BILL NUMBER: AB 1161 CHAPTERED 10/11/93 BILL TEXT CHAPTER 1147 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 11, 1993 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 10, 1993 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 10, 1993 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 9, 1993 AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 27, 1993 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 8, 1993 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 12, 1993 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Quackenbush MARCH 2, 1993 An act to add Article 11 (commencing with Section 44380) to Chapter 2 of Part 25 of the Education Code, relating to teachers. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1161, Quackenbush. Teacher credentialing: alternative certification program grants. Under existing law, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is required to establish professional standards, assessments, and examinations for entry into, and advancement in, the education profession, and to establish standards and procedures for the issuance and renewal of various types of credentials. This bill would establish an alternative certification program, to address the shortage of qualified teachers in specified subject matters, of teachers who work with limited-English-proficient pupils, and of minority teachers. The program would offer incentive grants to public educational entities that provide a concentrated teaching credential program to persons with work experience or who already have a bachelor' s degree. The bill would require the commission, with the assistance of specified persons, to establish criteria for selecting grant applicants to be funded and to award the grants, as specified. The bill would declare the intent of the Legislature that funding for purposes of the program be provided in the annual Budget Act. Grant recipients would provide matching funds in an amount equal to 50% of the cost of the alternative certification program. Grant amounts would not be greater than the lesser of the remaining 50% of the cost of the alternative certification program or $1,500 per intern per year, except as specified. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 11 (commencing with Section 44380) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 25 of the Education Code, to read: Article 11. Alternative Certification 44380. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the teaching profession must be able to recruit talented individuals, in addition to college students, from a variety of sources to address geographic and subject area shortages. Many persons changing careers and early retirees from industry and the military are interested in the challenge of teaching. (b) The Legislature further finds that, in California, there is a serious shortage of qualified teachers in the subjects of mathematics, science, and technology, of teachers who work with limited-English-proficient pupils, and of minority teachers. (c) Therefore, in enacting this article, the Legislature intends to encourage public school districts, county offices of education, and colleges and universities to design concentrated programs leading to a permanent credential for people with work experience and others who already have a bachelor's degree. 44381. As used in this article, "alternative certification program" is a program operated by a school district, county office of education, college or university, or other public education entity, individually or in collaboration with other public education entities in the region to be served, and designed to provide a concentrated program leading to a permanent teaching credential. 44382. Alternative certification programs shall address geographic and subject matter shortage areas, and shall be targeted toward people with work experience and others who already have a bachelor's degree in the field in which they plan to teach. 44383. School districts or county offices of education operating, or that propose to operate, an alternative certification program pursuant to this article, may apply to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for incentive grant funding that has been appropriated for the purposes of this article. 44384. An alternative certification program that receives grant funding pursuant to this article shall be operated pursuant to either Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325) of this chapter or Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3, or both. The commission shall encourage, and may provide funding to, programs that include innovative training, assessment, or support models and strategies that have the potential of improving the quality of the teaching force. The commission shall encourage collaboration among school districts in funding alternative certification programs. 44385. The commission, with the assistance of representatives of classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, university and college educators, and others, as appropriate, shall establish criteria for selecting grant applicants to be funded. The criteria shall be limited to the following: (a) The geographic distribution. (b) The demonstrated need. (c) The number of participants to be served. (d) The quality of the curriculum, instruction, support, and assessment. (e) The cost-effectiveness. 44386. From funds appropriated for the purposes of this article, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing shall award incentive grants to qualifying school districts or county offices of education. Each school district or county office of education that receives a grant shall provide matching funds from any available source in an amount equal to 50 percent of the cost of the alternative certification program . Grants shall be awarded by the commission for the remaining 50 percent of the cost of the alternative certification program, but in no event shall the grant amount awarded to any school district or county office of education exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per intern per year, except that the commission may require a lesser local contribution, or provide a larger grant per intern per year, in hardship cases. SEC. 2. It is the intent of the Legislature that funding for the purposes of this act be provided in the annual Budget Act, commencing in the 1993-94 fiscal year.