Bill Text: CA AB672 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Civil Rights Department: community assistance.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-09-22 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 343, Statutes of 2024. [AB672 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB672-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 30, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 672

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Introduced by Assembly Member Jackson

February 13, 2023

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An act to amend Sections 44259 and 44320.2 of, and to add and repeal Section 44299 of, of the Education Code, relating to teacher credentialing.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 672, as amended, Jackson. Teacher credentialing: teaching performance assessments: Teacher Credentialing Task Force.

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 requires, as a minimum requirement for a preliminary multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential, the satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation that includes a teaching performance assessment that meets specified requirements and has been approved by the commission, as provided.

This bill would eliminate the requirement that a program of professional preparation include a teaching performance assessment. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2024, eliminate the teaching performance assessment as a requirement for candidates to receive a single subject, multiple subject, or education specialist credential. The bill would authorize candidates to complete an optional teaching performance assessment, as provided.

This bill would require the commission to convene a Teacher Credentialing Task Force, as provided, by no later than March 1, 2024. The bill would require the task force to examine the current teacher credentialing process and the impact that high-stakes teacher credentialing assessments, and their associated costs, have on the current teacher shortage and the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce, and to provide any associated policy recommendations, examine, among other things, the available research on factors that enable and constrain recruitment, credentialing, and retention of a diverse teaching workforce and the experiences of student candidates in various credentialing pathways, as provided, and to report to the education policy appropriate committees of the Legislature, on or before December 1, 2024, March 1, 2027, on the barriers these assessments present and any policy recommendations based on those findings, for increasing the number of, and diversity of, qualified teachers in California. The bill would require the commission to contract with a nationally recognized, neutral, nonpartisan, nonprofit education policy organization to facilitate the task force’s work, including completing the required report.

This bill would make these provisions inoperative on March 1, 2031, and would repeal it as of January 1, 2032.

Digest Key

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

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 44299 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 44298, to read:

44299.

 (a) (1) The commission shall convene a Teacher Credentialing Task Force by no later than March 1, 2024.

(2) The task force shall be composed of 19 members, as follows:

(A) Three teacher educator faculty from the segments of the higher education system, as follows:

(i) One member representing undergraduate education programs at the California State University.

(ii) One member representing graduate education programs at the California State University.

(iii) One member representing the University of California.

(B) Three representatives from organizations representing university faculty, credentialed teachers, or school administrators.

(C) One representative from a teacher education research organization.

(D) Five practicing teachers from public elementary and secondary schools in California, the majority of which shall be within their first five years of teaching.

(E) Three teacher preparation candidates.

(F) Three practicing school administrators from public and elementary and secondary schools in California, as follows:

(i) One administrator at an elementary school.

(ii) One administrator at a middle school or junior high school.

(iii) One administrator at a high school.

(G) One human resources representative from a public elementary or secondary school in California.

(b) The task force shall do all of the following:

(1) (A) Review and examine available research on factors that enable and constrain recruitment, credentialing, and retention of a diverse teaching workforce.

(B) Gather and review input or data, or both, from the department, the commission, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other relevant stakeholders regarding the state’s teacher shortage.

(C) Prioritize speaking with current student candidates, new teachers in the workforce, and representatives from local educational agencies that are responsible for recruiting and hiring new teachers.

(2) (A) Examine the experiences of student candidates in various credentialing pathways from preparation, credentialing, and induction, through the first five years of teaching, including, but not necessarily limited to, the requirements to complete all of the following:

(i) The California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET).

(ii) The California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST).

(iii) The Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA).

(iv) The California Teaching Performance Assessments (CalTPAs).

(v) The provisions and principles of the United States Constitution requirement.

(vi) Instruction in health education.

(vii) Instruction in foundational and advanced computer technology.

(B) In examining the requirements in various credentialing pathways pursuant to subparagraph (A), focus on the extent to which the requirements support the recruitment, development, and retention of a diverse teaching workforce while maintaining teacher quality and effectiveness.

(C) The research design pursuant to this paragraph shall examine candidates and preliminary credentialed teachers in each of these phases of development simultaneously.

(3) Research outcomes during the first five years of individuals being credentialed by determining if those individuals have stayed in the profession, left the profession, or have expressed a desire to leave the profession.

(4) Identify any barriers to entry for prospective teachers, and in particular, prospective teachers from diverse backgrounds during the current teacher recruitment process, the current teacher preparation process, and the current teacher enrollment process.

(c) The commission shall contract with a nationally recognized, neutral, nonpartisan, nonprofit education policy organization to facilitate the task force’s work, including completing the report required pursuant to subdivision (d).

