BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 933|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 933
Author: Allen (D)
Amended: 6/1/16
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 3/16/16
AYES: Liu, Block, Hancock, Huff, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan,
Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 5/27/16
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza
NO VOTE RECORDED: Nielsen
SUBJECT: Teachers: California Teacher Corps Act of 2016:
teacher residency programs
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill establishes the California Teacher Corps
program to provide $60 million in one-time Proposition 98
funding for matching grants to local school districts to create
or expand teacher residency programs in which the funds can be
used to pay for master teacher stipends, stipends and tuition
for residents, and costs of mentoring and induction.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1) Establishes the Local Control Funding Formula which
SB 933
Page 2
permanently consolidated the vast majority of categorical
programs, including the Professional Development Block Grant
which supported professional development activities such as
teacher recruitment and retention incentives, along with
revenue limit apportionments, into a single source of
funding.
2) Eliminates the statutory and programmatic requirements for
almost all of these categorical programs, leaving any related
activities left to local school districts' discretion.
3) Authorizes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to issue
intern credentials as an alternate route to earning a
teaching credential. This credential is valid for a period
of two years and authorizes the holder to teach in a
self-contained classroom while completing their teacher
preparation course work. Approved intern programs are
sponsored by colleges, universities, school districts, or
county offices of education. To qualify, an individual must
possess a bachelor's degree, satisfy the basic skills
requirements, meet subject matter competence, and obtain
character and identification clearance. University intern
programs are cooperative teaching, counseling, school
psychology, and administrative programs between a university
and an employing school district that are administered by the
university. District intern programs are for teachers only
and are administered by employing school districts whose
programs may or may not involve university course work.
Completion of an intern program results in the issuance of a
preliminary or clear credential. (Education Code § 44325, et
seq.)
This bill:
1) Establishes the California Teacher Corps Act of 2016.
2) Makes various findings and declarations, as specified.
3) Makes the following definitions:
a) Experienced mentor teacher: teacher who meets
specified requirements, including at least three years of
teaching experience and a clear teaching credential in the
SB 933
Page 3
field in which he or she will be mentoring, has taught in
a high-need school, receives specific training for the
mentor teacher role, and engages in ongoing professional
learning and networking with other mentors.
b) Local educational agency (LEA): a school district,
county office of education, charter school, or charter
management organization.
c) Teacher residency program: a school-based teacher
preparation program that is accredited by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing and in which a prospective
teacher meets specified conditions, including:
i) 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.
ii) Receives instruction in specified areas,
including the teaching of the content area in which the
teacher will become certified to teach and the
management of the classroom environment.
iii) 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.
4) Provides that a teacher residency program meet specified
conditions, including 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 LEA for
teachers in difficult-to-fill areas, such as chronic
teacher shortage areas, including special education and
bilingual teachers, and hard-to-staff schools. Admissions
priorities are developed in concert with the hiring
objectives of the LEA, which commits to hire graduates
from the teacher residency program who obtain a
preliminary teaching credential, pass the program's
SB 933
Page 4
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 LEA, in
which they will work, learning the instructional
initiatives and curriculum of the LEA.
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.
5) Appropriates $60 million from the General Fund to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on a one-time
basis available for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 fiscal
years to make grants to LEAs to assist those agencies to
establish and maintain teacher residency programs, with first
priority given to LEAs or consortia of LEAs with programs
that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including special
education and bilingual teachers. Preference may also be
given on the basis of their per pupil allocation of funds, as
specified. Provides that these LEAs 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 LEA.
6) Requires that to be eligible to participate in a teacher
residency program, a prospective participant must become
enrolled simultaneously in a teacher credentialing program in
a university or college or other eligible institution that
satisfies either of the following conditions:
a) It has entered into a written agreement relating to
that program with the LEA or consortia of LEAs that is the
recipient of a grant under this chapter.
b) It has been determined to meet professional
SB 933
Page 5
preparation requirements, as specified, by the Commission
on Teacher Credentialing.
7) Requires a participant in a teacher residency program, under
the supervision of an experienced mentor teacher, to complete
not fewer than nine months of teaching a class or set of
classes in a school chosen by the LEA that is the recipient
of a grant.
8) Requires a participant to agree in writing to be placed,
after successfully completing the initial year of
preparation, as a teacher of record in a school within the
LEA.
9) Requires the placement to be for a period of at least four
school years, as specified. Provides that once a participant
is licensed, he or she shall be eligible to be hired as a
teacher in a high-need, underserved area or in a high-need
area.
10)Provides that a participant who fails to complete the period
of 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.
11)Provides that 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 specified conditions occur, including
whether the participant has completed at least one-half of
the academic year or 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.
12)Provides that the grants provided shall be for a period of
no less than three school years, and may be in an amount of
up to $20,000 per resident of the jurisdiction of the LEA, as
matched by that LEA, or up to a total of $2,000,000 over
three school years, as matched by that LEA.
13)Provides that these funds may be applied to expenditures for
SB 933
Page 6
master teachers' stipends, stipends and tuition assistance
for residents, teacher residency program management, and
costs of mentoring and induction following initial
preparation.
14)Provides that the SPI may make an unspecified number of
grants each fiscal year, commencing with the 2016-17 fiscal
year until the 2018-19 fiscal year.
