BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 512|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 512
Author: Senate Education Committee
Amended: 6/1/09
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/29/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado,
Padilla, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE FLOOR : 38-0, 5/14/09 (Consent)
AYES: Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Benoit, Calderon,
Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier,
Ducheny, Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman, Hollingsworth,
Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Negrete
McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley, Romero, Runner,
Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Walters, Wiggins, Wolk,
Wright, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cedillo, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Teacher credentialing: technical changes in
the law
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill corrects technical errors and
oversights, and makes numerous non-controversial and
conforming changes to various provisions of the Education
Code. Specifically, this bill (1) deletes inaccurate and
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outdated references to the Commission on Teacher
Preparation and Licensing and replaces those references
with the correct name, the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing, (2) includes authorizations in the required
elements of the annual report on teacher supply that the
Commission submits to the Legislature and the Governor, (3)
replaces the outdated term "fifth year of study" with
"clear credential program,"
(4) replaces the outdated term "professional clear
credential" with the term "clear credential," and (5)
clarifies Section 44263 of the Education Code relating to
teacher assignments to teach a single-subject class.
Assembly Amendments made a technical and clarifying change.
ANALYSIS : According to the Senate Education Committee
analysis, this bill is one of the annual Education Code
clean up bills that makes various non-controversial
revisions to statute. This education omnibus bill corrects
errors, resolves conflicts, and deletes obsolete references
that relate to state education agencies such as the
Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
By tradition, objection to any provision by the agency
affected, the Department of Finance, or any of the four
legislative caucuses prevents that provision from being
included in this bill.
Current law requires the CTC to annually report to the
Legislature and the Governor on the availability of
teachers in California. The report, due by April 15 each
year, must include data on teacher availability relative to
credentials, internships and emergency permits, including
on a county by county basis, the number of individuals
serving on various credentials and the number of
individuals serving English learner pupils without the
proper authorization.
Comments
Teacher supply report . Current law specifies that the
annual teacher supply report include data regarding
"credentials" and "certificates." While the language does
not specify the inclusion of various authorizations that
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may be listed on a credential (i.e. an authorization to
teach English learner pupils or a supplementary
authorization to teach a specific subject) the practice of
the CTC has been to include authorizations when relevant to
the content requirements of the report. By adding
authorizations to the existing documents specified in law,
this bill will conform the required data elements to CTC
practice and will assure consistency in data reporting.
Confusing terminology . This bill eliminates outdated
terminology in current law that creates confusion:
1. "Fifth year of study" - Sections 44251 and 44259 of the
Education Code refer to the process of clearing a
preliminary credential and qualifying for the clear
credential by completing a "fifth year of study." Yet
many teachers, especially those who have completed
graduate work or who combine a Master's degree with a
teacher preparation program, have already completed five
years of study by the time they earn a preliminary
credential. In addition, SB 2042 (Alpert), Chapter 548,
Statutes of 1998, changed the process by which
preliminary credential holders clear their credential.
Beginning teachers now earn the clear credential by
completing an induction program during the first two
years of teaching or by completing specified coursework
at a regionally accredited institution of higher
education.
2. "Professional clear credential" - The term "professional
clear" denotes a credential for which there are
professional growth requirements for renewal. SB 1209
(Scott), Chapter 517, Statutes of 2006, removed the
professional growth requirement for credential renewal.
The term "clear" credential is now the appropriate and
commonly used term.
Teachers: Assignments to teach a single-subject class
Section 44263 of the Education Code specifies the
coursework required in order for a teacher credentialed in
one subject area to be assigned to teach a multiple subject
class. This code section specifies the teacher must have
60 semester hours equally distributed among 10 subject
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areas including language studies, literature, mathematics,
science, social science, history, humanities, the arts,
physical education, and human development. A later
reference in this same code section inaccurately refers to
four required areas instead of 10. This bill corrects
Section 44263 to reference 10 required areas instead of
four.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
DLW:mw 6/24/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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