(d) (1) The commission shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on or before March 1, 2027, covering any policy recommendations based on those findings pursuant to subdivision (b), for increasing the number of, and diversity of, qualified teachers in California.

(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section shall become inoperative on March 1, 2031, and, as of January 1, 2032, is repealed.

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

44259.

(a)Except as provided in clauses (i) and (iii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), a 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 subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential are all of the following:

(1)A baccalaureate degree or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Except as provided in subdivision (c) of Section 44227, for single subject teaching credentials, the baccalaureate degree shall not be in professional education. The commission shall encourage regionally accredited institutions of higher education to offer undergraduate minors in education and special education to students who intend to become single subject credentialed teachers.

(2)Demonstration of basic skills proficiency pursuant to Section 44252.5.

(3)(A)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. The commission shall, through the accreditation process, ensure that a 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. Programs that meet this requirement for professional preparation shall include any of the following:

(i)Integrated programs of subject matter preparation and professional preparation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 44259.1.

(ii)Postbaccalaureate programs of professional preparation, pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 44259.1.

(iii)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.

(iv)Degree programs offered pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 78060) of Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3.

(B)A program of professional preparation pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall provide experience that addresses all of the following:

(i)Health education, including study of nutrition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the physiological and sociological effects of the 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.

(ii)Field experience in methods of delivering appropriate educational services to pupils with exceptional needs in regular education programs.

(iii)Advanced computer-based technology, including the uses of technology in educational settings.

(4)Study of effective means of teaching literacy, including, but not limited to, the study of reading as described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), and evidence-based means of teaching foundational reading skills in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency to all pupils, including tiered supports for pupils with reading difficulties, English learners, and pupils with exceptional needs. The study of effective means of teaching literacy shall be in accordance with the commission’s standards of program quality and effectiveness and current teaching performance expectations, shall be aligned to the current English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework adopted by the state board, and shall incorporate the program guidelines for dyslexia developed pursuant to Section 56335. 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).

(C)A program for the multiple subject teaching credential and the education specialist teaching credential also shall include the study of integrated methods of teaching language arts.

(5)(A)Verification of subject matter competence, demonstrated through one of the following methods:

(i)Completion of a subject matter program approved by the commission on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 44310).

(ii) Passage of a subject matter examination pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 44280).

(iii)Successful completion of coursework at one or more regionally accredited institutions of higher education that addresses each of the domains of the subject matter requirements adopted by the commission in the content area of the credential pursuant to Section 44282, as verified by a commission-approved program of professional preparation. Coursework completed at a community or junior college that is regionally accredited by an accrediting agency listed in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 44203 or by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges may count for purposes of this clause.

(iv)Successful completion of a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education with the following, as applicable:

(I)For single subject credentials, a major in one of the subject areas in which the commission credentials candidates.

(II)For multiple subject credentials, a liberal studies major or other degree that includes coursework in the content areas pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 44282.

(III)For education specialist credentials, either a major in one of the subject areas in which the commission credentials candidates or a liberal studies or other major that includes coursework in the content areas pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 44282.

(v)Demonstration that the candidate, through a combination of the methods described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) in whole or in part, has met or exceeded each of the domains of the subject matter requirements adopted by the commission in the content area of the credential pursuant to Section 44282 for multiple and single subject credentials, or pursuant to Section 44265 for education specialist credentials.

(B)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.

(6)Demonstration of a knowledge of the principles and provisions of the Constitution of the United States pursuant to Section 44335.

(7)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 either of the following:

(A)A program of beginning teacher induction that is provided by one or more local educational agencies and has been approved by the commission 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 pursuant to this subdivision. The program standards shall encourage innovation and experimentation in the continuous preparation and induction of beginning teachers.

(B)A program of beginning teacher induction that is sponsored by a regionally accredited institution of higher education 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.

(3)(A)If a candidate satisfies the requirements of subdivision (b) through 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, the commission shall accept completion of an approved clear credential program after completion of a baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited institution of higher education as fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (2). The commission shall adopt regulations to implement this subparagraph.

(d)The commission shall develop and implement standards of program quality and effectiveness that provide for the areas of application listed in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive, of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), 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)Paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) does 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 paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) apply only to persons who enter a program of professional preparation on or after January 1, 1997.

SEC. 2.Section 44299 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 44298, to read:

44299.

(a)(1)The commission shall convene a Teacher Credentialing Task Force by no later than March 1, 2024.

(2)The task force shall be composed of all of the following:

(A)Teacher educator faculty from each segment of the higher education system.

(B)Students currently enrolled in teacher credentialing programs.

(C)Organizations representing university faculty, credentialed teachers, and school administrators.

