BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        SB 916|
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                                   THIRD READING 


          Bill No:  SB 916
          Author:   Allen (D), et al.
          Amended:  4/27/16  
          Vote:     21 

           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE:  9-0, 4/20/16
           AYES:  Liu, Block, Hancock, Huff, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan,  
            Vidak

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE:  7-0, 5/27/16
           AYES:  Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza, Nielsen

           SUBJECT:   Teacher credentialing


          SOURCE:    California Alliance for Arts Education


          DIGEST:  This bill adds dance and theatre credentials to the  
          existing list of 13 single subject credentials the Commission on  
          Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is authorized to issue.  


          ANALYSIS:  

          Existing law:

           1) Authorizes the CTC to issue single subject teaching  
             credentials in the following 13 subjects:  agriculture, art,  
             business, English, foreign language, health science, home  
             economics, industrial and technology education, mathematics,  
             music, physical education, science, and social science.  The  
             CTC is authorized to issue the single subject credential in  
             foreign language with an authorization to teach Chinese,  
             French, German, Russian, Spanish, or any other language that  








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             the CTC determines is appropriate.  (Education Code § 44257) 

           2) Authorizes the CTC to issue a multiple or single subject  
             teaching credential with a specified concentration in a  
             particular subject based upon the depth of an applicant's  
             preparation in an important subject of the school curriculum  
             in order to ensure excellence in teaching in specific  
             subjects.  (Education Code § 44257.2)

           3) Authorizes the CTC to issue credentials for teaching  
             specialties, including 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.  (Education Code § 44265)

           4) Specifies that school districts maintaining grades 7-12 must  
             offer, among other courses, visual and performing arts,  
             including art, music, theatre, or dance, with emphasis upon  
             development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of  
             creative expression.   (Education Code § 51220)

          This bill:

        1)Adds dance and theatre credentials to the existing list of 13  
             single subject credentials the CTC is authorized to issue.  

        2)Provides that a person issued a single subject teaching  
             credential in English before the establishment of a single  
             subject teaching credential in theatre is authorized to teach  
             theatre.  Provides that a person pursuing a single subject  
             teaching credential in English before the establishment of a  
             single subject teaching credential in theatre shall not  
             become subject to additional requirements as a result of the  
             authorization of a theatre credential.

        3)Provides that a person issued a single subject teaching  
             credential in physical education before the establishment of  
             a single subject teaching credential in dance is authorized  
             to teach dance.  Provides that a person pursuing a single  
             subject teaching credential in physical education before the  








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             establishment of a single subject teaching credential in  
             dance shall not become subject to additional requirements as  
             a result of the authorization of a dance credential.

        4)Provides that nothing in this section shall be construed to  
             prohibit a school district from employing a person who holds  
             a single subject teaching credential in another subject with  
             an authorization to teach theatre from teaching theatre, or a  
             person who holds a single subject teaching credential in  
             another subject with an authorization to teach dance from  
             teaching dance.

          Comments

          Need for the bill.    According to the author's office, "in  
          order to teach dance, a teacher must obtain a credential in  
          physical education, even though the standards for teaching dance  
          are separate from the standards for teaching physical education.  
           Similarly, to teach theatre, an instructor must obtain an  
          English credential, even though an English credential provides  
          no training in theatre instruction.  Dance and theatre are the  
          only two subject areas with discrete subject standards that are  
          not taught under their own single-subject credential."  

          The author's office indicates that dance and theatre  
          undergraduate majors are prevalent in California with 73 public  
          and private colleges and universities offering dance majors, and  
          131 colleges offering theatre majors.  These students earning  
          degrees in dance or theatre are unable to teach in their  
          respective fields unless they get a credential in physical  
          education or English.

          Visual and performing arts framework.  Existing law specifies  
          that school districts maintaining grades 7-12 must offer courses  
          in visual and performing arts, including art, music, theatre, or  
          dance, with emphasis upon development if aesthetic appreciation  
          and the skills of creative expression.  Additionally, the  
          framework and content standards for visual and performing arts  
          adopted by the State Board of Education include the four  
          disciplines of dance, music, theater, and visual arts.  Two of  
          these content areas, art and music, have single subject  
          credential authorizations.  However, the other two content areas  








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          of dance and theatre do not have single subject credentials  
          despite having discrete content standards.
               
          Current options for teaching theatre and dance.  Single subject  
          credentials in dance or theatre do not currently exist in the  
          state and are subsumed within the physical education and English  
          single subject credentials.  There are subject matter  
          authorizations which may be added to single subject, multiple  
          subject, standard elementary, standard secondary, and special  
          secondary teaching credentials.  This enables the credential  
          holder to teach an authorized subject at any grade level,  
          including an authorization to teach dance as part of the  
          physical education department or theatre as part of the English  
          department.  The subject matter authorization typically requires  
          completion of 32 semester units of non-remedial coursework in  
          the subject or major directly related to the subject listed on  
          the credential.  

          Additionally, a supplementary authorization may be added to the  
          various teaching credentials for any grade level.  Similarly,  
          dance courses may be found within the physical education  
          department while theatre courses may be found as part of the  
          English department.  A supplementary authorization typically  
          requires completion of 20 semester units of collegiate  
          coursework in the subject or 10 upper division and graduate  
          coursework in the specific subject of the authorization.

          Impact on the existing authorizations?  While this bill adds the  
          authority for the CTC to issue single subject credentials in  
          dance and theatre, it does not appear to expressly prohibit the  
          continued use of the existing authorizations to teach dance and  
          theatre courses.  To the extent that there is ambiguity on this  
          bill's implications, the author may wish to consider addressing  
          this as the bill moves forward.   

          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:YesLocal:   No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the CTC  
          anticipates the cost to implement this bill will be between  
          $400,000 and $500,000 to develop credential standards and  
          develop both the dance and theater exams for certification.  To  








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          the extent the intent of this bill is to no longer allow future  
          physical education and English teachers to be authorized to  
          teach dance and theater respectively, the CTC would incur  
          additional costs to redevelop those exams.




          SUPPORT:   (Verified5/27/16)


          California Alliance for Arts Education (source)
          Arts for LA
          Arts Orange County
          California Arts Advocates
          California Association for Health, Physical Education,  
          Recreation and Dance
          California Educational Theatre Association
          California Federation of Teachers
          California Music Educators Association
          California State PTA
          California Teachers Association
          City of Santa Monica
          Common Sense Kids Action
          Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
          Los Angeles Unified School District
          National Art Education Association
          National Association for Music Education
          National Dance Education Organization
          National Educational Theatre Association
          Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio  
          Artists
          Teaching Artists Guild
          United Teachers Los Angeles
          Several individuals


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified5/27/16)












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          None received




          Prepared by:Lenin DelCastillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
          5/28/16 16:45:54


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