BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2040
AUTHOR: Brownley
AMENDED: March 23, 2010
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 30, 2010
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : Teacher Leaders
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to
convene an advisory panel of stakeholders with expertise in
the field of teacher leadership to explore the recognition of
leadership roles within a teaching pathway. The Commission
would be required to consider the advisory panel's findings
and report to the Governor and the Legislature by January 1,
2012.
BACKGROUND
Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
(CTC) to establish professional standards, assessments, and
examinations for entry and advancement in the education
profession. (Education Code 44225 et seq.)
Existing law requires state and local agencies to submit
reports required or requested by law in printed form to both
the Legislative Counsel and the Secretary of the Senate and
in electronic form to the Chief Clerk of the Assembly. Each
report is required to include a one-page summary of the
contents of the report. State agencies that submit reports
must also provide an electronic copy of the summary directly
to each member of the appropriate house or houses of the
Legislature. (Government Code 9795)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Requires the CTC to convene an advisory panel of
stakeholders with expertise in the field of teacher
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leadership to explore the recognition of leadership
roles within the teaching career pathway.
2) Requires the panel to consider various issues relating
to teacher leadership including but not limited to the
role of teacher leaders in today's public schools, how
recognition of teacher leaders can promote retention,
the implications for the preparation of teacher leaders,
the application of adult learning theories to improve
instruction of teacher peers, and the feasibility of
teacher leader career ladders, as specified.
3) Requires the advisory panel to include, but not be
limited to representatives from:
a) Teachers who are performing school leadership
duties.
b) Teacher and administrator organizations.
c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction.
d) Commission-approved teacher preparation
programs.
e) School boards and school districts.
f) Other organizations deemed appropriate by the
CTC.
4) Requires the Commission to consider findings of the
advisory panel and report to the Governor and the
Legislature by January 1, 2012.
5) Specifies the report shall be submitted pursuant to
Section 9795 of the Government Code and makes the report
requirement inoperative on January 1, 2015, as
specified.
6) Makes findings and declarations about changes in the
teaching profession and the need for teachers who can
serve as leaders while remaining involved in pupil
instruction.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill : According to the author's office,
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many of California's most experienced and talented
teachers find they must leave the classroom in order to
advance in their profession. The purpose of AB 2040 is
to bring together stakeholders with expertise in the
field of teacher leadership to explore the idea of
further defining a professional growth pathway with a
focus on leadership opportunities that will allow good
teachers to remain connected to the classroom. While
the Commission could conceivably convene an advisory
committee without legislation, this bill establishes a
framework that will guide the panel's work.
2) Learning to teach continuum . California's current
two-tier credentialing system established in law by SB
2042 (Alpert, Chapter 548, Statutes of 1998) establishes
a "learning to teach continuum" in which teachers, in
sequential order, acquire and demonstrate subject matter
competency, complete a teacher preparation program
focused on subject-specific pedagogy that includes
intensive field experience and meeting specified
teaching performance expectations, followed by the
completion of a two-year induction program that
culminates with the professional "clear" credential.
Fully credentialed teachers who want to advance in their
careers typically "jump tracks" by earning an
Administrative Services credential and becoming a
principal or district administrator.
3) Teacher Leaders . The learning to teach continuum and
much of the professional development that occurs within
a local education agency (LEA) relies heavily on the
participation of experienced teachers who serve in a
variety of roles as teacher leaders. The use of
experienced teachers as peer developers and supporters
has come in large part as a result of induction programs
for new teachers such as the Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment program, and intern teacher training, but
also because schools increasingly rely on effective and
experienced teachers to serve as master teachers,
mentors, department chairs, instructional leaders, peer
coaches, literacy or math coordinators, assessment
coordinators, and on occasion, accreditation
coordinators. Although teachers are often provided
stipends and/or release time to enable them to devote
adequate time to these roles, with few exceptions, there
is no formal preparation or certificate recognition for
these roles. Teachers who serve in these roles often
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find they are unable to advance in their career unless
they move into the administrative services career
pathway.
According to the CTC, various state and national policy
leaders have begun to look at ways to recognize teachers
who serve in these key mentor and leadership roles. A
2008 report published by the Center for the Future of
Teaching and Learning noted that teacher professional
growth needs to include differentiated career
opportunities and called for the role of teacher to be
evolutionary with specialized domains of expertise. The
Educational Testing Service (ETS) has begun work on
developing model teacher leader standards based on their
collaboration with the Kansas State Department of
Education and that state's recently adopted Kansas
Teacher Leader Standards. The National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has also begun
work on developing a national certification program for
teacher leaders as described below.
The CTC also notes that several states have explored the role
of teacher leadership as a means for improving
instructional practice, improving student achievement,
or retaining effective veteran teachers. According to
the CTC, eleven states presently have some form of
teacher leadership recognition.
The study proposed in this bill is closely aligned to work
the CTC has already begun in the area of teacher
leadership and will enable the California policymakers
to gain valuable information about the policy options
that should be considered if the State wants to develop
a formal process for preparing and recognizing teacher
leaders.
4) National Board for Professional Teaching Standards . The
NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and
nongovernmental organization formed in 1987 to advance
the quality of teaching and learning through a voluntary
certification system that recognizes teachers who meet
the Board's standards for accomplished teaching.
California has approximately 4,581 National Board
certified teachers.
The NBPTS has recently launched a new initiative aimed at
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providing national board certification of teacher
leaders and principals. The NBPTS is in the process of
developing the standards, assessments, and scoring
rubrics for these certifications. The NBPTS expects the
certification program for principals to begin in 2011,
and the program for teacher leaders to begin in 2013.
5) Fiscal impact . The CTC indicates costs associated with
convening the advisory committee and complying with the
reporting requirement are minor and absorbable.
SUPPORT
Association of California School Administrators
California School Boards Association
California State University
California PTA
Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Los Angeles Unified School District
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Public Advocates
OPPOSITION
None received.