(3)The task force shall examine the current teacher credentialing process and the impact that high-stakes teacher credentialing assessments, including, but not necessarily limited to, the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET), the California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST), the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA), and the California Teaching Performance Assessments (CalTPAs), and their associated costs, have on the current teacher shortage and the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce, and shall provide any associated policy recommendations.

(4)The commission shall contract with a nationally recognized, neutral, nonpartisan, nonprofit education policy organization to facilitate the task force’s work, including completing the report required pursuant to subdivision (b).

(b)(1)The commission shall report to the education policy committees of the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on or before December 1, 2024, on the barriers these assessments present and any policy recommendations based on those findings pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), for increasing the number of, and diversity of, qualified teachers in California.

(2)Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on January 1, 2029.

SEC. 3.Section 44320.2 of the Education Code is amended to read:

44320.2.

(a)The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:

(1)The competence and performance of teachers are among the most important factors in influencing the quality and effectiveness of education in elementary and secondary schools.

(2)High-stakes assessments not only fail to raise teacher quality, but more problematically, serve as barriers to expanding the number and diversity of teacher candidates at a time when California is facing a dire teacher shortage and struggles to diversify its teaching profession.

(b)Commencing January 1, 2024, high-stakes teacher performance assessments shall no longer be a requirement for candidates to receive a single subject, multiple subject, or educational specialist credential. A teaching performance assessment that is included as one of the multiple options for candidates shall be aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and shall be congruent with state content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the state board. In developing an optional teaching performance assessment, institutions or agencies may do the following:

(1)Voluntarily develop an assessment for approval by the commission. Approval of any locally developed performance assessment shall be based on assessment quality standards adopted by the commission, which shall encourage the use of alternative assessment methods including portfolios of teaching artifacts and practices.

(2)Participate in an assessment training program for assessors and implement the commission developed assessment.

(c)The commission shall implement the performance assessment option in a manner that does not increase the number of assessments required for teacher credential candidates prepared in this state. A candidate that chooses to complete a teaching performance assessment shall be assessed during the normal term or duration of the preparation program of the candidate.

(d)Subject to the availability of funds in the annual Budget Act, the commission shall perform all of the following duties with respect to the performance assessment:

(1)Assemble and convene an expert panel to advise the commission about performance standards and developmental scales for teaching credential candidates and the design, content, administration, and scoring of the assessment. At least one-third of the panel members shall be classroom teachers in California public schools.

(2)Design, develop, and implement assessment standards and an institutional assessor training program for the sponsors of professional preparation programs to use if they choose to use the commission developed assessment.

(3)Establish a review panel to examine each assessment developed by an institution or agency in relation to the standards set by the commission and advise the commission regarding approval of each assessment system.

(4)Initially and periodically analyze the validity of assessment content and the reliability of assessment scores that are established pursuant to this section.

(5)Establish and implement appropriate standards for satisfactory performance in assessments that are established pursuant to this section.

(6)Analyze possible sources of bias in the performance assessment and act promptly to eliminate any bias that is discovered.

(7)Collect and analyze background information provided by candidates who participate in the performance assessment, and report and interpret the individual and aggregated results of the assessment.

(8)Examine and revise, as necessary, the institutional accreditation system pursuant to Article 10 (commencing with Section 44370), for the purpose of providing a strong assurance to teaching candidates that ongoing opportunities are available in each credential preparation program that is offered pursuant to Section 44320, Article 6 (commencing with Section 44310), Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325), or Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3 for candidates to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities measured by the assessment system.

(9)Ensure that the aggregated results of the assessment for groups of candidates who have completed a credential program are used as one source of information about the quality and effectiveness of that program.

(e)The commission shall ensure that each performance assessment pursuant to subdivision (b) is state approved and aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and is consistently applied to candidates in similar preparation programs who choose to complete a teaching performance assessment. To the maximum feasible extent, each performance assessment shall be ongoing and blended into the preparation program, and shall produce the following benefits for credential candidates, sponsors of preparation programs, and local educational agencies that employ program graduates:

(1)The performance assessment shall be designed to provide formative assessment information during the preparation program for use by the candidate, instructors, and supervisors for the purpose of improving the teaching knowledge, skill, and ability of the candidate.

(2)The performance assessment results shall be reported so that they may serve as one basis for a recommendation by the program sponsor that the commission award a teaching credential to a candidate who has successfully met the performance assessment standards.

(3)The formative assessment information pursuant to paragraph (1) and the performance assessment results pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be reported so that they may serve as one basis for the individual induction plan of the new teacher pursuant to Section 44279.2.

(f)It is the intent of the Legislature that assessments in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b), including the administrative costs of the commission, be fully funded.