BILL NUMBER: AB 471 CHAPTERED 09/15/99 CHAPTER 381 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 15, 1999 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 15, 1999 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 30, 1999 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 26, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 6, 1999 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 3, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 5, 1999 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Scott and Senator O'Connell (Coauthors: Assembly Members Cunneen, Honda, Keeley, Mazzoni, Soto, and Wildman) (Coauthor: Senator Solis) FEBRUARY 18, 1999 An act to add Sections 44225.6 and 44225.7 to the Education Code, relating to teacher credentialing. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 471, Scott. Teacher credentialing. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to employ for positions requiring certification qualifications only persons who possess the qualifications for those positions. Existing law authorizes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to waive provisions governing the preparation or licensing of educators for certain purposes, including to provide a credential candidate additional time to complete a credential requirement, to allow a school district or school to implement an education reform or restructuring plan, and when deemed appropriate by the commission. Existing law authorizes the commission to issue or renew emergency teaching or specialist permits if certain conditions are met and requires the holder of an emergency permit, among other things, to participate in ongoing training, coursework, or seminars designed to prepare the individual to become a fully credentialed teacher or other educator in the subject area in which he or she is assigned to teach or serve. This bill would require the commission to report annually to the Legislature and the Governor on the number of classroom teachers who received credentials, internships, and emergency permits in the previous fiscal year and to make this report available to school districts and county offices of education to assist them in the recruitment of credentialed teachers. The bill would also require the commission to include in the report the total number of teacher credentials recommended by all accredited teacher preparation programs authorized by the commission and that number broken down by the type of institution making the recommendation. This bill would authorize the commission to approve a school district request for the assignment of an individual pursuant to the commission's waiver and emergency permit authority if the district has made reasonable efforts to recruit a fully prepared teacher, as defined, for the assignment with first priority given to candidates who will complete initial preparation requirements within a matter of months and second priority to a candidate who is enrolled in an approved internship program in the region of the school district. If a suitable individual who meets either of those 2 priorities is not available to the school district, the bill would then authorize a school district, as a last resort, to request approval for the assignment of a person who does not meet that criteria. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (1) The most important education variable in pupil achievement is a fully prepared classroom teacher. (2) Research clearly demonstrates that low-achieving pupils perform at levels equal to their peers when they are placed in classrooms with teachers who have completed state-approved preparation programs. (b) The Legislature intends to do all of the following: (1) Build upon systematic efforts over the past several years to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention, to the end that every pupil in a California public school classroom is taught by a fully prepared teacher. (2) Maintain and expand, through the annual Budget Act process and as appropriate, existing state programs designed to expand the pool of prospective teachers, strengthen the pipeline into teaching, and remove unnecessary barriers to teaching careers. Those existing programs include the Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program, the Alternative Certification Program, the California Center for Teaching Careers, the Assumption Program of Loans for Educators, the Cal T Grant Program for teacher candidates, and the California Mathematics Initiative. (3) Continue to expand the capacity of public institutions of higher education to enroll additional teacher candidates in approved teacher preparation programs, until these efforts result in enough fully prepared teachers to meet the needs of all California schools and classrooms. SEC. 2. Section 44225.6 is added to the Education Code, to read: 44225.6. (a) By January 10 of each year, the commission shall report to the Legislature and the Governor on the number of classroom teachers who received credentials, internships, and emergency permits in the previous fiscal year. This report shall include the following information: (1) The number of individuals recommended for credentials by institutions of higher education. (2) The number of individuals recommended by school districts operating district internship programs. (3) The number of individuals receiving an initial credential based on a program completed outside of California. (4) The number of individuals serving in the following capacities by subject matter, county, and school district: (A) University internship. (B) District internship. (C) Pre-Internship. (D) Emergency permit. (E) Credential waiver. (5) The specific subjects and teaching areas in which there are a sufficient number of new holders of credentials to fill the positions currently held by individuals with emergency permits. (b) The commission shall make this report available to school districts and county offices of education to assist them in the recruitment of credentialed teachers. (c) A common measure of whether teacher preparation programs are meeting the challenge of preparing increasing numbers of new teachers is the number of teaching credentials awarded. The number of teaching credentials recommended by these programs and awarded by the commission are indicators of the productivity of teacher preparation programs. The commission shall include in the report prepared for the Legislature and Governor pursuant to subdivision (a) the total number of teacher credentials recommended by all accredited teacher preparation programs authorized by the commission and the number recommended by each of the following: (1) The University of California system. (2) The California State University system. (3) Independent colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programs approved by the commission. (4) Other institutions that offer teacher preparation programs approved by the commission. SEC. 3. Section 44225.7 is added to the Education Code, to read: 44225.7. (a) The commission may approve a school district request for the assignment of an individual pursuant to subdivision (m) of Section 44225 or Section 44300 if the district has certified by an annual resolution of the governing board that it has made reasonable efforts to recruit a fully prepared teacher for the assignment. If a suitable fully prepared teacher is not available to the school district, the district shall make reasonable efforts to recruit an individual for the assignment, in the following order: (1) A candidate who is scheduled to complete initial preparation requirements within six months. (2) A candidate who is qualified to participate in an approved internship program in the region of the school district. (b) If a suitable individual who meets the priorities listed in subdivision (a) is not available to the school district, the district may, as a last resort, request approval for the assignment of a person who does not meet that criteria. (c) As the supply of teaching interns increases as a result of legislative efforts to expand the Alternative Certification Program, the commission shall notify school districts that state policy directs the assignment of interns to classrooms when available in a given region, with decreased reliance on persons serving on emergency permits or credential waivers. (d) As the supply of fully prepared teachers increases as a result of the Legislature's efforts to recruit and retain qualified teachers for California classrooms, the commission shall notify school districts that state policy directs the assignment of fully prepared teachers to California classrooms, with the use of permits or waivers only when school districts are geographically isolated from teacher preparation programs or in the case of unanticipated, short-term need for the assignment of personnel. (e) As used in this section, a "fully prepared teacher" means an individual who has completed a teacher preparation program. For purposes of this subdivision, a "teacher preparation program" means either a set of courses, including supervised field experience, or an equivalent alternative program, that provides a curriculum of systematic preparation for serving as an educator in California public schools.