BILL NUMBER: AB 141	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Bonilla

                        JANUARY 9, 2015

   An act to amend Sections 44259, 44279.1, and 44279.2 of the
Education Code, relating to teacher credentialing.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 141, as introduced, Bonilla. Teacher credentialing: beginning
teacher induction programs.
   Existing law establishes the Marian Bergeson Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment System to, among other things, provide an
effective transition into the teaching career for first year and 2nd
year teachers in this state. Existing law requires the Superintendent
of Public Instruction and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to
jointly administer this program, to contract for specified services,
and to establish requirements for local teacher induction programs.
Existing law makes participation in the system voluntary for
teachers, school districts, and county offices of education. Existing
law authorizes a school district or a consortium of school districts
to apply for funding to establish a local teacher induction program,
and sets forth the requirements that a school district or consortium
of school districts must meet to be eligible for funding.
   Existing law separately authorizes an alternative program of
beginning teacher induction that is provided by one or more local
educational agencies and has been approved by the commission and the
Superintendent on the basis of initial review and periodic
evaluations of the program in relation to appropriate standards of
credential program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted
by the commission, the Superintendent, and the State Board of
Education, as provided. Existing law authorizes an alternative
program of beginning teacher induction that has met state standards
to apply for state funding, as specified.
   Existing law also separately authorizes an alternative program of
beginning teacher induction that is sponsored by a regionally
accredited college or university, in cooperation with one or more
local school districts, that addresses the individual professional
needs of beginning teachers and meets the commission's standards of
induction.
   This bill would, commencing with hiring for the 2016-17 school
year, and each school year thereafter, require a school district or
county office of education that hires a beginning teacher to provide
that teacher with one of these induction programs, except as
provided. The bill would also prohibit a local educational agency
from charging a fee to a beginning teacher to participate in an
induction program. By requiring school districts and county offices
of education to provide an induction program to newly hired beginning
teachers, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


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

  SECTION 1.  Section 44259 of the Education Code is amended to read:

