BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 141|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 141
Author: Bonilla (D)
Amended: 7/9/15 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 7/15/15
AYES: Liu, Runner, Block, Hancock, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning,
Pan, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-1, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza
NOES: Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 53-26, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Teacher credentialing: beginning teacher induction
programs
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill requires a local educational agency (LEA),
including charter schools, to provide an induction program for
newly hired teachers and also prohibits them from charging the
teachers a fee to participate in the induction program.
ANALYSIS:
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:
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a) A program of beginning teacher support and assessment
approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
and the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), a
provision of the Marian Bergeson Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment (BTSA) System.
b) An alternative program of beginning teacher induction
that is provided by one or more LEAs and has been approved
by the CTC and the SPI 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 CTC, the SPI,
and the State Board of Education.
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 CTC'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
fulfills induction standards and is approved, the CTC 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 CTC 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.
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This bill:
1)Makes various findings and declarations for the effectiveness
of induction programs for beginning teachers and their access
to these programs.
2)Provides that commencing with hiring for the 2016-17 school
year, and each school year thereafter, a school district,
county office of education, or charter school that hires a
beginning teacher shall provide that beginning teacher with a
program of beginning teacher induction, unless the beginning
teacher meets specified requirements. Specifies that a
beginning teacher includes a teacher with a preliminary
multiple or single subject teaching credential, or a
preliminary education specialist credential.
3)Prohibits an LEA or charter school from charging a fee to a
beginning teacher to participate in the beginning teacher
induction program or an alternative program of beginning
teacher induction.
Comments
Need for the bill. According to the author's office, "nearly 12
percent of providers are charging teachers for induction. Local
education agencies are charging teachers as much as $2,500 per
year for the two year program, placing heavy financial burdens
on teachers just starting their careers. Further adding to the
program, some districts are ending their induction programs,
placing the burden of identifying, accessing, and completing a
quality induction program solely on new teachers. A new
teacher's inability to access an induction program compromises
that teacher's professional growth and greatly reduces the
chance that he or she will stay in the profession."
Teacher induction. According to the CTC, induction for new
teachers in California has evolved in significant ways over its
25 year history. The Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
(BTSA) program was established as a result of a pilot study
conducted during 1988 to 1992 by the CTC and the California
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Department of Education (CDE). This pilot study, known as the
California New Teacher Project, demonstrated that the state
could increase beginning teacher retention, success and
effectiveness, by providing all new teachers with structured
mentoring and support. The Governor and the Legislature
established the BTSA program as part of the 1992-93 Budget Act.
At that time, the program was a grant program designed to
support new teachers and was not a credential requirement for
teachers.
From 1995 until 2009 BTSA Induction programs operated with
dedicated Proposition 98 funding based on a per-participating
teacher allocation (with a matching requirement by the LEA).
However, in February 2009, the state Budget provided LEAs with
categorical spending flexibility in exchange for program funding
reductions. LEAs were able to use funds from about 40
categorical programs, including the Teacher Credentialing Block
Grant for which the BTSA program was a part of, for any
educational purpose. The program's matching requirement was also
removed but funding continued to be provided to LEAs that
sponsored an approved induction program.
Since the onset of the categorical funding flexibility
provisions, a number of approved induction programs have become
inactive or withdrawn. In terms of statewide program equity,
access and parity has been an issue regarding the charging of
beginning teachers to participate in an induction program. The
induction programs sponsored by colleges or universities have
always charged tuition. A few LEA-based induction programs were
approved by the CTC after 2009 and never received state funding.
These programs, sponsored by charter schools, have always
charged candidates. Another issue that appears to be surfacing
is that some programs are "capping" the number of new teachers
they will serve, resulting in inequities within a district as
some new teachers receive induction services and others are
faced with having to search and pay for induction services
outside of their district or teach, largely unsupported, in a
classroom for a year or more until they reach the top of the
program's waiting list.
Induction fees. The CTC conducted a survey of CTC-approved
induction programs and received 126 responses out of 165
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programs. Of the survey respondents, 11.5 percent of LEA
sponsored induction programs reported that they charged fees to
induction participants in 2014-15. This equates to 2,063
participants who paid fees out of 17,907 total participants at
respondent LEAs. Respondents reported the per year fees range
from $390 to $3,350.
Related budget activity. The 2015-16 Budget Act includes $490
million in Proposition 98 General Fund for activities that
promote educator quality and effectiveness. These funds may be
used for a menu of options, 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. It also requires
the CTC to provide funding recommendations, including state,
school district, and teacher candidate responsibilities for
induction, which could speak to the notion of prohibiting a
district from charging fees.
Induction options to obtain a Clear Teaching Credential.
Completion of an approved induction program is the primary route
to attaining a clear teaching credential. If a teacher employed
(employer is defined as a California public school, any school
that is sponsored by a private California K12 school, nonpublic,
nonsectarian school or agency, charter school, or a school
operated under the direction of a California state agency) does
not have an induction program available to them, then the
teacher may enroll in a Clear Credential Program. Currently,
there are 22 CTC-approved Clear Credential programs operating in
California (three from California State University system, three
from the University of California, and 16 private independent
institutions).
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
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
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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.
The 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.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/27/15)
Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Catholic Conference
California Communities United Institute
California Federation of Teachers
California State PTA
California STEM Learning Network
California Teachers Association
Common Sense Kids Action
Public Advocates
Santa Clara County Office of Education
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/27/15)
California School Boards Association
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 53-26, 6/3/15
AYES: Alejo, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon,
Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia,
Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Roger Hernández,
Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
McCarty, Medina, Mullin, O'Donnell, Perea, Quirk, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone,
Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NOES: Achadjian, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Brough, Chang,
Dahle, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Jones,
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Kim, Lackey, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte,
Olsen, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Nazarian
Prepared by:Lenin Del Castillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
8/30/15 19:49:04
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