(1)Existing law establishes minimum requirements for the issuance of a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Among other requirements, existing law requires satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation accredited by the Committee on Accreditation, but specifies that the program shall not include more than two 2 years of full-time study, except for certain programs, including for integrated programs of subject matter and professional preparation. Existing law requires an integrated program of professional preparation to enable candidates for teaching credentials to engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions, and to provide opportunities for candidates to complete intensive field experiences in public elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate sequence.

This bill would require those intensive field experiences to include student teaching.

This bill would authorize a postsecondary institution to offer a 4-year 4- or 5-year integrated program of professional preparation that allows a student to earn a baccalaureate degree and a preliminary multiple- multiple or single-subject single subject teaching credential, or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, including student teaching requirements, concurrently and within 4 or 5 years of study.

This bill would, contingent upon appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or another statute, require the commission to develop and implement a program to award 40 grants of $250,000 each to postsecondary institutions for the development of transition plans to guide the creation of 4-year integrated programs of professional preparation, as provided.

(3)This bill would make findings and declarations relating to teachers and teacher credentialing.

Existing law establishes minimum requirements for the issuance of a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Among other requirements, existing law requires satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation accredited by the Committee on Accreditation, but specifies that the program shall not include more than two years of full-time study, except for certain programs, including for integrated programs of subject matter and professional preparation. Existing law requires an integrated program of professional preparation to enable candidates for teaching credentials to engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions, and to provide opportunities for candidates to complete intensive field experiences in public elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate sequence.

This bill would require those intensive field experiences to include student teaching.

Existing law establishes minimum requirements for the issuance of a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Among other requirements, existing law requires satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation accredited by the Committee on Accreditation, but specifies that the program shall not include more than two years of full-time study, except for certain programs, including for integrated programs of subject matter and professional preparation. Existing law requires an integrated program of professional preparation to enable candidates for teaching credentials to engage in professional preparation, concurrently with subject matter preparation, while completing baccalaureate degrees at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions, and to provide opportunities for candidates to complete intensive field experiences in public elementary and secondary schools early in the undergraduate sequence.

This bill would require those intensive field experiences to include student teaching.

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 1756

Author:(Bonilla)

As Amended Ver:March 29, 2016

Majority vote

SUMMARY: Establishes a grant program at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) to provide funding to postsecondary institutions to establish or expand integrated credentialing programs, which allow candidates to earn teaching credentials while completing their undergraduate degrees. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes findings and declarations relative to the current shortage of qualified teachers in California, the value of four-year integrated programs of teacher preparation and specifies that it is the intent of the Legislature that this act not impose any additional restrictions on education specialist instruction credential programs.
2. States that a postsecondary institution may offer a four-year or five-year integrated program of professional preparation that allows a student to earn a bachelor's degree and a multiple or single subject teaching credential, or an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education, including student teaching requirements, concurrently and within four or five years of study.
3. Requires the CCTC to, as part of its accreditation process, collect information about integrated programs of professional preparation, including which institutions offer integrated programs and the number and type of credentials the programs produce.
4. Requires the CCTC to develop and implement a program to award 40 one year grants of $250,000 to postsecondary institutions for the development of transition plans to guide the creation of four year integrated programs of teacher preparation. States that an institution may:
   1. Use the plan to create a new four year program or to adapt an existing integrated program
   2. Partner with a California community college to create such a program
   3. Use funds for any proper purpose in support of planning for an integrated program, including providing faculty release time to redesign existing courses, providing program coordinators to assist in collaboration with subject matter and pedagogy professors, creating summer courses for students in integrated programs, and recruiting individuals for participation as students in four-year integrated programs of professional preparation.
5. Permits the CCTC to reserve some of the 40 grants to provide a second grant to some or all of the postsecondary institutions awarded grants for the subsequent fiscal year.
6. Requires the CCTC, in awarding grants pursuant to the program, to grant priority to proposals for the establishment of four-year integrated programs of professional preparation designed to produce teachers with either an education specialist instruction credential authorizing the holder to teach special education or a single subject area credential in a subject with chronic shortages of qualified teachers.
7. Requires a postsecondary institution to, as a condition of the receipt of a grant, provide to the commission program and outcome data for at least three years after receiving the grant, including program design and features, the number of graduates, the number and type of credentials earned, the time taken to earn a degree and credential, and any other information the commission may require for the purpose of documenting the effect of the grant and identifying effective practices in program design and implementation.
8. Makes the implementation of the program contingent upon appropriation in the annual budget act or another statute.