15)Prohibits an LEA or consortia of LEAs from receiving more
than one award for an application in any fiscal year, unless
sufficient funds remain after awarding all other qualified
applicants.
16)Requires an LEA or consortia of LEAs to submit an
application at a time, in a manner, and containing
information prescribed by the SPI.
17)Requires the SPI to award grants on a competitive basis,
with first priority given to applicants that target chronic
teacher shortage areas, including special education and
bilingual teachers. Preference may also be given to LEAs or
consortia on the basis of their federal Title II per pupil
allocation of funds, as specified.
18)Requires the SPI to conduct an evaluation of the program to
determine its effectiveness in recruiting and retaining
high-quality teachers in chronic teacher shortage areas,
including special education and bilingual teachers, and
high-need schools.
19)Requires grant recipients to provide matching funds in an
amount equal to 100 percent of the funds provided to the LEA
which may be provided by community partners, institutions of
higher education, or others.
Comments
Need for the bill. According to the author's office,
"California is ranked last in student-to-teacher ratios of the
50 states in the country. The state would need 100,000
additional teachers just to increase that ratio to the national
average. At the same time, several other factors have
SB 933
Page 7
exacerbated the teacher shortage, including the retirement of a
large number of teachers, a decade of teacher layoffs, and a
decline in enrollment for teacher credentialing programs. This
decimated teaching pool has created a teacher shortage that
threatens to leave our classrooms empty."
Additionally, the author's office notes that "research indicates
underprepared teachers are more likely to leave the profession
in the first five years, experiencing frustration and a lack of
job satisfaction. Studies show teachers in residency programs
are 50 percent more likely to stay in the profession. Teacher
training and mentorship is particularly crucial to meeting the
needs of a student population that is increasingly diverse
ethnically, culturally, and socioeconomically."
SB 933 is part of a legislative package along with SB 915 (Liu)
and SB 62 (Pavley) to help address the looming teacher shortage.
Specifically, SB 933 is intended to address the demand for
trained and credentialed teachers by providing local school
districts funds to recruit, train, mentor, and retain teachers
through residency programs. The author believes this will also
help ensure that a new generation of teachers will be trained
for success and establish a pipeline for those teachers to serve
in high need districts where the teacher shortage is most
severe.
Teacher shortage. The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) recently
released a report, "Addressing California's Emerging Teacher
Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions." In this
report, the LPI included the following summary: "After many
years of teacher layoffs in California, school districts around
the state are hiring again. With the influx of new K-12
funding, districts are looking to lower student-teacher ratios
and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or
eliminated during the Great Recession. However, mounting
evidence indicates that teacher supply has not kept pace with
the increased demand."
LPI recommendations. The LPI report offered several policy
recommendations for consideration. These recommendations
include the establishment of incentives to attract diverse,
talented individuals to teach in high-need locations and fields.
This can be accomplished through programs that provide funding
for candidates who prepare and teach in such schools and subject
SB 933
Page 8
areas, e.g. the Assumption Program of Loans for Education, which
is the focus of SB 62 (Pavley). The report also recommends the
creation of more innovative pipelines into teaching, such as
high school career pathways or teacher preparation models that
encourage and support young people and others to go into
teaching in their own communities. Additionally, the report
indicates that programs which allow novice teachers to teach in
classrooms under the direction of a mentor teacher are linked to
successful teachers who stay in the profession.
The LPI notes several findings regarding the teacher residency
model and the long-term benefits for school districts and the
students they serve. Specifically, "initial research suggests
that residencies bring greater gender and racial diversity in
the teaching workforce" and that "rigorous studies of teacher
residency programs have found significantly higher retention
rates for graduates of these programs."
Differences between teacher residencies and internships.
Teacher intern credentials authorize the credential holder to be
the teacher of record in a classroom while completing and paying
for his or her teacher preparation course work. To qualify, an
individual must possess a bachelor's degree, satisfy the basic
skills requirements, meet subject matter competence, and obtain
character and identification clearance. Completion of an intern
program results in the issuance of a preliminary or clear
credential.
While teacher residency programs have many similarities, there
are several noteworthy differences. Typically, there is up to a
full-year of teaching alongside an expert mentor teacher rather
than being the teacher of record. There is also added financial
incentive for candidates under teacher residency programs. This
bill allows the grants to be used for a resident's tuition at
his or her teacher preparation program, unlike the existing
intern model whereby the teacher is responsible.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Yes Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
SB 933
Page 9
Grant program: $60 million one-time Proposition 98 funding.
Staff notes that some grant funding may eventually be
recovered both at the state and local level if participants
fail to meet the terms of the placement period and are
required to pay back the proportion of training costs
incurred.
Administrative costs: The California Department of Education
(CDE) estimates that administering this program would cost
about $100,000 in the first year and $158,000 ongoing, for as
long as the program operates. Additionally, the CDE estimates
that it would need $300,000 to complete the program
evaluation. (General Fund)
SUPPORT: (Verified5/31/16)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
California Association of Suburban School Districts
California Catholic Conference, Inc.
California Chamber of Commerce
California Federation of Teachers
Common Sense Kids Action
EdVoice
Public Advocates
Sacramento City Unified School District
StudentsFirst
Students Matter
OPPOSITION: (Verified5/31/16)
None received
Prepared by:Lenin DelCastillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
6/1/16 18:41:37
**** END ****
SB 933
Page 10