BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2122
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Date of Hearing: April 6, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
AB 2122
(McCarty) - As Introduced February 17, 2016
SUBJECT: California Classified School Employee Teacher
Credentialing Program
SUMMARY: Establishes the California Classified School Employee
Teacher Credentialing Program. Specifically, this bill:
1) Makes findings and declarations regarding the value of
providing incentives to classified school employees to
become certificated teachers as a means of reducing the
teacher shortage and improving the diversity of the teacher
workforce in California.
2) Renames the Wildman-Keeley-Solis Exemplary Teacher
Training Act of 1977 the California Classified School
Employee Teacher Credentialing Program (CCSETCP).
3) Provides that the purpose of the CCSETCP is to recruit
classified school employees to participate in a program to
encourage them to enroll in teacher training programs and
to provide instructional service as teachers the public
schools.
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4) Requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC),
subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual
Budget Act, to issue a request for proposals to all school
districts and county offices of education in the state in
order to solicit applications for funding.
5) Requires the CTC to adopt criteria for the selection of
program participants to include all of the following:
a. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates
the capacity and willingness to accommodate the
participation of classified school employees in
teacher training programs conducted at institutions of
higher education;
b. The extent to which the applicant's plan for
the implementation of its recruitment program involves
the active participation of one or more local campuses
of the participating institutions of higher education
in the development of coursework and teaching programs
for participating classified school employees;
c. The extent to which the applicant's plan for
recruitment attempts to meet the demand of teacher
shortages in shortage areas in kindergarten and grades
1 to 12, inclusive.
d. The extent to which a developmentally
sequenced series of job descriptions leads from an
entry-level classified school employee position to an
entry-level teaching position in that school district
or county office of education; and
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e. The extent to which the applicant's plan for
recruitment attempts to meet its own specific teacher
needs.
6) Requires each applicant that is selected to participate
in the program to do all of the following:
a. Enter into a written articulation agreement
with the participating campuses of the institutions of
higher education;
b. Provide information about the program to all
eligible classified school employees in the school
district or county office of education and assistance
to each classified school employee it recruits under
the program regarding admission to a teacher training
program;
c. Require participants to satisfy the following
requirements before participating in the program:
i. Pass a criminal background check;
and
ii. Provide verification of either an
associate or higher level degree or completion of
at least two years of study at a postsecondary
institution.
d. Certify that it has received a commitment from
each participant that he or she will accomplish all of
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the following:
i. Graduate from an institution of
higher education under the program with a
bachelor's degree;
ii. Complete all of the requirements
for and obtain a multiple subject, single
subject, or education specialist teaching
credential; and
iii. Complete one school year of
classroom instruction in the school district or
county office of education for each year that he
or she receives assistance for books, fees, and
tuition while attending an institution of higher
education under the program.
7) Establishes the following definitions:
a. "Applicant" means a school district or county
office of education applying for program funds under
the CCSETCP;
b. "Institutions of higher education" means the
California Community Colleges, the California State
University, and the University California;
c. "Participant" means a school paraprofessional
who elects to participate in the CCSETCP;
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d. "Program" means the California Classified
School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program;
e. "Classified school employee" means a
non-certificated school employee currently working in
a public school; and
f. "Teacher training program" means an
undergraduate or graduate program of instruction
conducted by a campus of an institution of higher
education that includes a developmentally sequenced
career ladder to provide instruction, coursework, and
clearly defined tasks for each level of the ladder,
and that is designed to qualify students enrolled in
the program for a teaching credential authorizing
instruction in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive.
8) Requires the CTC to contract with an independent
evaluator with a proven record of experience in assessing
teacher training programs to conduct an evaluation to
determine the success of the program. The evaluation shall
be conducted once every five years, with the first
evaluation being completed on or before July 1, 2021. The
commission shall submit the completed evaluation to the
Governor and the education policy and fiscal committees of
the Assembly and Senate.
9) Requires the CTC, on or before January 1 of each year,
to report to the Legislature regarding the status of the
program, including, but not limited to;
a. The number of classified school employees
recruited;
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b. The academic progress of the classified school
employees recruited;
c. The number of classified school employees
recruited who are subsequently employed as teachers in
the public schools; and
d. The degree to which the applicant meets the
teacher shortage needs of the school district or
county office of education, and the ethnic and racial
composition of the participants in the program.
10) Requires the report to be made in conformance with
Section 9795 of the Government Code.
11) Expresses the intent of the Legislature that, each
fiscal year, funding for the CCSETCP be allocated to the
CTC for grants for up to 1,000 new participants per year.
12) Provides that a grant to an applicant shall not exceed
$4,000 per participant per year.
13) Provides that funding for grants to applicants shall be
contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act.
EXISTING LAW: Establishes the California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program (PTTP), which provides
grants to school paraprofessionals to enroll in and complete
teacher preparation programs.
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: The PTTP was established in 1990 by SB 1690 (Roberti,
Chapter 1444, Statutes of 1990) and has been reauthorized
several times since. The first reauthorization, Chapters 737
and 831, Statutes of 1997, also named the program the
Wildman-Keeley-Solis Exemplary Teacher Training Act of 1977.
The program provided academic scholarships and other related
academic support services to individuals recruited from
paraprofessional job classifications seeking a preliminary
California teaching credential as a K-12 teacher. PTTP programs
were sponsored by local school districts, county offices of
education, and/or consortia that applied to the CTC for program
funding based on a competitive grant application process.
Although the PTTP was established in 1990, funding was not
provided until 1994-95, at which time $1.5 million was provided
to fund up to 600 paraprofessional participants at the rate of
$3,000 per participant. An additional $10 million was provided
in the 1999-2000 budget, but that was later reduced to $5.1
million in 2002 due to fiscal challenges faced by the state. In
2007, funding was increased another $1.2 million and the amount
per participant was increased to $3,500 in recognition of higher
tuition costs.
In 2008-09, the Legislature and Governor agreed to mid-year
budget cuts in response to a recession-related decline in state
revenues. Among the actions taken, funding for PTTP, along with
many other categorical programs, was reduced and "flexed,"
meaning that school districts could spend the funds for other
priorities. As a result of continued flexibility and the
uncertainty of continued program funding, the CTC discontinued
enrolling new participants in March 2011. With the enactment of
the Local Control Funding Formula in 2013, all funding for PTTP
was eliminated. Between the time the PTTP was first funded in
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1994 and the time the CTC stopped enrolling new participants in
2011, the program resulted in more than 2,200 graduates.
This bill differs from the PTTP in two primary ways. First, it
increases the grant amount for participants from $3,500 to
$4,000. Second, any classified employee, not just
paraprofessionals, are eligible to participate.
Clarifying amendment needed. Although the bill intends to make
the program available to all classified employees, it defines
"participant" to mean a "school paraprofessional." Staff
recommends the bill be amended to define "participant" to mean a
"classified school employee."
Arguments in support. According to the author's office, this
bill is needed to help address California's teacher shortage.
Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has dropped 70% in
the last 10 years, and the supply of teachers is at a 12 year
low. The author's office argues that classified employees
provide an invaluable pool of potential teachers to help meet
this critical need.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Advancement Project
Association of California School Administrators
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California Catholic Conference, Inc.
California Federation of Teachers
California Labor Federation
California School Employees Association
LIUNA Locals 777
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent, Michelle
King
Public Advocates
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Kenneth Young
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson
Opposition
None received
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Analysis Prepared by:Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087