   44259.  (a) Except as provided in subparagraphs (A) and (C) of
paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), each program of professional
preparation for multiple or single subject teaching credentials shall
not include more than two years of full-time study of professional
preparation.
   (b) The minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or
single subject teaching credential are all of the following:
   (1) A baccalaureate degree or higher degree from a regionally
accredited institution of postsecondary education. Except as provided
in subdivision (c) of Section 44227, the baccalaureate degree shall
not be in professional education. The commission shall encourage
accredited institutions to offer undergraduate minors in education
and special education to students who intend to become teachers.
   (2) Passage of the state basic skills proficiency test that is
developed and administered by the commission pursuant to Section
44252.5.
   (3) Satisfactory completion of a program of professional
preparation that has been accredited by the Committee on
Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and
effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission. In accordance
with the commission's assessment and performance standards, each
program shall include a teaching performance assessment as set forth
in Section 44320.2 that is aligned with the California Standards for
the Teaching Profession. The commission shall ensure that each
candidate recommended for a credential or certificate has
demonstrated satisfactory ability to assist pupils to meet or exceed
academic content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the
state board pursuant to Section 60605. Programs that meet this
requirement for professional preparation shall include any of the
following:
   (A) Integrated programs of subject matter preparation and
professional preparation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
44259.1.
   (B) Postbaccalaureate programs of professional preparation,
pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 44259.1.
   (C) Internship programs of professional preparation, pursuant to
Section 44321, Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325), Article
11 (commencing with Section 44380), and Article 3 (commencing with
Section 44450) of Chapter 3.
   (4) Study of alternative methods of developing English language
skills, including the study of reading as described in subparagraphs
(A) and (B), among all pupils, including those for whom English is a
second language, in accordance with the commission's standards of
program quality and effectiveness. The study of reading shall meet
the following requirements:
   (A) Commencing January 1, 1997, satisfactory completion of
comprehensive reading instruction that is research based and includes
all of the following:
   (i) The study of organized, systematic, explicit skills including
phonemic awareness, direct, systematic, explicit phonics, and
decoding skills.
   (ii) A strong literature, language, and comprehension component
with a balance of oral and written language.
   (iii) Ongoing diagnostic techniques that inform teaching and
assessment.
   (iv) Early intervention techniques.
   (v) Guided practice in a clinical setting.
   (B) For purposes of this section, "direct, systematic, explicit
phonics" means phonemic awareness, spelling patterns, the direct
instruction of sound/symbol codes and practice in connected text, and
the relationship of direct, systematic, explicit phonics to the
components set forth in clauses (i) to (v), inclusive, of
subparagraph (A).
   A program for the multiple subjects credential also shall include
the study of integrated methods of teaching language arts.
   (5) Completion of a subject matter program that has been approved
by the commission on the basis of standards of program quality and
effectiveness pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 44310)
or passage of a subject matter examination pursuant to Article 5
(commencing with Section 44280). The commission shall ensure that
subject matter standards and examinations are aligned with the
academic content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the
state board pursuant to Section 60605.
   (6) Demonstration of a knowledge of the principles and provisions
of the Constitution of the United States pursuant to Section 44335.
   (7) Commencing January 1, 2000, demonstration, in accordance with
the commission's standards of program quality and effectiveness, of
basic competency in the use of computers in the classroom as
determined by one of the following:
   (A) Successful completion of a commission-approved program or
course.
   (B) Successful passage of an assessment that is developed,
approved, and administered by the commission.
   (c) The minimum requirements for the clear multiple or single
subject teaching credential shall include all of the following
requirements:
   (1) Possession of a valid preliminary teaching credential, as
prescribed in subdivision (b), possession of a valid equivalent
credential or certificate, or completion of equivalent requirements
as determined by the commission.
   (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), completion of a program
of beginning teacher induction, including one of the following:
   (A) A program of beginning teacher support and assessment approved
by the commission and the Superintendent pursuant to Section
44279.1, a provision of the Marian Bergeson Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment System.
   (B)  (i)    An alternative program of beginning
teacher induction that is provided by one or more local educational
agencies and has been approved by the commission and the
Superintendent on the basis of initial review and periodic
evaluations of the program in relation to appropriate standards of
credential program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted
by the commission, the Superintendent, and the state board pursuant
to this subdivision. The standards for alternative programs shall
encourage innovation and experimentation in the continuous
preparation and induction of beginning teachers. An alternative
program of beginning teacher induction that has met state standards
pursuant to this subdivision may apply for state funding pursuant to
Sections 44279.1 and 44279.2. 
   (ii) A local educational agency shall not charge a fee to a
beginning teacher to participate in an alternative program of
beginning teacher induction that is provided pursuant to this
subparagraph. 
   (C)  (i)    An alternative program of beginning
teacher induction that is sponsored by a regionally accredited
college or university, in cooperation with one or more local school
districts, that addresses the individual professional needs of