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, one-time General Fund costs of $10 million to provide 40 one-year grants to postsecondary institutions for the development and transition to integrated teacher preparation programs. One-time General Fund costs of $250,000 for the CCTC to administer the program over a six year period. These costs include workload related to development of the program and the Request for Proposal, solicitation of grant applications, award determinations, grant administration, technical support to grantees, and reporting outcome data provided by grant recipients and overall program results. 

COMMENTS: Need for the bill. The author states: "There are not enough qualified teachers to fill the demand in California. In 2015, there were more than 3,900 open teaching positions available in mid-October. Meanwhile, enrollment in teacher credential programs dropped by more than 70% in the last decade.

"AB 1756 will play a role in solving the teacher shortage. Increasing the availability of four-year integrated teacher preparation programs will get fully qualified teachers into the classroom more quickly while also making the profession more appealing to high school students who do not want to or cannot pay for more than four years of higher education. Earning their degree and credential in four years saves new teachers one full year of tuition costs as well as living expenses. In addition, student teachers have no earning potential as they work full time with no compensation while student teaching. Providing grants or loan forgiveness only helps a limited number of students and during recessions, these programs are often the first to be cut. Funding the creation of embedded degree/credential programs will support students in a sustainable manner and for decades into the future."

Budget Appropriation: The education budget trailer bill includes $10 million for the purpose of providing 40 one-year grants, as proposed by this measure.

What are integrated/blended programs? For nearly 30 years, the Ryan Act of 1970 prohibited the completion of teacher preparation during the undergraduate experience, requiring instead a "fifth year" of preparation as the primary route to certification. The intent of this separation was to ensure that teachers had robust subject matter preparation. According to the CCTC, some unintended consequences of this policy were:

1. The "siloing" of subject matter and pedagogy, reflected in students who learn subject matter in isolation from considerations about how it is taught, and in the absence of any "logical connection or incentive for collaboration between the two different faculties."
2. Increased pressure on teacher preparation programs to address subject-specific pedagogical knowledge at the expense of critical aspects of preparation such as student teaching.
3. The absence of opportunities for credential candidates to develop cross-disciplinary understanding, a cornerstone of contemporary content standards, such as the Common Core State Standards (as well as, staff notes, the Next Generation Science Standards and integrated English Language Arts/English Language Development state standards)

In 1998, SB 2042 (Alpert), Chapter 548, Statutes of 1998, authorized "integrated" programs of teacher preparation, which would allow students working toward their baccalaureate degree to also earn a teaching credential. These programs also became known as blended programs. In addition to offering an efficient route to certification at a time when state incentives to reduce class size in primary grades had created an acute teacher shortage, the authorization of integrated programs was intended to address some of the concerns noted above. At the time this policy was implemented, state ($350,000 in the 1998-99 state budget) and some federal funding was available to foster integrated programs.

Analysis Prepared by: Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0003175

Date of Hearing: April 13, 2016

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1756

Author:(Bonilla) – As Amended Ver:March 29, 2016

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes a grant program at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) to assist postsecondary institutions with implementation or transition to an integrated program of professional preparation. These programs allow a student to earn a bachelor's degree and a multiple or single subject teaching credential, including student teaching requirements, concurrently within a four or five year period. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires the CCTC to develop and implement a program to award 40 one-year grants ($250,000 per grant) to postsecondary institutions to develop plans to guide the creation of four year integrated programs of teacher preparation.  Priority will be provided to proposals designed to produce special education teachers or teachers of subjects with chronic teacher shortages (for example math and science).
2. Authorizes grantees to use their transition plan to: 1) create a new program or adapt an existing integrated program; 2) partner with a California Community College to create such a program; and 3) use funds for any proper purpose in support of planning for an integrated program, including: student recruitment, faculty release time to redesign existing courses, hiring program coordinators to assist in collaboration with subject matter and pedagogy professors, and creating summer courses.
3. Requires the CCTC to collect information about integrated programs as part of the existing accreditation process.
4. Authorizes the CCTC to reserve some of the 40 grants to provide a second grant to some or all of the postsecondary institutions awarded grants for the subsequent fiscal year.
5. Makes the grant program and associated requirements contingent upon an appropriation of funds in the Budget Act or another statute.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. One-time General Fund costs of $10 million to provide 40 one-year grants to postsecondary institutions for the development and transition to integrated teacher preparation programs.
2. One-time General Fund costs of $250,000 for the CCTC to administer the program over a six year period. These costs include workload related to development of the program and the Request for Proposal, solicitation of grant applications, award determinations, grant administration, technical support to grantees, and reporting outcome data provided by grant recipients and overall program results. 

