BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 163|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 163
Author: Williams (D), et al.
Amended: 3/16/15 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 8-0, 6/10/15
AYES: Liu, Runner, Block, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan, Vidak
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hancock
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 4/23/15 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Teaching credential: American Indian
language-culture credential
SOURCE: Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
DIGEST: This bill renames the existing American Indian
languages credential as the American Indian language-culture
teaching credential and establishes new requirements for the
credential.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Authorizes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to
issue credentials for teaching specialties, including
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bilingual education, early childhood education, and special
education. Education specialist teaching credentials are to
be based upon a baccalaureate degree from an accredited
institution, completion of a program of professional
preparation, and standards that the CTC may establish.
Existing law prohibits multiple and single subject teacher
credential programs from including more than one year of
professional preparation, including student teaching.
2)Authorizes the CTC to issue an American Indian languages
credential to a candidate who has been recommended by a tribal
government of a federally recognized Indian tribe in
California if the candidate has completed specified
requirements.
3)Authorizes the CTC to establish and implement guidelines for
alternative assessments for languages other than English
performed by organizations that are experts in the language
and culture assessed.
This bill:
1)Renames the existing "American Indian languages credential" as
the "American Indian language-culture credential."
2)Requires the CTC to issue an American Indian language-culture
credential upon recommendation by the tribal government of a
federally recognized Indian tribe in California if a candidate
meets the following requirements for the American Indian
culture authorization:
a) Demonstrates knowledge in that tribe's culture based on
an assessment developed and administered by that federally
recognized Indian tribe.
b) Successfully completes a criminal background check for
credentialing purposes.
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c) Submits an application, fee, and recommendation for the
credential to the CTC through the federally recognized
Indian tribe.
3)Specifies that the American Indian language-culture credential
shall authorize the holder to teach the American Indian
language, or culture, or both, for which the credential was
issued in California public schools in preschool,
kindergarten, grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and in adult
education courses.
4)Specifies that the holder of an American Indian
language-culture credential who does not also have a valid
teaching credential issued by the State of California shall
not teach in a public school, including a charter school, any
subject other than the American Indian language, or culture,
or both, for which he or she is credentialed.
5)Requires each American Indian language-culture credential to
be issued initially for a two-year period and may be renewed
for a three-year period upon recommendation of the tribal
government; and, requires upon completion of the three-year
period, the holder of an American Indian language-culture
credential to be eligible for a clear teaching credential for
that language upon application and the recommendation of the
tribal government, in consultation with the applicant's public
school employer.
6)Encourages each federally recognized American Indian tribe to
develop a written and oral assessment that should be
successfully completed before an applicant is recommended for
an American Indian language-culture credential.
7)Specifies that in developing the culture assessment, an Indian
tribe should determine all of the following:
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a) The candidate's understanding of the tribe's culture and
its practices, including, but not limited to, ceremonies
and traditions, social institutions and relationships,
holidays and festivals, health practices and traditions,
patterns of work and leisure, and culinary traditions and
practices.
b) The standard of knowledge required to qualify for an
American Indian culture authorization in that tribal
culture.
c) Standards for effective teaching methods to be evaluated
in the classroom.
8)Specifies the assessment should be administered at an
appropriate location that does not create hardship for members
of the Indian tribe administering the assessment.
9)Requires, upon agreement by the tribe, a tribe recommending a
candidate for an American Indian language-culture credential
to develop and administer a technical assistance program
guided by the California Standards for the Teaching
Profession.
10)Requires, to the extent feasible, the program to be offered
by teachers credentialed in an American Indian language, or
culture, or both, who have three or more years of teaching
experience and specifies the technical assistance program may
consist of direct classroom observation and consultation,
assistance in instructional planning and preparation, support
in implementation and delivery of classroom instruction, and
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other assistance intended to enhance the professional
performance and development of the teacher of an American
Indian language, or culture, or both.
11)Requires public school personnel responsible for evaluating
teachers, in accordance with local governing board policy, to
provide individuals employed to teach on the basis of the
American Indian language-culture credential with information
on the teaching personnel evaluation process and the
California Standards for the Teaching Profession.
12)Requires candidates meeting the requirements of both the
language and culture requirements be granted both the American
Indian language and the American Indian culture
authorizations; and, specifies for a candidate who has already
received an American Indian languages credential before the
effective date of this bill, the tribe that recommended the
candidate for the American Indian languages credential shall
determine if the candidate may add the American Indian culture
authorization to the preexisting languages credential, or if
the candidate must reapply for the American Indian culture
authorization as a new initial credential.
13)Makes legislative findings and declarations that teaching
American Indian language and culture is essential to the
proper education of American Indian children and, preserving
American Indian language and culture is an important part of
our national heritage and can be of value to all Americans.
Comments
Need for the bill. According to the author's office, the Native
American Languages Act of 1990 was created to alleviate the
mistakes of the past regarding the preservation of Native
American languages. Additionally, it allows for exceptions to
teacher certification requirements for federal programs and
programs funded in whole or in part by the federal government,
for instruction in Native American languages. The author's
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office indicates there are at least 109 federally recognized
tribes in California, and under the provisions of this bill,
each tribe would have the authority to create their own
assessment system for their culture. The ability of these
tribes to develop their own assessments is important to maintain
the integrity of each of their differing cultural
characteristics. Further, this bill builds on the provisions of
AB 544 (Coto, Chapter 324, Statutes of 2009) and allows further
alignment with federal law to ensure that experts in American
Indian culture are allowed to serve as the teacher in this
subject area.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified6/23/15)
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians (source)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
California Association for Bilingual Education
California Nations Indian Gaming Association
California Teachers Association
Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Ramona Band of Cahuilla Indians
Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians
Smith River Rancheria
Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
OPPOSITION: (Verified6/23/15)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 4/23/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chang, Chau,
Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly,
Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina
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Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina,
Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,
Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Campos, Salas
Prepared by:Lenin Del Castillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
6/24/15 16:20:33
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