BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2248
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
AB 2248
(Holden) - As Introduced February 18, 2016
SUBJECT: Teacher credentialing: out-of-state trained teachers
SUMMARY: Requires the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (CCTC) to issue bilingual and English learner
teaching authorizations to out-of-state teachers who hold
equivalent credentials within 30 days of receipt of required
documentation. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the CCTC to issue authorizations to teach English
learners to out-of-state teachers who are applying for a
preliminary or clear teaching credential, and who hold valid
out-of-state credentials or certificates that authorizes the
equivalent instruction of English learners, within 30 days of
receiving the required documentation.
2)Requires the CCTC to issue authorizations to teach English
learners in a primary language to out-of-state teachers who
are applying for a preliminary or clear teaching credential,
and who hold valid out-of-state credentials or certificates
that authorizes the equivalent instruction of English
learners, within 30 days of receiving the required
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documentation.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes authorizations for teachers to teach English
learners in English. Establishes authorizations for teachers
to teach English learners in their primary languages.
2)Authorizes a teacher who possesses a credential or permit and
is able to present a valid out-of-state credential or
certificate that authorizes the instruction of English
language learners may qualify for the authorization issued
under this section by submitting an application and fee to the
commission.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states: "Assembly Bill
2248 will streamline the credentialing process and provide
greater reciprocity with other states so that highly qualified
and experienced teachers can easily become certified to teach in
California in their specialty area. Receiving California
certification to teach many specialized areas can be tedious and
unnecessarily time consuming- even when a teacher holds an
current out of state license in that specialty and/or has a
Masters degree in that area of study. Several reports have
noted that one way to address the teacher shortage is to
increase reciprocity with other states and make it easier for
people who have left the field to become certified to teach
again. Teachers should not have to retake classes or similar
tests in order to teach an identical class in California as they
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did out of state. This is both a financial and time burden and
often is keeping good teachers out of the classroom when they
are moving states.
While the CTC can honor out-of-state credentials, there is no
process in place at this time to honor bilingual certifications
earned out of state. If an individual has evidence of a full
bilingual authorization from a state other than California and
submits this information with his or her application packet, an
English learner authorization will be listed on the
corresponding teaching credential. The same process is not
available for teachers holding bilingual teaching certificates."
Teacher shortage. According to the Learning Policy Institute
(LPI), the supply of new teachers in California is at a 12-year
low. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped by
more than 70 percent over the last decade, and has fallen below
the number of estimated hires by school districts around the
state. The LPI notes:
In mid-October, two months after the school year
started, EdJoin, the statewide educator job portal, still
listed more than 3,900 open teaching positions. This is
double the number listed at the same time in 2013.
Estimated teacher hires for the 2015-16 school year
increased by 25 percent from 2014-15, while the number of
preliminary credentials issued increased by less than 1
percent from the previous year. Enrollment in UC and CSU
teacher preparation programs increased by only about 3.8
percent.
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In 2014-15, provisional and short-term permits nearly
tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing
from about 850 to more than 2,400.
The number of teachers hired on substandard permits and
credentials nearly doubled in the last two years, to more
than 7,700, comprising a third of all the new credentials
issued in 2014-15.
Significant portion of new California credentials are granted to
out-of-state trained teachers. According to the Legislative
Analyst's Office, between 1990-91 and 2014-15, 18 percent of
California's new teaching credentials were issued to those
prepared in out-of-state programs, and that this share has
fluctuated from a low of 11 percent in 2003-04 to a high of 33
percent in 1990-91. In 2014-15 out-of-state trained teachers
represented nearly 25 percent of new credentials issued in
California.
Bilingual teacher shortage. In addition to the overall shortage
of credentialed teachers in the state, there are chronic and
severe shortages in certain areas, such as math, science, and
special education. California annually reports shortage areas
to the U.S. Department of Education for the purpose of federal
loan and grant deferral or forgiveness for teachers. According
to the U.S. Department of Education, California reported a
shortage of bilingual teachers from 1990-1991 to 1999-2000, but
has not done so since.
