Amended in Senate March 29, 2016

Senate Bill No. 933

Introduced by Senator Allen

February 2, 2016

An act to add Chapter 3.9 (commencing with Section 44790) to Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to teachers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 933, as amended, Allen. Teachers: California Teacher Corps Act of 2016: teacher residency programs.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary education in this state. Existing law establishes local educational agencies, including school districts and county offices of education, throughout the state, and authorizes these agencies to provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

This bill would begin delete establish end delete begin insert enact end insert the California Teacher Corps Act of 2016, under which the Superintendent of Public Instruction would make grants to applicant begin delete high-need end delete local educational agencies and begin delete high-need consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert of local educational begin delete agencies, as defined, end delete begin insert agencies end insert to assist these agencies in establishing and maintaining teacher residency programs, as defined. The teacher residency programs established by the bill would be defined as school-based teacher preparation programs in which a prospective teacher would teach alongside an experienced mentor teacher, as defined, while also receiving teacher training instruction in a teacher credentialing program in a qualified institution of higher education. The bill would establish eligibility standards for persons who apply for participation in the teacher residency programs established by the bill.

The bill would provide that its provisions would not be implemented unless funding for its purposes is provided in the annual Budget Act or in another statute.

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.  

Chapter 3.9 (commencing with Section 44790)
is added to Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
to read:

 

Chapter  3.9. California Teacher Corps

 

44790.  

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
California Teacher Corps Act of 2016.

44791.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The shortage of qualified teachers in California is reaching
critical levels in a number of teaching areas.

(b) Education experts agree that shortages of effective teachers
in high-poverty schools and in specific teaching fields create a
need for high-quality teachers who will enter, stay in, and be
effective in, these areas.

(c) At least 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession in
the first five years, and the proportions are generally higher in
low-income communities.

(d) Teacher shortages and high teacher turnover rates have a
negative impact on pupil achievement and the quality of education.

(e) Successful teacher preparation programs, and providing
ongoing support, can make novice teachers effective more rapidly
and can reduce teacher attrition.

(f) Many new teachers lack such support, and, as a result, leave
the profession.

(g) Teacher candidates must see expert practices modeled, and
must then practice them with ongoing mentoring support. Teacher
preparation often lacks adequate or sufficient opportunities to learn
under the direct supervision of expert teachers working in schools
that effectively serve high-need pupils.

(h) It is critical to develop programs that increase the probability
that recruits will succeed and stay in the high-need classrooms
where they are needed. Because many teacher candidates choose
to teach where they grew up or went to college, it is important to
have strong programs in hard-to-staff urban and rural locations.
Teacher residency programs effectively build teacher supply, since
they recruit and prepare candidates in the school districts that
sponsor them, in partnership with local preparation programs.
Teacher residency programs have demonstrated the capacity to
recruit, prepare, retain, and provide effective support for teachers
in high-need schools.

44792.  

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have
the following meanings:

(a) “Experienced mentor teacher” means a teacher who meets
all of the following requirements:

(1) Has at least three years’ teaching experience and a clear
teaching credential in the field in which he or she will be
mentoring.

(2) Has taught in a high-need school.

(3) Has a record of successful teaching.

(4) Receives specific training for the mentor teacher role, and
engages in ongoing professional learning and networking with
other mentors. Compensation shall be ongoing as long as the
mentor continues to serve in the role prescribed by the program.

(5) Receives compensation or appropriate release time, or both,
to serve as a mentor in the initial preparation or induction
component of the teacher residency program.

begin delete

(b) “High-need consortium of local educational agencies” means
two or more local educational agencies, at least 50 percent of which
are “high-need local educational agencies,” as defined in
subdivision (c).

(c) “High-need local educational agency” means a local
educational agency that is determined by the Superintendent to be
among the highest 40 percent of local educational agencies in the
state in terms of the percentage of unduplicated pupils, as defined
in Section 42238.02.

(d)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert b) end insert  “Local educational agency” includes, but is not necessarily
limited to, a school district, county office of education, charter
school, or charter management organization.

begin delete

(e)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert c) end insert  (1) “Teacher residency program” means a school-based
teacher preparation program that is accredited by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing and in which a prospective teacher does
all of the following:

(A) Teaches at least one-half time alongside a teacher of record,
who is designated as the mentor teacher, for at least one full
academic year while engaging in initial preparation coursework.

(B) Receives instruction in all of the following:

(i) The teaching of the content area or areas in which the teacher
will become certified to teach.

(ii) Planning, curriculum development, and assessment.

(iii) Learning and child development.

(iv) Management of the classroom environment.

(v) The use of culturally responsive practices, supports for
language development, and supports for serving pupils with
disabilities.

(vi) Professional responsibilities, including interaction with
families and colleagues.

(C) Receives tuition assistance that eliminates training costs
and provides a living stipend.

(D) Attains a preliminary teaching credential upon completion
of the program.

(E) Receives mentoring and induction support following the
completion of the initial credential program necessary to obtain a
clear credential and ongoing professional development and
networking opportunities during his or her first years of teaching.

(F) Has the option of completing a master’s degree before
completion of the program.

(2) A “teacher residency program” does all of the following:

(A) Seeks out academically able individuals who expand the
racial, ethnic, gender, and linguistic diversity of the teaching force
and meet hiring needs of the local educational agency for teachers
in difficult-to-fill content areas and hard-to-staff schools.
Admissions priorities are developed in concert with the hiring
objectives of the local educational agency, which commits to hire
graduates from the teacher residency program who obtain a
preliminary teaching credential, pass the program’s begin delete Teacher
Performance Assessment end delete begin insert teacher performance assessment end insert if that
is a condition for receiving a license, and meet the standards set
for hiring.

