BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 933 Page 1 Date of Hearing: June 22, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Patrick O'Donnell, Chair SB 933 (Allen) - As Amended June 14, 2016 SENATE VOTE: 37-0 SUBJECT: Teachers: California Teacher Corps Act of 2016: teacher residency programs SUMMARY: 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. Specifically, this bill: 1) Establishes the California Teacher Corps Act of 2016. 2) Makes various findings and declarations about the importance of developing programs that increase the probability that teacher recruits will succeed and stay in the profession and stay where they are most needed. 3) Defines the following terms: a) Experienced mentor teacher: teacher who meets SB 933 Page 2 specified requirements, including at least three years of teaching experience and a clear teaching credential in the field in which he or she will be mentoring, has taught in a hard to staff school, has a record of successful teaching, receives specific training for the mentor teacher role, engages in ongoing professional learning and networking with other mentors, and receives compensation or appropriate release time, or both, to serve as a mentor. b) Local educational agency (LEA): includes but is not limited to 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 financial assistance that provides a stipend. iv) 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. SB 933 Page 3 4) Specifies that a teacher residency program meet the following conditions, among others: a) Seeks out individuals who meet the Teaching Performing Expectations of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and meet hiring needs of the LEA for difficult-to-fill-areas, such as chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, and hard-to-staff schools. Produces culturally responsive teachers who address specific student populations, local district initiatives and priorities, and teacher preparation emphasis while maintaining high state-established standards for credentials. 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, maintain and expand 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 SB 933 Page 4 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 in a teacher credentialing program in a university or college 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. b) It has been determined to meet professional 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 hard-to-staff 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 hard-to-staff, underserved area or in a difficult-to-fill subject 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, SB 933 Page 5 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, or the participant was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the LEA, including decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year. 12)Provides that the grants provided shall be in an amount of $20,000 per resident of the jurisdiction of the LEA, as matched by that LEA. 13)Provides that these funds may be applied to expenditures for master teachers' stipends, living stipends and tuition assistance for residents, teacher residency program management, and costs of mentoring and induction following initial preparation. 14)Provides that the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) may make 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. SB 933 Page 6 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 hard to staff 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. EXISTING LAW 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.) FISCAL EFFECT: According to Senate Appropriations Committee, SB 933 Page 7 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) COMMENTS: This bill will provide school districts funding to create, maintain, or expand teacher residency programs. Grants will fund a new teacher seeking a credential for up to $20,000 over three years. Residents will apprentice alongside a mentor in a classroom serving students for one academic year, while taking coursework from a partnering university, and earning a stipend. Residents will be required to commit to teach in the district for four years beyond their residency. According to the author, "California is ranked last in student-to-teacher ratios out of all states. The state would need 135,000 additional teachers just to increase its ratio to the national average. At the same time, several other factors have 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 classrooms empty. 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% more likely to stay in the profession. Teacher training and mentorship is particularly crucial to meeting the needs of a SB 933 Page 8 student population that is increasingly diverse." 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. 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 SB 933 Page 9 percent. 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. 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 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 SB 933 Page 10 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. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION: Support Advancement Project Association of California School Administrators California Catholic Conference, Inc. California Federation of Teachers California State PTA Children Now Common Sense Kids Action EdVoice SB 933 Page 11 Future is Now San Francisco Unified School District Santa Clara County Office of Education Small School Districts' Association State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by:Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087