Amended in Senate June 1, 2016

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 begin delete teachers. end delete begin insert teachers, and making an appropriation therefor. end insert

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 enact the California Teacher Corps Act of 2016, under which the Superintendent of Public Instruction would make grants to applicant local educational agencies and consortia of local educational agencies 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.

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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.

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This bill would appropriate the sum of $60,000,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent on a one-time basis, available for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 fiscal years, to make grants to applicant local educational agencies and consortia of local educational agencies, as described above.

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Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts for the 2015-16 fiscal year imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . 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 begin delete years’ end delete begin insert years of end insert 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.

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

(c) (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 begin delete that eliminates training costs end delete
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 begin delete content areas end delete begin insert areas, such as chronic teacher
shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, end insert
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 teacher performance assessment 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.  

begin delete From amounts made available to carry out this chapter,
the Superintendent shall end delete begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The sum of sixty million dollars
($60,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to
the Superintendent on a one-time basis, available for the 2016-17,
2017-18, and 2018-19 fiscal years, to end insert make grants to local
educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies to
assist those agencies to establish and maintain teacher residency
programs, with begin delete preference end delete begin insert first priority given to local educational
agencies or consortia of local educational agencies with programs
that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including special
education and bilingual teachers. Preference may also be end insert given
to local educational agencies or consortia begin insert of local educational
agencies end insert 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. 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.

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(b) For purposes of making the computations required by
Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the
appropriations made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be
“General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as
defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2015-16 fiscal
year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts
and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of
taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in
subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

end insert

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 local educational agency or begin delete consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert
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 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 begin delete subject end delete 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 begin delete for a period of
no less than three school years, and may be end delete in an begin delete annual end delete amount
begin delete up to thirty end delete begin insert of twenty end insert thousand dollars begin delete ($30,000) end delete begin insert ($20,000) end insert per
resident of the jurisdiction of the local educational agency, as
matched by that local educational agency, or a total of begin insert up to end insert two
million dollars ($2,000,000) over three school years, as matched
by that local educational begin delete agency, whichever is less. end delete begin insert agency. end insert
Funding may be applied to expenditures for any of the following:
master teachers’ stipends, begin insert living end insert stipends and tuition begin insert assistance end insert
for residents, teacher residency program management, and costs
of mentoring and induction following initial preparation.

(b) The Superintendent may make begin delete ____ end delete grants under this chapter
each fiscal year, commencing with the begin delete 2017-18 end delete begin insert 2016-17 end insert fiscal
begin insert year until the 2018-19 fiscal end insert year. A local educational agency or
begin delete consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert of local educational agencies shall not receive
more than one begin delete grant end delete begin insert award for an application end insert under this chapter
in any fiscal begin delete year. end delete begin insert year, unless sufficient funds remain after
awarding all other qualified applicants. end insert

(c) To receive a grant under this chapter, a high-need local
educational agency or high-need begin delete consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert 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 basis, with begin delete preference end delete begin insert first priority given to
applicants that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including
special education and bilingual teachers. Preferences may also
be end insert given to local educational agencies or consortia begin insert of local
educational agencies end insert 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.

(e)  begin delete Of the amount appropriated to implement this chapter, the end delete
begin insert The end insert Superintendent shall begin delete reserve up to 3 percent for end delete begin insert conduct end insert an
evaluation of the program established under this chapter to
determine its effectiveness in recruiting and retaining high-quality
teachers in begin delete high-need teaching fields end delete begin insert chronic teacher shortage
areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, end insert and
high-need schools.

(f) A local educational agency or begin delete consortium end delete begin insert consortia end insert of local
educational agencies that receives a grant under this chapter shall
provide matching funds in an amount equal to begin delete 50 end delete begin insert 100 end insert 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.

begin delete

44796.  

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

end delete