because they have knowledgeable, focused, and strong leadership at
the site and district level and these leaders have built the systems
and supports necessary to create and sustain the services and
programs that pupils need.
(6) Effective leaders must respond to pupil needs and build
accountability for inclusion and English learner success into the
life of the school. Effective leaders must understand the research
and theory behind second language development and have a very clear
vision of a program that is built upon research. Effective leaders
build consensus behind a vision of English learner success and
motivate, inspire and provide supports necessary to create and
sustain the services and programs that pupils need.
(b) The Legislature recognizes that the usual preparation and
professional development required by law of school administrators may
not provide sufficient exposure to the range of new and innovative
strategies and techniques necessary to strengthen their ability to
effectively and efficiently lead an organization and build the
capacity of staff to enhance the academic performance of English
learners.
(c) The Legislature, therefore, intends to establish a
professional development program for school administrators, to be
known as the "Leadership for English Learner Success Program."
SEC. 2. Chapter 3.75 (commencing with Section
44788) is added to Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Education Code , to read:
CHAPTER 3.75. ENGLISH LEARNER SUCCESS PROGRAM
44788. An institution of higher education, a nonprofit
organization specializing in English learner research or professional
development, or a county office of education with demonstrated
success in establishing and implementing English learner professional
development programs may offer a Leadership for English Learner
Success Program for school administrators or counselors, or both,
under contract or other cooperative arrangement with a school
district. The program is voluntary, and participation is voluntary.
44788.1. An English Learner Success Program shall not duplicate
but build upon the English learner components of the Administrator
Training Program established pursuant to Article 4.6 (commencing with
Section 44510) of Chapter 3.
44788.2. (a) The English Learner Success Program shall include,
but not be limited to, strategies to enable administrators and
counselors who participate in the program to accomplish all of the
following:
(1) Create designated roles and structures for staff with specific
responsibility for the education of English learners while infusing
responsibility for English learners across roles and structures that
are not specific to English learners.
(2) Obtain and maintain active engagement of parents.
(3) Gauge the implications of current planning efforts for English
learners and steps for revision.
(b) The English Learner Success Program shall provide
administrators and counselors who participate in the program the
knowledge and understanding of all of the following:
(1) The following skills that are needed by teachers to serve
English learners:
(A) Stages of second language development and the implications for
instruction.
(B) The different types of English learners and the implications
for instruction.
(C) Program options available to English learners.
(D) Strategies to build cultural competencies for all pupils.
(E) Strategies of specially designed academic instruction in
English that provide English learners with access to grade level
curriculum.
(F) Content-specific academic English and strategies for
developing academic English among English learners.
(2) Funding resources for English learners and the processes to
obtain funding.
(3) Parent rights, parent notifications, program options and
placement, and parent choice.
(c) The English Learner Success Program shall give administrators
and counselors who participate in the program approaches for creating
mechanisms that ensure good coordination, consistent focus, and
communication across all departments and aspects of the school.
(d) The English Learner Success Program shall identify and provide
tools designed to gauge gaps in the services and supports provided
by the district, and in the relationship between district and sites,
that if addressed, would strengthen programs for English learners.
(e) The English Learner Success Program shall provide
administrators and counselors tools and support that address, at
least, all of the following:
(1) The ability to diagnose barriers to change and identify
opportunities for strengthening English learner responsiveness in the
school.
(2) Ways to support improvements in practice and program design.
(3) Ways of inspiring and motivating school personnel for the
purpose of increased responsiveness to the needs of English learners.
44788.3. The governing board of a school district may offer a
Leadership for English Learner Success Program and shall provide the
following information to prospective participants:
(a) The objectives of the school district in establishing the
project.
(b) The process and criteria to be used to select the program
participants.
(c) The duration of the program and the number of hours per week
each program participant would be in the program.
(d) The courses to be made available to program participants
through the school district and in collaboration with its contractor.
(e) A description of the criteria and manner in which the program
participants will be evaluated upon completion of the program.
(f) A description of the criteria and manner in which the program
will be evaluated.
(g) The proposed expenditures and an outline of proposed federal,
state, or local fund matching requirements.
44788.4. Necessary facilities and equipment shall be provided by
the school district and the necessary instructional materials shall
be provided by the contractor.
44788.5. The program shall be implemented with funds from the
School Improvement Grants component of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (Public Law 111-4). A school district may use any
other appropriate federal or state funds for purposes of this
chapter.
44788.6. This chapter shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015,
and, as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes
or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is
repealed.
SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature
to enact legislation that would provide public school teachers with
professional development opportunities in order to improve
instruction of English learners.