BILL NUMBER: AB 2160	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Bass

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2010

   An act to amend and repeal Section 44265.1 of the Education Code,
relating to teacher credentialing.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2160, as introduced, Bass. Teacher credentialing: instruction
to pupils with autism.
   The Commission on Teacher Credentialing is authorized to issue
teaching and services credentials, and is required to establish
standards and procedures for the issuance and renewal of credentials.
Existing law authorizes a local educational agency or school to
assign a teacher who holds a level 1 education specialist credential
to provide instruction to pupils with autism, subject to specified
requirements. Existing law makes those provisions inoperative 2 years
after the commission adopts regulations relating to the requirements
for obtaining a specialist credential in special education, or on
August 31, 2011, whichever occurs first, and repeals those provisions
on January 1, 2012.
   This bill would extend the inoperative date to October 1, 2013,
and would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2014. The bill would
express various findings and declarations of the Legislature, and
would delete obsolete provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares the following:
   (1) In enacting Assembly Bill 2302 of the 2007-08 Regular Session
(Stats. 2008, Ch. 41) the Legislature acknowledged the growing
disparity between the growth of autism spectrum disorders and the
failure of the state to issue a sufficient number of education
specialist credentials that authorize the holders to provide
instruction to pupils with moderate to severe disabilities.
   (2) Existing law authorizes a local educational agency or school
to assign a teacher who holds a level 1 education specialist
credential, or a previously issued credential, that authorizes him or
her to provide instruction to individuals with mild and moderate
disabilities to provide instruction to pupils with autism, as
defined, if the teacher consents to the assignment and satisfies
certain criteria, as determined by the local educational agency or
school.
   (3) In accordance with existing law, the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing reported to the Legislature and the Governor in
December 2007 recommendations to modify current credentialing
standards. The commission established a timeline mandating that all
institutions transition to approved program standards no later than
September 1, 2011, and required all candidates enrolled in programs
under the previous standards to complete their program by September
30, 2013.
   (4) The existing law is set to be repealed no later than January
1, 2012.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to extend the date of the
repeal of Section 44265.1 of the Education Code until January 1,
2014, in order to allow all teachers working under the current
legislative requirements to adhere to the approved program standard
changes.
  SEC. 2.  Section 44265.1 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   44265.1.   (a) By December 1, 2007, the commission shall
report to the Legislature and the Governor on the current existing
process and requirements for obtaining a specialist credential in
special education and recommend modifications to enhance and expedite
these procedures.  
   (b) 
    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a local
educational agency or school may assign a teacher who holds a level 1
education specialist credential, or a previously issued credential,
that authorizes him or her to provide instruction to individuals with
mild and moderate disabilities to provide instruction to pupils with
autism, as defined by Section 300.8(c)(1) of Title 34 of the Code of
Federal Regulations if the teacher consents to the assignment and
satisfies the criteria described in subdivision (c). 
   (c) 
    (b)  The local educational agency or school shall
determine that a teacher described in subdivision (b) has satisfied
either of the following prior to allowing the teacher to provide
instruction to pupils with autism:
   (1) He or she has provided full-time instruction for at least one
year prior to September 1, 2007, in a special education program that
serves pupils with autism pursuant to their individualized education
programs and received a favorable evaluation or recommendation to
teach pupils with autism from the local educational agency or school.

   (2) He or she has completed a minimum of three semester units of
coursework in the subject of autism offered by a regionally
accredited institution of higher education. The local educational
agency or school shall maintain the certificate or other verification
of completion of the coursework on file in its office. 
   (d) 
    (c)  Local educational agencies and schools shall report
teacher assignments made pursuant to this section as part of their
annual assignment monitoring pursuant to Section 44258.9. 
   (e) 
    (d)  This section shall become inoperative  two
years after the commission adopts regulations to implement the
recommended modifications described in subdivision (a), or on August
31, 2011, whichever occurs first,   on October 1, 2013,
 and is repealed on January 1,  2012   2014
 , unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before
January 1,  2012   2014  , deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.