beginning teachers and meets the commission's standards of induction.
The commission shall ensure that preparation and induction programs
that qualify candidates for professional credentials extend and
refine each beginning teacher's professional skills in relation to
the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and the academic
content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the state
board pursuant to Section 60605. 
   (ii) A school district shall not charge a beginning teacher a fee
to participate in an alternative program of beginning teacher
induction that is provided pursuant to this subparagraph. 
   (3) (A) If a candidate satisfies the requirements of subdivision
(b), including completion of an accredited internship program of
professional preparation, and if that internship program fulfills
induction standards and is approved as set forth in this subdivision,
the commission shall determine that the candidate has fulfilled the
requirements of paragraph (2).
   (B) If an approved induction program is verified as unavailable to
a beginning teacher, or if the beginning teacher is required under
the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et
seq.) to complete subject matter coursework to be qualified for a
teaching assignment, the commission shall accept completion of an
approved clear credential program after completion of a baccalaureate
degree at a regionally accredited institution as fulfilling the
requirements of paragraph (2). The commission shall adopt regulations
to implement this subparagraph.
   (4) Experience that includes the application of knowledge and
skills previously acquired in a preliminary credential program, in
accordance with commission standards, that addresses the following:
   (A) Health education, including study of nutrition,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the physiological and sociological
effects of abuse of alcohol, narcotics, and drugs and the use of
tobacco. Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation shall also meet
the standards established by the American Heart Association or the
American Red Cross.
   (B) Field experience in methods of delivering appropriate
educational services to pupils with exceptional needs in regular
education programs.
   (C) Advanced computer-based technology, including the uses of
technology in educational settings.
   (d) The commission shall develop and implement standards of
program quality and effectiveness that provide for the areas of
application listed in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of
paragraph (4) of subdivision (c), starting in professional
preparation and continuing through induction.
   (e) A credential that was issued before January 1, 1993, shall
remain in force as long as it is valid under the laws and regulations
that were in effect on the date it was issued. The commission shall
not, by regulation, invalidate an otherwise valid credential, unless
it issues to the holder of the credential, in substitution, a new
credential authorized by another provision in this chapter that is no
more restrictive than the credential for which it was substituted
with respect to the kind of service authorized and the grades,
classes, or types of schools in which it authorizes service.
   (f) A credential program that is approved by the commission shall
not deny an individual access to that program solely on the grounds
that the individual obtained a teaching credential through completion
of an internship program when that internship program has been
accredited by the commission.
   (g) Notwithstanding this section, persons who were performing
teaching services as of January 1, 1999, pursuant to the language of
this section that was in effect before that date, may continue to
perform those services without complying with any requirements that
may be added by the amendments adding this subdivision.
   (h) Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (b)
do not apply to any person who, as of January 1, 1997, holds a
multiple or single subject teaching credential, or to any person
enrolled in a program of professional preparation for a multiple or
single subject teaching credential as of January 1, 1997, who
subsequently completes that program. It is the intent of the
Legislature that the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of
paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) be applied only to persons who enter
a program of professional preparation on or after January 1, 1997.
  SEC. 2.  Section 44279.1 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   44279.1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the
beginning years of the career of a teacher are a critical time in
which it is necessary that intensive professional development and
assessment occur. The Legislature recognizes that the public invests
heavily in the preparation of prospective teachers, and that more
than one-half of all new teachers leave some California school
districts after one or two years in the classroom. Intensive
professional development and assessment are necessary to build on the
preparation that precedes initial certification, to transform
academic preparation into practical success in the classroom, to
retain greater numbers of capable beginning teachers, and to remove
novices who show little promise as teachers. It is the intent of the
Legislature that the commission and the Superintendent develop and
implement policies to govern the support and assessment of beginning
teachers, as a condition for the professional certification of those
teachers in the future.
   (b) There is hereby established the California Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment System, to be administered jointly by the
commission and the Superintendent. In administering the system, the
commission and the Superintendent shall approve the most
cost-effective programs of support and assessment. The commission and
the Superintendent also shall ensure that programs meet the
Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment Programs adopted by the commission and that local
programs support beginning teachers in meeting the competencies
described in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession
adopted by the commission. The system shall do all of the following:
   (1) Provide an effective transition into the teaching career for
first-year and second-year teachers in California.
   (2) Improve the educational performance of pupils through improved
training, information, and assistance for new teachers.
   (3) Enable beginning teachers to be effective in teaching pupils
who are culturally, linguistically, and academically diverse.
   (4) Ensure the professional success and retention of new teachers.