However, there is growing evidence that the state is facing a
shortage of bilingual teachers. According to testimony provided
at an information hearing of this Committee in December, 2015,
the number of bilingual authorizations issued by the CCTC
declined from 2,195 in 2003-04 to 733 in 2013-14. At the same
time, language immersion and dual language immersion programs
have gained in popularity, increasing the demand for certified
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bilingual teachers.
Demand for bilingual teachers may increase significantly if an
initiative on the November ballot is approved by the voters at
the November, 2016 election. A measure was placed on the ballot
by the Legislature through its approval of SB 1174 (Lara,
Chapter 753, Statutes of 2014) would amend and repeal various
provisions of Proposition 227 of 1998, including repealing the
requirement that all children be taught English by being taught
in English, and instead would allow LEAs, in consultation with
language experts in the field and parents, to determine the best
language instruction methods and language acquisition programs
to implement.
Out of state teachers and English learner and bilingual
authorizations. Current law (SB 1209, Chapter 517, Statutes of
2006) allows teachers who hold an out-of-state credential that
authorizes instruction of English learners to earn a California
English learner authorization. SB 1209 did not extend this
authorization to bilingual out-of-state teachers. The CCTC
reviews each bilingual teacher's authorization from out of state
individually. This bill would extend the authorization in SB
1209 to bilingual teachers from out of state.
For English learner authorizations, if an out-of-state teacher
is applying for a California teaching credential, and evidence
of a full English learner authorization from a state other than
California is submitted with their application, there is no need
to apply separately for the English learner authorization. The
CTC maintains a list of equivalent English learner
authorizations in other states which are recognized, in order to
ensure that it grants English learner authorizations only to
teachers who have met standards equivalent to those of this
state. If this bill were to be enacted, the CCTC would need to
do a similar review of other states' bilingual authorizations to
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ensure equivalency.
30 day processing requirement puts out-of-state teachers ahead
of California teachers; problem can be addressed through
existing expediting process. Current law requires that the CCTC
process credentials within 50 days of receipt an application.
According to the CCTC, online recommendations submitted through
credential program sponsors are usually completed within 10
working days. This bill would require that out-of-state
credential applications be processed within 30 days. This
requirement would appear to place out-of-state applications
ahead of applications from in-state credential applicants.
Credential processing time for out-of-state applicants may be
longer than for in-state applicants, due to issues like manual
fingerprinting and the need for a case-by-case review of
candidates' out-of-state credentials. But in the case of an
immediate need to hire an out-of-state teacher, processing time
can be significantly reduced through existing CCTC policy. CCTC
has a process for the expediting of credentials, when it is
necessary for employment purposes. This policy, as communicated
in a February, 2014 credential information alert, states that
the CCTC will expedite a credential application if 1) the
employing agency wants to make an offer of employment, 2) the
educator is in jeopardy of being removed from the classroom, or
3) the educator is at risk of having his or her pay withheld.
Staff recommends that this bill be amended to remove the 30 day
processing requirement. Staff also recommends a technical
amendment to correct a reference to bilingual authorizations.
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Support if amended positions. Californians Together and the
California Association for Bilingual Education support this bill
if amended to 1) remove the 30-day processing requirement
(addressed by the staff recommended amendments to this bill), 2)
ensure that the CCTC's review of out-of-state bilingual
authorizations are equivalent to California's requirements, and
3) require the CCTC to report on the number of English learner
and bilingual authorizations it issues. The California Music
Educators Association encourages the author to consider
including language in the bill that would include out-of-state
arts education teachers.
Related legislation. AB 1918 (O'Donnell) of this session
authorizes county offices of education to issue temporary
certificates to teachers employed at nonpublic schools,
including out-of-state teachers, while their credential
applications are being processed at the CCTC, and increases
background check requirements for all applicants for temporary
certificates.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Association of California School Administrators
California Alliance for Arts Education (support if amended)
California Association for Bilingual Education (support if
amended)
California Association for Health, Physical Education,
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Recreation and Dance
California Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation, and Dance
California Association of Private School Organizations
California Catholic Conference, Inc.
California Federation of Teachers
California Language Teachers Association
California Language Teachers Association
California Music Educators Association
Californians Together (support if amended)
EdVoice
Opposition
None received
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Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087