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author, California suffers from a shortage of qualified teachers. In 2015, more than 3,900 open teaching positions remained in mid-October. Meanwhile, enrollment in teacher credential programs has fallen by more than 70% in the last decade. Many students choose not to enter the teaching profession because of the low earning potential and the high student loan debt. Incentivizing the creation of four-year integrated teacher preparation programs will allow students to earn their baccalaureate degree, finish their teaching credential, and complete their student teaching within four years, saving teachers one full year of tuition costs as well as the cost of living.
2. Background. The Ryan Act of 1970 prohibited the completion of teacher preparation during undergraduate work, instead requiring a “fifth year” of preparation as the primary route to certification. The intent of this separation was to ensure that teachers had robust subject matter preparation. This approach, however, often led to the "siloing" of subject matter and pedagogy and limited credential candidates ability to develop cross-disciplinary understanding. Further, it has led to increased schooling for the credential candidate, often in excess of five years.

SB 2042 (Alpert), Chapter 548, Statutes of 1998 authorized "integrated" or "blended" programs, allowing students working toward their baccalaureate degree to also earn a teaching credential. Despite this authorization, few opportunities to receive a credential through this path appear to exist. According to the author, in 2013-14, there were 6,992 students in teacher credential programs at California State University (CSU) but only 323 students in their combined programs.

1. Historical funding. When incentive programs were created under AB 2042 in 1998, the state provided grants similar to those proposed by this bill. According to CCTC documents, $350,000 General Fund was provided to the CCTC to provide grants to postsecondary institutions seeking to develop integrated or blended programs. The CCTC awarded grants to seven campuses for $50,000 each. From 1999 to 2001, 20 additional $50,000 grants were provided with federal Title II funding. These grants included 12 CSU, 6 private and independent and 2 UC grants. In addition to grants from the CCTC, four programs received grants from the Stuart Foundation during 1998-99.

The funds were used primarily to support faculty release time for Arts and Sciences faculty and Education faculty to plan programs that would meet the blended standards. Funds were also used to involve K-12 school practitioners and community college representatives in program planning and development. All 27 of the programs receiving grants submitted proposals, and 22 of the programs were eventually approved.

According to the author, the original funding provided in 1998 was useful for initial program development, but many of these programs still take five or six years to complete. According to the author, $250,000 per grantee would be used to update these programs to four-year programs. The author cites similar purposes as the original grant awards: hiring faculty for program design, faculty release time to create new courses and time to coordinate with K-12 schools and the community to identify workforce needs.

1. Comments. As noted in the Assembly Education Committee analysis, the CCTC does not routinely collect information on which institutions offer integrated programs, nor how many credential holders they graduate, therefore, it is not clear whether grant funding will translate to the creation of successful programs that can be sustained. The committee may wish to consider review of existing program data prior to committing significant resources under another grant program. Also, since program development needs may vary between each campus, the committee may also wish to consider whether $250,000 per grantee is necessary or if varied grant amounts should be an option.

Analysis Prepared by: Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: March 16, 2016

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Patrick O'Donnell, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1756 (

Author:Bonilla) – As Amended Ver:March 7, 2016

SUBJECT: Teacher credentialing: integrated programs of professional preparation

SUMMARY: Establishes a grant program at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) to provide funding to postsecondary institutions to establish or expand integrated credentialing programs, which allow candidates to earn teaching credentials while completing their undergraduate degrees. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes findings and declarations relative to the current shortage of qualified teachers in California and the value of four-year integrated programs of teacher preparation.
2. States that a postsecondary institution may offer a four-year integrated program of professional preparation that allows a student to earn a bachelor's degree and a multiple or single subject teaching credential, including student teaching requirements, concurrently and within four years of study.
3. Requires the CCTC to develop and implement a program to award 40 one year grants of $250,000 to postsecondary institutions for the development of transition plans to guide the creation of four year integrated programs of teacher preparation.  States that an institution may:
4. use the plan to create a new four year program or to adapt an existing integrated program
5. partner with a California community college to create such a program
6. use funds for any proper purpose in support of planning for an integrated program, including providing faculty release time to redesign existing courses, providing program coordinators to assist in collaboration with subject matter and pedagogy professors, and creating summer courses for students in integrated programs.
7. Permits the CCTC to reserve some of the 40 grants to provide a second grant to some or all of the postsecondary institutions awarded grants for the subsequent fiscal year.
8. Makes the implementation of the program contingent upon appropriation in the annual budget act or another statute.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes minimum requirements for teacher preparation programs leading to multiple and single subject teaching credentials, including a baccalaureate degree, passage of a basic skills test, completion of a teacher preparation program, study of methods of English language development and reading, completion of a subject matter program, demonstration of knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, and basic use of computers in education.
2. Authorizes integrated (also known as blended) programs of teacher preparation, in which credential candidates may earn a teaching credential while completing their undergraduate degree. Requires the CCTC to encourage postsecondary institutions to offer integrated programs.
3. Requires the Chancellor of the California State University (CSU), in consultation with CSU faculty members, to develop a framework defining appropriate balance for an integrated program of general education, subject matter preparation, and professional education courses.
4. Requires the Chancellor of the CSU and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to ensure that coursework completed by a community college student transferring to an integrated program is articulated with the corresponding coursework of the CSU.
5. Limits the duration of teacher preparation programs to two years.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS:

