Bill Text: CA AB2181 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Teachers: Uplift Teaching Corps Act of 2020.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-05 - Re-referred to Com. on ED. [AB2181 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB2181-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 04, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2181


Introduced by Assembly Member Weber

February 11, 2020


An act relating to teachers. An act to amend Section 44418 of, and to add Section 44419 to, the Education Code, relating to teachers.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2181, as amended, Weber. Teachers: teacher residency grant programs. Teachers: Uplift Teaching Corps Act of 2020.
Existing law appropriates $75,000,000 from the General Fund to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for the 2018–19 fiscal year to establish the Teacher Residency Grant Program, including $50,000,000 to provide one-time competitive grants to develop new, or expand existing, teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of special education teachers, and $25,000,000 to provide one-time competitive grants to develop new, or expand existing, teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers.
This bill would enact the Uplift Teaching Corps Act of 2020 that would establish the Uplift Teaching Corps Grant Program, to be administered by the commission, to provide one-time competitive grants to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to establish new or expand existing teacher-based residency programs for purposes of recruiting and retaining prospective resident teachers with high degrees of instructional and cultural competence to teach in high-needs schools, as provided. The bill would make the operation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or other statute for these purposes.

Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law establishes the Teacher Residency Grant Program and the Local Solutions Grant Program as one-time competitive grant programs for the recruitment and retention of teachers, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to conduct an evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program and the Local Solutions Grant Program to determine the effectiveness of these programs in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining teachers of special education, bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as specified.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish a new teacher residency grant program.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Uplift Teaching Corps Act of 2020.

SEC. 2.

 Section 44418 of the Education Code is amended to read:

44418.
  This article section and Sections 44415, 44416, and 44417 shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is are repealed.

SEC. 3.

 Section 44419 is added to the Education Code, to read:

44419.
 (a) The Uplift Teaching Corps Grant Program is hereby established under the administration of the commission.
(b) The commission shall provide one-time competitive grants to grant applicants to establish new, or expand existing, teacher-based residency programs for purposes of recruiting and retaining prospective resident teachers with high degrees of instructional and cultural competence to teach in high-needs schools.
(c) A grant applicant may consist of one or more, or any combination, of the following:
(1) A school district.
(2) A county office of education.
(3) A charter school.
(d) To receive a grant, an applicant shall submit an application to the commission at a time, in a manner, and containing information prescribed by the commission.
(e) When selecting grant recipients, the commission shall do both of the following:
(1) Require that the grant applicant meet all of the following conditions:
(A) Demonstrate difficulty recruiting teachers.
(B) Demonstrate a significant turnover of teachers.
(C) Demonstrate a disproportionate number of novice teachers compared to the statewide average.
(D) Receive federal Title I funds at the time of the application.
(E) Demonstrate commitment to increasing diversity in the teaching force.
(2) Give priority consideration to grant applicants based on their per pupil allocation of federal Title II funds.
(f) A grant recipient shall do both of the following:
(1) Design its teacher-based residency program to do all of the following:
(A) Seek out individuals who meet the California Teaching Performance Expectations established by the commission and meet hiring needs of the grant recipient with high-needs schools with chronic difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers.
(B) Produce culturally responsive teachers with special emphasis on improving outcomes of high-needs, low-performing pupil populations.
(C) Maintain high state-established standards for credentials.
(D) Allow resident teachers to learn to teach in the same school in which they will work, while learning the instructional initiatives and curriculum of the school.
(E) Group resident teachers into cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among resident teachers and place them in schools or professional development programs that are organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in a supportive work environment.
(F) Build coursework for resident teachers and mentor teachers around the classroom experience in ways that are aligned to pupil needs.
(G) Offer structured feedback and coaching systems organized around the California Standards for the Teaching Profession to ensure that participants engage in a meaningful classroom teaching experience.
(H) Ensure that resident teachers are prepared to pass the teaching performance assessment described in Section 44320.2 if that is required by the state as a condition of the preliminary teacher credential.
(I) Maintain a meaningful program evaluation system that focuses on continual improvement for resident teachers, mentor teachers, other teachers at the school, other faculty, and the teacher-based residency program.
(2) Provide a 100-percent match of grant funding awarded, including funding to offset the beginning teacher induction program required for a clear teaching credential pursuant to Section 44259.
(g) (1) To be eligible to participate in a grant recipient’s teacher-based residency program, a resident teacher shall be enrolled in a program of professional preparation at a college or university that has been determined by the commission to meet the requirements of Article 7 (commencing with Section 44320) of Chapter 2.
(2) A resident teacher shall, in writing with the grant recipient, agree to do both of the following:
(A) Complete, under the supervision of a mentor teacher, no fewer than nine months of teaching in a class or classes in a school chosen by the grant recipient.
(B) Be placed as a teacher of record in a high-needs school with chronic teacher shortages within the grant recipient for a period of four school years beginning with the school year that begins after the teacher resident successfully completes the initial year of preparation and obtains a preliminary teaching credential.
(3) (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), if a resident teacher fails to complete the period of placement agreed to pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2), the resident teacher shall pay back the cost of training, financial assistance, and stipends provided to the resident teacher on a pro rata basis, relative to the amount of time served in proportion to the required four-year teaching service.
(B) A resident teacher shall have five years to complete the required four-year teaching service.
(h) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Mentor teacher” means a teacher that meets both of the following:
(A) Has at least three years of teaching experience and a clear teaching credential for the subject or grades the mentor teacher will be teaching.
(B) Has a record of successful teaching.
(2) “Resident teacher” means a prospective teacher that elects to participate in a grant recipient’s teacher-based residency program.
(3) “Teacher-based residency program” means a school-based teacher preparation program, accredited by the commission, that does all of the following:
(A) Requires resident teachers to teach at least one-half time alongside a teacher of record who is designated as the mentor teacher for at least one full school year while engaging in initial preparation coursework.
(B) Provides instruction to resident teachers in all of the following:
(i) Teaching in the content area or areas in which the teacher will be qualified to teach.
(ii) Planning, curriculum development, and assessment.
(iii) Learning and child development.
(iv) Management of the classroom environment.
(v) The use of culturally responsive practices, supports for language development, and supports for serving pupils with disabilities.
(vi) Professional responsibilities, including interaction with families and colleagues.
(C) Provides financial assistance to resident teachers, including a stipend.
(D) Allows resident teachers to attain a preliminary teaching credential upon completion of the program.
(E) Provides resident teachers with mentoring and induction support following the completion of the initial credential program necessary to obtain a clear credential, and provides resident teachers ongoing professional development and networking opportunities during the resident teacher’s first years of teaching.
(F) Provides resident teachers the option of completing a master’s degree before completion of the program.
(G) Provides mentor teachers with specific training for the mentor role and allows mentor teachers to engage in ongoing professional learning and networking with other mentor teachers.
(H) Provides mentor teachers with compensation, appropriate release time, or both, to serve as a mentor teacher in the initial preparation or induction component of the teacher-based residency program.
(i) The operation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or other statute for purposes of this section.

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would establish a new teacher residency grant program.

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