BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2160|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 2160
Author: Bass (D)
Amended: 4/6/10 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 6-0, 6/16/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Emmerson, Hancock, Liu, Price
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alquist, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 4/22/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Teacher credentialing: instruction to pupils
with autism
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill extends, until October 1, 2013,
employment options that allow teachers who hold a
credential authorizing them to teach students with mild to
moderate disabilities to also serve students with autism
spectrum disorders.
ANALYSIS : Existing law authorizes the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to issue credentials for
teaching specialties, including bilingual education, early
childhood education, and special education. Education
specialist credentials authorize a holder to teach special
education students in various areas of specialization such
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as mild/moderate disabilities, moderate/severe
disabilities, deaf and hard of hearing, visual impairments,
physical and health impairments, and early childhood
special education.
Existing law requires the CTC to report to the Legislature
and the Governor by December 1, 2007, on the current
existing process and requirements for obtaining a
specialist credential in special education and recommend
modifications to enhance and expedite these procedures.
Existing law, AB 2302 (Bass), Chapter 4, Statutes of 2008,
outlines temporary options authorizing local education
agencies and schools to assign teachers who hold a Level 1
Education Specialist Credential authorizing the instruction
of students with mild/moderate disabilities to serve
students with autism spectrum disorders. Existing law
makes this employment option inoperative on August 31,
2011, or two years after the CTC adopts regulations to
implement the recommendations in the 2007 report, whichever
occurs first, and is repealed on January 1, 2012, unless a
later enacted statute extends or deletes the sunset date.
To be assigned under these options, a teacher must have
either:
1.Provided full-time instruction for at least one year
prior to September 1, 2007, in a special education
program that serves pupils with autism pursuant to their
individualized education programs and received a
favorable evaluation or recommendation to teach pupils
with autism form the local educational agency or school;
or
2.Completed a minimum of three semester units of coursework
in the subject of autism offered by a regionally
accredited institution of higher education.
This bill:
1.Extends to October 1, 2013, the options authorizing local
education agencies and schools to assign teachers with a
mild/moderate education specialist credential to teach
pupils with autism spectrum disorders.
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2.Repeals the December 2007 reporting requirement because
the CTC satisfied the requirement.
3.Removes the Level 1 limitation on the options, thus
allowing Level II education specialist credential holders
who meet the specified requirements to be assigned to
teach children with autism spectrum disorders.
Background
Historically, students with autism were placed in classroom
settings taught by special education teachers authorized to
provide instruction to students with moderate/severe
disabilities. Today, autism is considered to be part of a
group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders that
cause a range of difficulties including language delays,
communication problems, limited social skills, and
repetitive and other unusual behaviors. According to the
California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism,
schools in California have seen a doubling of students with
autism spectrum disorders in the past five years,
exacerbating the existing shortage of special education
teachers.
In its 2007 report, the CTC found that while pupils with
milder forms of autism spectrum disorders may be
appropriately placed in classrooms with other students who
have mild to moderate disabilities, districts experience
challenges in placing students in these classrooms because
the mild/moderate education specialist credential did not
authorize teaching pupils with autism spectrum disorders.
Although the CTC has adopted regulations that enable
existing special education teachers to add an authorization
for autism spectrum disorders to their credential, the
author's office maintains that the 2011 sunset date
specified in current law may not provide sufficient time
for these teachers to complete the training required for
the added authorization. By extending the sunset date to
October 1, 2013, the author hopes this bill will maintain
the bridge that is enabling special education teachers to
work with autism spectrum disorders pupils while they
complete requirements and coursework necessary for the
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added authorization.
The 2007 report the CTC submitted to the Legislature and
the Governor included various recommendations to enhance
the requirements and process for education specialist
credentials. Key recommendations included the need to
ensure that all future special education credential
candidates receive appropriate training to provide
instructional services to pupils with autism spectrum
disorders and the need to provide routes for existing
special education teachers to be come authorized to provide
services to autism spectrum disorders pupils. Based on
recommendations contained in the report, the CTC approved
new pathways for existing special education teachers to
voluntarily become authorized to teach students with autism
spectrum disorders. The following authorizations were
approved by the Office of Administrative Law on July 3,
2009:
1. Added Authorization for Autism Spectrum Disorders . This
authorization allows any existing special education
credential holder who completes a Commission-approved
program for this authorization to teach students with
autism spectrum disorders.
2. Special Education Limited Assignment Permit . This
permit, which establishes requirements that mirror the
employment options authorized by AB 2302 (Bass), allows a
special education teacher to teach pupils with autism
spectrum disorders while they are completing the
requirements for the autism spectrum disorders added
authorization or completing requirements for the
moderate/severe education specialist credential.
Prior/Related Legislation
AB 2302 (Bass), Chapter 41, Statutes of 2008, authorized,
until August 31, 2011, local education agencies to assign
special education teachers with a Level 1 credential for
mild/moderate disabilities to teach autism spectrum
disorders pupils. Passed the Senate Floor with a vote of
35-0 on June 19, 2008.
SB 1209 (Scott), Chapter 517, Statutes of 2006, required
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the CTC to convene a workgroup to examine the needs of
special education programs and make recommendations to the
Legislature to streamline the credentialing process of
special education teachers. Passed the Senate Floor with a
vote of 29-11 on August 29, 2006.
SCR 51 (Perata), Chapter 124, Statutes of 2005, established
a 16-member California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism.
The Commission submitted its findings and recommendations
to the Governor and the Legislature in September 2007.
Passed the Senate Floor with a vote of 39-0 on September 7,
2005.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, there
will be minor, absorbable General Fund costs to the CTC for
implementation.
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/29/10)
California Association of School Psychologists
California Association of Special Educators
California School Boards Association
California Teaches Association
Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Special Education Local Plan Area Administrators
OPPOSITION : (Verified 6/29/10)
Developmental Disabilities Area Board 10
State Council on Developmental Disabilities
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The California School Boards
Association writes, "AB 2160 would extend the inoperative
date for this statute from 2011 to 2013, and the expiration
date from 2012 to 2014. This will allow local educational
agencies to continue meeting the needs of their students
with autism while teacher candidates complete the permanent
certificate requirements being implemented by the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing."
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ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : According to the State Council
on Developmental Disabilities, "Current law and recently
enacted Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
regulations are already sufficient to ensure there is a
supply of teachers who can instruct students with autism to
meet the demand. By extending this short term solution
which temporarily lowered the bar, it calls into question
when a short term solution becomes a permanent one - and
this short term solution has not been evaluated as a
permanent one."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blumenfield, Caballero, Huber, Huffman,
Norby, Vacancy
CPM:cm 6/30/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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