Need for the bill. The author states: “There are not enough qualified teachers to fill the demand in California. In 2015, there were more than 3,900 open teaching positions available in mid-October. Meanwhile, enrollment in teacher credential programs dropped by more than 70% in the last decade.

AB 1756 will play a role in solving the teacher shortage. Increasing the availability of four-year integrated teacher preparation programs will get fully qualified teachers into the classroom more quickly while also making the profession more appealing to high school students who do not want to or cannot pay for more than four years of higher education. Earning their degree and credential in four years saves new teachers one full year of tuition costs as well as living expenses. In addition, student teachers have no earning potential as they work full time with no compensation while student teaching. Providing grants or loan forgiveness only helps a limited number of students and during recessions, these programs are often the first to be cut. Funding the creation of embedded degree/credential programs will support students in a sustainable manner and for decades into the future.”

What are integrated/blended programs? For nearly 30 years, the Ryan Act of 1970 prohibited the completion of teacher preparation during the undergraduate experience, requiring instead a “fifth year” of preparation as the primary route to certification. The intent of this separation was to ensure that teachers had robust subject matter preparation. According to the CCTC, some unintended consequences of this policy were:

• the “siloing” of subject matter and pedagogy, reflected in students who learn subject matter in isolation from considerations about how it is taught, and in the absence of any “logical connection or incentive for collaboration between the two different faculties.”
• increased pressure on teacher preparation programs to address subject-specific pedagogical knowledge at the expense of critical aspects of preparation such as student teaching
• the absence of opportunities for credential candidates to develop cross-disciplinary understanding, a cornerstone of contemporary content standards, such as the Common Core State Standards (as well as, staff notes, the Next Generation Science Standards and integrated English Language Arts/English Language Development state standards)

In 1998, SB 2042 (Alpert, Chapter 548, Statutes of 1998) authorized “integrated” programs of teacher preparation, which would allow students working toward their baccalaureate degree to also earn a teaching credential. These programs also became known as blended programs. In addition to offering an efficient route to certification at a time when state incentives to reduce class size in primary grades had created an acute teacher shortage, the authorization of integrated programs was intended to address some of the concerns noted above. At the time this policy was implemented, state ($350,000 in the 1998-99 state budget) and some federal funding was available to foster integrated programs.

Barriers to establishing integrated programs. In the years since SB 2042 was enacted a number of barriers to the development of integrated programs have been identified. According to the CCTC, they include:

• Dual program approval process. The CCTC requirement that institutions have a Commission-approved subject matter program in each content area along with a Commission approved teacher preparation program used to pose a barrier to establishing programs. According to the CCTC, this issue has been resolved.
• Collaboration. Integrated programs require collaboration between Arts and Sciences faculty and Education faculty, and the CCTC notes that this poses challenges and does not happen overnight. A 2004 CCTC report noted concerns about program quality, in particular programs which appeared to simply “stack” subject matter and pedagogy on top of each other.
• Fitting in the required coursework. A frequently cited barrier to the expansion of integrated programs is the difficulty students have fitting both sets of requirements into their course schedules.
• Concerns about “crowding out” coursework and tight scheduling. The CCTC notes that some Arts and Sciences faculty expressed concerns about teacher preparation courses leaving insufficient room for subject matter coursework.
• Issues outside of programs. The CCTC notes that credential candidates perceived a disadvantage to integrated programs because “5^th year” graduates start on the salary schedule with more postsecondary credits and are therefore in a in a higher paid column (though staff notes that compared to integrated program graduates traditional program candidates 1) forgo a year’s salary during their preparation, 2) must pay additional tuition for this year of preparation, 3) may need to incur debt for living expenses during their fifth year, and 4) forgo the opportunity to earn a year of service credit in CalSTRS).
• Bachelor’s +30 units requirement (repealed). A repealed requirement that teachers have 30 units after their bachelor’s degree to obtain a clear credential was a barrier for some teachers.