(B) Allows residents to learn to teach in the same local
educational agency in which they will work, learning the
instructional initiatives and curriculum of the local educational
agency.

(C) Groups teacher candidates in cohorts to facilitate
professional collaboration among residents, and places them in
teaching schools or professional development programs that are
organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in
a supportive work environment.

(D) Assigns a high priority to the recruiting of mid-career
professionals, military veterans, and recent college graduates as
prospective participants in the teacher residency program.

(E) Builds coursework for residents and mentors around the
classroom experience in ways that are aligned to pupil needs.

(F) Offers structured feedback and coaching systems organized
around the California Standards for the Teaching Profession to
ensure that participants engage in a meaningful classroom teaching
experience.

(G) Ensures that candidates are prepared to pass a teacher
performance assessment if that is required by the state as a
condition of the initial license.

(H) Maintains a program evaluation system that focuses on
continual improvement for residents, mentors, teacher education
faculty, and the teacher residency program itself.

(I) Is developed collaboratively with teacher representatives
within the local educational agency.

44793.  

From amounts made available to carry out this chapter,
the Superintendent shall make grants to begin delete high-need end delete local educational
agencies or begin delete high-need consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert of local educational
agencies to assist those agencies to establish and maintain teacher
residency begin delete programs. end delete begin insert programs, with preference given to local
educational agencies or consortia on the basis of their per pupil
allocation of funds as high-need local educational agencies defined
in Section 2102 of Part A of Title II of the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110) for the most recent
school year. end insert These local educational agencies shall work with one
or more teacher preparation institutions, and may work with other
community partners or nonprofit organizations to develop and
implement teacher residency programs of preparation and
mentoring for prospective teachers who will be supported through
teacher residency program funds and subsequently employed by
the sponsoring local educational agency.

44794.  

(a) To be eligible to participate in a teacher residency
program under this chapter, a prospective participant shall become
enrolled simultaneously in a teacher credentialing program in a
university or college or other eligible institution that satisfies either
of the following conditions:

(1) It has entered into a written agreement relating to that
program with the begin delete high-need end delete local educational agency or begin delete high-need end delete
consortium of local educational agencies that is the recipient of a
grant under this chapter.

(2) It has been determined to meet the requirements of Article
7 (commencing with Section 44320) of Chapter 2 by the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

(b) A participant in a teacher residency program under this
chapter shall, under the supervision of an experienced mentor
teacher, complete not fewer than nine months of teaching a class
or set of classes in a school chosen by the begin delete high-need end delete local
educational agency that is the recipient of a grant under this
chapter.

(c) (1) A participant in a teacher residency program under this
chapter shall agree in writing to be placed, after successfully
completing the initial year of preparation, as a teacher of record
in a school within the high-need local educational agency.

(2) Placement under this subdivision shall be for a period of at
least four school years beginning with the school year that begins
after the participant successfully completes the initial year of
preparation and obtains a preliminary teaching credential. Once
licensed, a participant shall be eligible to be hired as a teacher in
a high-need, underserved area or in a high-need subject area. A
participant who fails to complete the period of the placement, or
the first four school years of the placement if the period is more
than four school years, is required to pay back the cost of the
training on a pro rata basis, relative to the amount of time served
in proportion to the total pledged.

(d) If a participant is unable to complete an academic year of
teaching, that academic year may still be counted toward the
required four complete and consecutive academic years if any of
the following occur:

(1) The participant has completed at least one-half of the
academic year.

(2) The employer deems the participant to have fulfilled his or
her contract requirements for the academic year for the purposes
of salary increases, tenure, and retirement.

(3) The participant was not able to teach due to the financial
circumstances of the local educational agency.

(4) The participant has a condition covered under the Family
and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) (Section 230.8 of the
Labor Code) or similar state law.

(5) The participant was called or ordered to active duty status
for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the
Armed Forces of the United States.

44795.  

(a) A grant under this chapter shall be for a period of
no less than three school years, and may be in an annual amount
up to thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) per resident of the
jurisdiction of the local educational agency, as matched by that
local educational agency, or a total of two million dollars
($2,000,000) over three school years, as matched by that local
educational agency, whichever is less. Funding may be applied to
expenditures for any of the following: master teachers’ stipends,
stipends and tuition for residents, teacher residency program
management, and costs of mentoring and induction following
initial preparation.

(b) The Superintendent may make ____ grants under this chapter
each fiscal year, commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year. A
begin delete high-need end delete local educational agency or begin delete high-need end delete consortium of
local educational agencies shall not receive more than one grant
under this chapter in any fiscal year.

(c) To receive a grant under this chapter, a high-need local
educational agency or high-need consortium of local educational
agencies shall submit to the Superintendent an application at a
time, in a manner, and containing information, prescribed by the
Superintendent.

(d) The Superintendent shall award grants under this chapter
on a competitive begin delete basis. end delete begin insert basis, with preference given to local
educational agencies or consortia on the basis of their per pupil
allocation of funds as high-need local educational agencies defined
in Section 2102 of Part A of Title II of the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (Public Law 107-110) for the most recent
school year. end insert

(e) Of the amount appropriated to implement this chapter, the
Superintendent shall reserve up to 3 percent for an evaluation of
the program established under this chapter to determine its
effectiveness in recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in
high-need teaching fields and high-need schools.

(f) A begin delete high-need end delete local educational agency or
begin delete high-need end delete consortium of local educational agencies that receives
a grant under this chapter shall provide matching funds in an
amount equal to 50 percent of grant funds provided to the local
educational agency under this chapter to carry out the activities
supported by the grant, which may be provided by community
partners, institutions of higher education, or others.

44796.  

This chapter shall not be implemented unless funding
for its purposes is provided in the annual Budget Act or in another
statute.