BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 163| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 AB 163 Page 2 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. AB 163 Page 3 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: AB 163 Page 4 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 AB 163 Page 5 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 AB 163 Page 6 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 AB 163 Page 7 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 6/25/15 8:24:12 **** END ****