BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 141 (Bonilla) - Teacher credentialing: beginning teacher
induction programs.
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|Version: July 9, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs)
that hire a new teacher to provide them with a beginning teacher
induction program and prohibits them from charging a fee to
participate in the program as well as alternative beginning
teacher induction programs.
Fiscal
Impact:
Mandate: This bill's costs will ultimately depend upon the
number of beginning teachers and the cost of the program.
These figures range and fluctuate from year to year. Assuming
a program cost of roughly $5,000 and total teacher preparation
program enrollment for 2012-13 of 19,933, this bill could
drive reimbursable state mandate costs of about $100 million
annually for LEAs to provide new teachers induction programs.
The Commission on State Mandates may identify some offsetting
costs at least in the 2015-16 fiscal year. See staff
AB 141 (Bonilla) Page 1 of
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comments. (Proposition 98)
The California Department of Education (CDE) indicates that
ensuring new teachers are provided induction programs and that
they are not being charged a fee to participate could be
included as a monitoring protocol in the Title II Federal
Program Monitoring process. This is not anticipated to result
in significant costs to the CDE.
Background: Existing law:
1)Requires a teacher to complete one of the following beginning
teacher induction programs in order to obtain a clear multiple
or single subject teaching credential:
a) A program of beginning teacher support and assessment
approved by the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (Commission) and the Superintendent, a
provision of the Marian Bergeson Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment System.
b) An alternative program of beginning teacher induction
that is provided by one or more LEAs and has been approved
by the Commission and the Superintendent on the basis of
initial review and periodic evaluations of the program in
relation to appropriate standards of credential program
quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the
commission, the Superintendent, and the State Board.
c) An alternative program of beginning teacher induction
that is sponsored by a regionally accredited college or
university, in cooperation with one or more local school
districts, that addresses the individual professional needs
of beginning teachers and meets the commission's standards
of induction.
2)Specifies that if a candidate satisfies the requirements,
including completion of an accredited internship program of
professional preparation, and if that internship program
AB 141 (Bonilla) Page 2 of
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fulfills induction standards and is approved, the Commission
shall determine that the candidate has fulfilled the induction
requirements.
3)Specifies that if an approved induction program is verified as
unavailable to a beginning teacher, or if the beginning
teacher is required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act
to complete subject matter coursework to be qualified for a
teaching assignment, the Commission shall accept completion of
an approved clear credential program after completion of a
baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited institution as
fulfilling the induction requirements.
Proposed Law:
This bill requires, beginning with hiring for the 2016-17
school year, LEAs that hire a new teacher to provide them with a
beginning teacher induction program, as one of the requirements
for obtaining a clear teaching credential unless the beginning
teacher meets specified requirements. LEAs are prohibited from
charging a fee to participate in the program. This bill also
prohibits an LEA from charging a fee to a beginning teacher to
participate in an alternative beginning teacher induction
program that is provided by one or more LEAs or sponsored by a
regionally accredited college or university.
Staff
Comments: Costs for this bill will vary due to several factors,
including the growth and decline in enrollment induction
programs. Completion of a Preliminary Credential in a teacher
preparation program is required prior to participating in an
induction program. To provide context for fluctuation in the
enrollment of teachers in preparation programs, enrollment has
decreased by 24 percent from the 2011-12 fiscal year (and even
more since 2008-09). In prior years, the state dedicated
funding for induction that ranged from $87 million to $128
million.
To the extent the Commission on State Mandates determines this
bill to impose a mandate on LEAs, this would create pressure to
increase the mandate block grant to reflect the inclusion of the
AB 141 (Bonilla) Page 3 of
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new mandate. Since this bill also applies to charter schools,
if the mandate block grant was increased, charter schools would
also receive an increase in their per-student allocation.
However, charter schools would not reimbursed under the
traditional claiming process as they have not been considered to
be an entity eligible for reimbursement by the Commission.
The 2015-16 Budget Act addresses induction in several ways. It
includes $490 million in Proposition 98 General Fund for
activities that promote educator quality and effectiveness.
These funds may be used for several purposes, including
beginning teacher and administrator support and mentoring, and
professional development for struggling teachers. The 2015-16
Budget Act also requires the CTC, by September 1, 2015, to
evaluate any burdens of existing induction requirements and
identify options for streamlining and reforming beginning
teacher induction. Finally it provides over $3 billion in
one-time mandate funding to be used between California Community
Colleges and school districts. The intent is that school
districts will prioritize funds for professional development,
induction for beginning teachers with a focus on relevant
mentoring, instructional materials, technology infrastructure,
and any other investments necessary to support implementation of
the common core standards in English language arts and
mathematics, the implementation of English language development
standards, and the implementation of the Next Generation Science
standards.
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