BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 956|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 956
Author: Romero (D)
Amended: 6/1/10
Vote: 21
SENATE LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELAT. COMMITTEE : 4-1, 3/10/10
AYES: DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Leno, Yee
NOES: Hollingsworth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-3, 5/27/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Corbett, Leno, Price, Wolk, Yee
NOES: Denham, Walters, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox
SUBJECT : Workforce development: California School
Paraprofessional
Teacher Training Program
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires five-million dollars
appropriated from federal Workforce Investment act funds to
be made available to local education agencies to train
teachers who have been laid off or who are teaching out of
field to become qualified to teach science, math, or
industrial and technology education.
ANALYSIS : Under existing law, the Employment Development
Department (EDD) provides a comprehensive range of
CONTINUED
SB 956
Page
2
employment and training services in partnership with state
and local agencies and organizations. These services,
provided statewide through a "One-Stop Career Center"
system benefit job seekers, laid-off workers, youth,
individuals currently working, veterans, people with
disabilities, and employers.
Existing state law establishes the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB) and requires the CWIB to assist the
Governor with promoting the development, oversight, and
continuous development of a well-educated and highly
skilled workforce, and also assist in the development of
the State Workforce Investment Plan.
Existing law establishes the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (Commission), which among other things,
adopts standards and examinations for determining the
subject matter competencies of teachers and issues single
subject teaching credentials in 13 subject areas including
the sciences, mathematics, and industrial and technology
education.
Existing law establishes several requirements for
individuals who want to earn a multiple or single subject
teaching credential, including the requirement to
demonstrate subject matter competency and the completion of
a credential preparation program. Candidates are required
to demonstrate "subject matter competency" in each subject
they teach by either completion of an approved
undergraduate subject matter program or by passing all
portions of the appropriate Commission-approved subject
matter examination. Currently, the only
Commission-approved subject-matter examinations used to
verify subject matter competence is the California Subject
Examination for Teachers.
Existing law governing the reduction in the number of
employees requires, governing boards to make assignments
and reassignments in such a manner that employees shall be
retained to render any service which their seniority and
qualifications entitle them to render. Prior to assigning
or reassigning any certificated employee to teach a subject
which he or she has not previously taught and for which he
or she does not have a teaching credential, the governing
CONTINUED
SB 956
Page
3
board shall require the employee to pass a subject matter
competency test in the appropriate subject.
This bill:
1. Requires the EDD to allocate five-million dollars of the
WIA state reserve to local workforce investment boards
to allocate to school districts, county offices of
education, or charter schools to provide intensive test
preparation courses for the purpose of retraining laid
off and out-of-field teachers to meet subject matter
competency requirements for teaching science,
mathematics, or industrial and technology education.
2. Specifies preferences for examination courses to be
based on the following priorities:
A. First priority shall be for retraining laid-off
teachers in order to prepare them for obtaining
subject matter credentials in science or
mathematics.
B. Second priority shall be for retraining teachers
who have been displaced and are currently teaching
out of their field of expertise or competency area.
3. Requires school districts, county offices of education,
and charter schools that receive funding from a local
workforce investment board to reimburse teachers who
successfully pass a subject matter competency assessment
in the specified areas for fees paid to take the
examinations and any fees charged by the Commission.
Comments
High quality mathematics and science education for all
pupils is essential to help them develop the skills,
knowledge, and abilities needed for college and careers
after they leave high school. Increasingly, key sectors of
California's economy, including health care, energy, and
infrastructure require workers who have science,
technology, engineering, and math skills. Yet many of the
state's high schools have a shortage of teachers who are
CONTINUED
SB 956
Page
4
qualified to teach these subjects.
Prior/Related Legislation
SB 751 (Romero), Chapter 202, Statutes of 2009 , established
requirements for local education agencies that provide test
preparation courses for credentialed teachers seeking to
add a subject area authorization to their credential. This
bill was passed by the Senate Education Committee on a 7-0
vote.
SB 858 (Scott), of 2007 , would have established a grant
program for the purpose of encouraging experienced teachers
to become qualified to teach math or science. This bill
was passed by the Senate Education Committee on a 9-0 vote
and was held by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
the chronic shortage of math and science teachers is
correlated with lower scores on the California Standards
Tests and difficulty passing the California High School
Exit Examination. The shortage of fully credentialed
teachers not only prevents many pupils from achieving
proficiency in these critical content areas, but impedes
the ability of students to acquire skills that prepare them
college and careers after high school.
PQ:do 6/1/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****
CONTINUED