The author notes that a misreading of current law appears to be an additional barrier to the establishment of integrated programs, and this bill addresses this by restating the authorization for institutions to offer programs of concurrent undergraduate and teacher preparation.

This clarification refers to programs of a four-year duration, but some integrated programs are five years in length, and the typical time to undergraduate degree at CSU (where most integrated programs are located) is currently greater than four years. Accordingly, staff recommends that the bill be amended to specify “four or five years.”

Clarify that integrated programs and this grant program may grant special education credentials. While current law appears to only authorize integrated programs to offer multiple and single subject credentials, it is clear that some programs do offer education specialist credentials (special education). To clarify this point, and to authorize grant recipients to offer these credentials, staff recommends that the bill be amended to specify that special education credentials may be granted through integrated programs, including those established through this grant program. Staff also recommends that, to meet the author’s intent, the bill be amended to allow grant funds to be expended on the recruitment of teachers into integrated programs.

Prioritize acute shortage areas. While the current teacher shortage is widespread, certain types of qualifications are in especially short supply. Those include special education, math and science. In its analysis of this year’s proposed budget, the Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that “research over many years has found substantial evidence of specific market shortages. The California Department of Education has identified shortages of special education, science, and math nearly every year since 1990-91,” and that special education is commonly viewed as the most acute shortage area. Indeed, the Chairperson of the CCTC has recently characterized the shortage in the teacher pipeline in special education, math, and science as a “five alarm fire.”

Yet a 2004 CCTC report found that 98% of enrollment in integrated programs was in multiple subject (elementary) preparation programs, with only 1% of enrollment seeking single subject credentials (such as math and science), and less than 1% seeking special education credentials.

Establishing truly integrated credential programs means overcoming many of the barriers listed above, and barriers such as the disconnect between subject matter and pedagogy faculty may be particularly challenging in single subject areas. This, in concert with the overall shortage in the STEM student pipeline, has likely contributed to the paucity of programs in the critical shortage areas of math and science.

Consistent with a recommendation from the LAO to “narrowly tailor any new policies to addressing California’s perennial staffing difficulties in specific subjects areas (special education and STEM),” staff recommends that this bill be amended to require the CCTC to grant priority, in making grants through the program, to proposals for the establishment of programs designed to produce credentialed teachers in “special education and single subject areas with chronic shortages.”

No data on integrated programs. The CCTC does not routinely collect information on which institutions offer integrated programs, nor how many credential holders they graduate. Because these credential candidates earn the same credential as traditionally prepared teachers, they are not tracked separately. This means that the state has little information on the availability or outcomes of these programs, even though they are accredited by the state. The state would also have no baseline data to judge the impact of the grant program proposed by this bill.

The CCTC collects information about other alternatives to the traditional 5^th year credentialing route, such university and district internship programs, including the number and types of credential holders they graduate. Staff recommends that this bill be amended to require CCTC, as part of its accreditation process, to collect at least basic information about these programs, including 1) which institutions offer integrated programs (as defined in statute), and 2) the number and type of credentials they produce. Staff further recommends that the bill be amended to require, as a condition of the receipt of a grant proposed by the bill, postsecondary institutions to provide program and outcome data to the Commission for at least three years after receiving a grant, such as programmatic features, the number of graduates and credentials earned, time to degree/credential, and other information the Commission may require for the purpose of documenting the effect of the grant and identifying effective practices in program design and implementation.

A “common trunk” of preparation in special and general education. In response to the 2015 report, “One System: Reforming Education to Serve ALL Students,” authored by the California Statewide Task Force on Special Education, the CCTC, the State Board of Education, and the California Department of Education have recently held stakeholder meetings on special education teacher preparation and credentialing. Among a number of issues discussed in these meetings, many stakeholders expressed concern over the dual problems that special education credential holders do not have sufficient background in the general education curriculum, and that general education teachers do not have sufficient training to meet the needs of special education students. A solution has come to be known as a “common trunk” of preparation, in which candidates for credentials in both general and special education receive preparation in meeting the needs of all students.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

California Catholic Conference, Inc.

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087