Amended in Assembly March 29, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 7, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1756

Introduced by Assembly Member Bonilla

February 2, 2016

An act to amend Section 44259.1 of the Education Code, relating to teacher credentialing.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1756, as amended, Bonilla. Teacher credentialing: integrated programs of professional preparation.

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Existing

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begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Existing end insert law establishes minimum requirements for the issuance of a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Among other requirements, existing law requires satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation accredited by the Committee on Accreditation, but specifies that the program shall not include more than begin delete two end delete begin insert 2 end insert years of full-time study, except for certain programs, including for integrated programs of subject matter and professional preparation. Existing law requires an integrated program of professional preparation to enable candidates for teaching credentials to engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions, and to provide opportunities for candidates to complete intensive field experiences in public elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate sequence.

This bill would require those intensive field experiences to include student teaching.

This bill would authorize a postsecondary institution to offer a begin delete 4-year end delete begin insert 4- or 5-year end insert integrated program of professional preparation that allows a student to earn a baccalaureate degree and a preliminary begin delete multiple- end delete begin insert multiple end insert or begin delete single-subject end delete begin insert single subject end insert teaching credential, begin insert or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, end insert including student teaching requirements, concurrently and within 4 begin insert or 5 end insert years of study.

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This bill would require the commission, as part of its accreditation process, to collect specified information about integrated programs of professional preparation.

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This bill would, contingent upon appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or another statute, require the commission to develop and implement a program to award 40 grants of $250,000 each to postsecondary institutions for the development of transition plans to guide the creation of 4-year integrated programs of professional preparation, as provided.

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(2) Existing law requires that an integrated program of professional preparation offered by the California State University be designed to concurrently lead to a preliminary multiple subject or single subject teaching credential and a baccalaureate degree.

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This bill would instead require that an integrated program of professional preparation offered by the California State University be designed to concurrently lead to a preliminary multiple subject or single subject teaching credential, or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, and a baccalaureate degree.

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This

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begin insert (3) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert This end insert bill would make findings and declarations relating to teachers and teacher credentialing.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) In mid-October 2015, after the school year had begun, there
were more than 3,900 open teaching positions available in
California.

(b) During the last decade, enrollment in teacher credentialing
programs has dropped more than 70 percent.

(c) Most students who would like to become teachers are
required to pay for a fifth year of school in order to earn their
teaching credentials.

(d) This fifth year in school costs these students an additional
year of tuition and living expenses and delays their entrance into
the workforce.

(e) These students must also complete their student teaching
requirements, and, during the period of student teaching, they have
no earning potential because they work full time without
compensation.

(f) Ensuring that a student can earn a baccalaureate degree and
teaching credential and complete the required student teaching
within four years will decrease the amount of debt students must
take on in order to complete their teacher training.

(g) Creating begin delete four-year, end delete begin insert four-year end insert integrated programs of
professional preparation will support students in a sustainable
manner and for decades into the future.

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

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begin insert It is the intent of the Legislature that this act not impose
any additional restrictions on education specialist instruction
credential programs. end insert

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete

begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

Section 44259.1 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

44259.1.  

(a) (1) An integrated program of professional
preparation shall enable candidates for teaching credentials to
engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter
preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally
accredited postsecondary educational institutions. An integrated
program shall provide opportunities for candidates to complete
intensive field experiences, including student teaching, in public
elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate
sequence. The development and implementation of an integrated
program shall be based on intensive collaboration among subject
matter departments and education units within postsecondary
educational institutions and local public elementary and secondary
school districts.

(2) A postsecondary institution may offer a begin delete four-year end delete begin insert four- or
five-year end insert integrated program of professional preparation that allows
a student to earn a baccalaureate degree and a preliminary begin delete multiple- end delete
begin insert multiple end insert or begin delete single-subject end delete begin insert single subject end insert teaching credential, begin insert or an
education specialist instruction credential end insert begin insert authorizing the holder
to teach special education, end insert including student teaching requirements,
concurrently and within four begin insert or five end insert years of study.

(3) The commission shall encourage postsecondary educational
institutions to offer integrated programs of professional preparation
that follow the guidelines developed pursuant to this section. In
approving integrated programs, the commission shall not
compromise or reduce its standards of subject matter preparation
pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 44310) or its
standards of professional preparation pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (b) of Section 44259.

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(4) The commission shall, as part of its accreditation process,
collect information about integrated programs of professional
preparation, including which institutions offer integrated programs
and the number and type of credentials the programs produce.

