BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1415
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 2, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
AB 1415 (Brownley) - As Amended: April 12, 2007
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:10-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
(CTC), on or before January 1, 2009, to adopt a data evaluation
report capable of assessing the effectiveness of each accredited
preparation program that provides preparation for the
administrative services credential. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the effectiveness of the programs to be assessed on
multiple measures, including, but, not limited to the
following: (a) the ability to prepare candidates who improve
student learning, (b) program completion rates, (c) placement
of program graduates in administrative positions, and (d)
employment retention rates of program graduates.
2)Requires the CTC to convene a group of stakeholders, as
specified, to recommend other outcome-based measures for
inclusion in the data evaluation report and to measure the
effectiveness of the various routes for earning the
administrative services credential.
3)Expresses legislative intent that the data evaluation report
be used to further the purpose of the new accreditation
process and that it be embedded within the biennial
accreditation report required by the CTC, as specified.
4)Requires each program of administrator preparation, when
submitting the biennial accreditation report required by CTC,
to electronically submit all data in the data evaluation
report.
5)Requires the CTC to regularly review the performance of
AB 1415
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accreditation programs of administrator preparation as
specified under current law. The measure further requires the
CTC, for programs deemed to be struggling, to either revoke
their accreditation or provide assistance necessary to improve
the quality of the program.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor, absorbable costs to the CTC to convene the stakeholder
group and complete the report, as specified.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . In March 2005, The Education Project released a
report: Educating School Leaders, which recommends the
comprehensive evaluation of accreditation programs for
administrators. Specifically, the report states: "In 1987,
the National Commission on Excellence in Educational
Administration concluded that more than 60 percent of the
existing school leadership programs were of insufficient
quality to remain open. The present study does not argue that
a specific number of programs need to be closed. However,
most of the programs examined in the course of this study were
in fact inadequate. Every leadership program should be
evaluated to determine whether it is viable. . . In turn, it
is the responsibility of leadership programs and education
schools, their home universities, and the states to ensure
that all leadership programs achieve minimum acceptable
standards in each area. If leadership programs and education
schools fail to act, then universities must step in. If
universities do not carry out this assignment, then the states
have the responsibility to do so."
This bill requires the CTC adopt a data evaluation report to
assess the quality of preparation programs that issue
administrative services credentials.
2)Current law establishes various methods for an individual to
obtain an administrative services credential. The traditional
method requires an individual to complete a CTC-approved
program at a higher education institution.
Another route to obtain an administrative services credential
allows a candidate to successfully complete the School Leaders
Licensure Assessment to substitute the completion of a
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traditional program and internship program.
For the Clear Administrative Services credential, an
individual may choose to complete the principal training
program or meet Mastery of Fieldwork Performance Standards (as
an alternative to the traditional route) through a
CTC-approved program, as specified.
According to the CTC, 4,192 individuals received a new
administrative services credential in 2004-05 and 4,709
current credentials were renewed.
3)CTC's accreditation process . In January 2004, the CTC began
work to review and revise its accreditation system. In July
and November 2006, the CTC adopted recommendations from the
Accreditation Study Work Group and the Committee on
Accreditation to streamline and improve this process. One of
the most significant changes is that the accreditation process
will be an on-going activity over a seven-year period, instead
of once every six years. According to the CTC, "the on-going
cycle will be focused on accountability, meeting standards,
and data driven decision making."
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081