   (5) Ensure that a support provider provides intensive
individualized support and assistance to each participating beginning
teacher.
   (6) Improve the rigor and consistency of individual teacher
performance assessments and the usefulness of assessment results to
teachers and decisionmakers.
   (7) Establish an effective, coherent system of performance
assessments that are based on the California Standards for the
Teaching Profession adopted by the commission.
   (8) Examine alternative ways in which the general public and the
educational profession may be assured that new teachers who remain in
teaching have attained acceptable levels of professional competence.

   (9) Ensure that an individual induction plan is in place for each
participating beginning teacher and is based on an ongoing assessment
of the development of the beginning teacher.
   (10) Ensure continuous program improvement through ongoing
research, development, and evaluation.
   (c)  (1)    Participation in the system shall be
voluntary for teachers,  school districts, and county
offices of education  and participation by certificated
employees shall not be made a condition of employment. The commission
and the Superintendent shall adopt and implement criteria and
standards for participation in the system, including criteria
regarding the eligibility of teachers and standards of local program
quality and intensity for schools, school districts, county offices
of education, colleges, universities, and other educational and
professional organizations. The criteria and standards shall be
consistent with the purposes of the system. 
   (2) Commencing with hiring for the 2016-17 school year, and each
school year thereafter, a school district or county office of
education that hires a beginning teacher shall provide that beginning
teacher with a program of beginning teacher induction described in
paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 44259, unless the
beginning teacher meets the requirements of paragraph (3) of
subdivision (c) of Section 44259. 
   (d) (1) For purposes of this article, unless the context otherwise
requires, "beginning teacher" means a teacher with a valid
California credential, as defined in Section 44259.
   (2) For purposes of this article, "beginning teacher" does not
include a teacher with a life or a clear teaching credential who
returns to serve in a certificated teaching position.
   (e) Subject to verification and approval by the director of
 an induction  program director,   program,
 a beginning teacher shall not be required to demonstrate that
an induction standard has been met, or complete an element of an
approved induction program designed to assist a candidate in
mastering a given standard, if the candidate previously met the
induction standard while participating in a commission-approved
preparation program.
   (f) The Superintendent and the commission shall disseminate the
California Standards for the Teaching Profession adopted by the
commission to colleges, universities, school districts, county
offices of education, and professional associations, who shall be
encouraged to use the standards in efforts to improve teacher
preparation and support programs. Performance assessments developed
under this article shall be designed to provide useful, helpful
feedback to beginning teachers and their support providers. That
information shall not be used for employment-related evaluations, as
a condition of employment, or as a basis for terminating employment.
   (g) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission and
the Superintendent establish a statewide teacher induction program
that supports locally designed, high-quality induction programs that
provide individualized support and formative assessment for all
participating beginning teachers as defined in subdivision (d). At
the discretion of the local beginning teacher support and assessment
system teacher induction program, funds allocated to a program on the
basis of eligible beginning teachers may be used to provide support,
assistance, and preparation services to other credential candidates
who are in their first or second year of employment as a classroom
teacher.
   (h) This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Marian
Bergeson Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
  SEC. 3.  Section 44279.2 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   44279.2.  (a) The Superintendent and the commission shall jointly
administer the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
System pursuant to this chapter. In administering this section, the
Superintendent and the commission shall provide or contract for the
provision of all of the following:
   (1) Establishing requirements for reviewing and approving teacher
induction programs.
   (2) Developing and administering a system for ensuring teacher
induction program quality and effectiveness. For purposes of this
section, "program effectiveness" means producing excellent program
outcomes in relation to the purposes defined in subdivision (b) of
Section 44279.1. For purposes of this section, "program quality"
means excellence with respect to program factors, including, but not
limited to, all of the following:
   (A) Program goals.
   (B) Design resources.
   (C) Management, evaluation, and improvement of the program.
   (D) School context and working conditions.
   (E) Support and assessment services to each beginning teacher.
   (3) Developing purposes and functions for reviewing and approving
supplemental grants and standards for program clusters and program
consultants, as defined pursuant to Section 44279.7.
   (4) Improving and refining the formative assessment system.
   (5) Improving and refining professional development materials and
strategies for all personnel involved in implementing induction
programs.
   (6) Conducting and tracking research related to beginning teacher
induction.
   (7) Periodically evaluating the validity of the California
Standards for the Teaching Profession adopted by the commission and
the Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Beginning Teacher
Support and Assessment Program adopted by the commission and making
changes to those documents, as necessary.
   (b) As part of the California Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment System, the commission and the Superintendent shall
establish requirements for local teacher induction programs.
   (c) A school district or consortium of school districts may apply
to the Superintendent for funding to establish a local teacher
induction program pursuant to this section. From amounts appropriated
for purposes of this section, the Superintendent shall allocate
three thousand dollars ($3,000) for each beginning teacher
participating in the program. That amount shall be adjusted each
fiscal year by the inflation factor set forth in Section 42238.1. To
be eligible to receive funding, a school district or consortium of
school districts shall, at a minimum, meet all of the following
requirements:
   (1) Develop, implement, and evaluate teacher induction programs
that meet the Quality and Effectiveness for Beginning Teacher
Induction Program Standards adopted by the commission.
   (2) Support beginning teachers in meeting the competencies
described in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession
adopted by the commission.
   (3) Meet criteria for the cost-effective delivery of program
services.
   (4) From amounts received from local, state, or resources
available for purposes of teacher induction programs, contribute not
less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for the costs of each
beginning teacher served in the induction program. 
   (5) Not charge a fee to a beginning teacher to participate in the
induction program. 
   (d) Teachers who have received their preliminary credential in a
district intern program pursuant to Article 7.5 (commencing with
Section 44325) or an intern program pursuant to Article 3 (commencing
with Section 44450) of Chapter 3 and who are participating in an
induction program pursuant to this section are not eligible for
funding pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with Section 44380) of
Chapter 2.
  SEC. 4.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.