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(b) (1) Commencing with the 2005-06 school year, an
integrated program offered by the California State University shall
be designed to concurrently lead to a preliminary multiple subject
or single subject teaching credential, begin insert or an education specialist
instruction credential end insert begin insert authorizing the holder to teach special
education, end insert and a baccalaureate degree. Recommendation for each
shall be contingent upon satisfactory completion of the
requirements for each.

(2) By July 1, 2004, the Chancellor of the California State
University, in consultation with California State University faculty
members, shall develop a framework defining appropriate balance
for an integrated program of general education, subject matter
preparation, and professional education courses, for both lower
division and upper division students, including an appropriate
range of units to be taken in professional education courses. In
developing the framework, the Chancellor of the California State
University and California State University faculty members shall
consult with the Academic Senate for the California Community
Colleges on matters related to the effective and efficient use of,
and appropriate role for, lower division coursework in an integrated
program.

(c) (1) By January 1, 2005, the Chancellor of the California
State University and the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges shall collaboratively ensure that both of the following
occur:

(A) Lower division coursework completed by a community
college student transferring to a California State University
integrated program is articulated with the corresponding
coursework of the California State University.

(B) The articulated community college lower division
coursework is accepted as the equivalent to the coursework offered
to students who enter that integrated program as freshman students.

(2) Commencing with the 2005-06 school year, each campus
of the California State University shall invite the community
colleges in its region that send significant numbers of transfer
students to that campus to enter into articulation agreements. These
articulation agreements shall be based on a fully transferable
education curriculum that is developed pursuant to the framework
developed under paragraph (2) of subdivision (b). Approval of one
or more of the articulation agreements will enable the coursework
of a community college student to be accepted as the equivalent
to the coursework offered to students who enter that integrated
program as freshman students.

(d) A postbaccalaureate program of professional preparation
shall enable candidates for teaching credentials to commence and
complete professional preparation after they have completed
baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited institutions. The
development and implementation of a postbaccalaureate program
of professional preparation shall be based on intensive collaboration
among the postsecondary educational institution and local public
elementary and secondary school districts.

(e) The commission shall develop and implement a program to
award 40 one-year grants of two hundred fifty thousand dollars
($250,000) each to postsecondary institutions for the development
of transition plans to guide the creation begin insert of end insert four-year integrated
programs of professional preparation.

(1) A postsecondary institution awarded a grant under this
subdivision may use the transition plan to create a new four-year
integrated program of professional preparation or to adapt an
existing integrated program of professional preparation.

(2) A postsecondary institution awarded a grant under this
begin delete section end delete begin insert subdivision end insert may partner with a California Community
College to create a four-year integrated program of professional
preparation.

(3) A postsecondary institution awarded a grant under this
begin delete section end delete begin insert subdivision end insert may use grant funds for any proper purpose in
support of planning for a four-year integrated program of
professional preparation, including, but not limited begin delete to end delete begin insert to, end insert any of
the following:

(A) To provide faculty release time to redesign existing courses.

(B) To provide program coordinators to assist in collaboration
with subject-matter professors and pedagogy professors.

(C) To create summer courses for students in a four-year
integrated program of professional preparation.

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(D) To recruit individuals for participation as students in
four-year integrated programs of professional preparation.

end insert begin insert

(4) In awarding grants pursuant to the program, the commission
shall grant priority to proposals for the establishment of four-year
integrated programs of professional preparation designed to
produce teachers with either an education specialist instruction
credential authorizing the holder to teach special education or a
single subject area credential in a subject with chronic shortages
of qualified teachers.

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(5) As a condition of the receipt of a grant, a postsecondary
institution shall provide to the commission program and outcome
data for at least three years after receiving the grant. The
information shall include program design and features, the number
of graduates, the number and type of credentials earned, the time
taken to earn a degree and credential, and any other information
the commission may require for the purpose of documenting the
effect of the grant and identifying effective practices in program
design and implementation.

end insert begin delete

(4)

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begin insert (6) end insert  The commission may reserve some of the 40 grants to
provide a second grant to some or all of the postsecondary
institutions awarded grants pursuant to this subdivision for the
subsequent fiscal year.

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(5)

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begin insert (7) end insert  The requirements of this subdivision are contingent upon
begin insert the end insert appropriation of funds for begin insert the end insert purposes of this subdivision in
the annual Budget Act or another statute.