Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program under which the commission, in coordination with the chancellor, would award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives, that would be comprised of at least one accredited degree-granting institution of higher education with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering teacher credential coursework remotely at participating community college or colleges. The bill would require these degree programs to be accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. The bill would authorize priority for the receipt of grants to be given to a collaborative that is located in areas of the state with low rates of K12 credentialed public school teachers, demonstrates that its degree program or programs meet the documented labor market demand of its target region, and identifies the resources necessary to offer its degree program or programs. The bill would provide that grants shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for the statewide pilot program is provided in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require the Legislative Analysts Office to submit a report on the implementation of the statewide pilot program to the Legislature and the Department of Finance on or before April 1, 2023.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program under which the commission, in coordination with the chancellor, would award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives, that would be comprised of at least one accredited degree-granting institution of higher education with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering teacher credential coursework remotely at participating community college or colleges. The bill would require these degree programs to be accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. The bill would authorize priority for the receipt of grants to be given to a collaborative that is located in areas of the state with low rates of K12 credentialed public school teachers, demonstrates that its degree program or programs meet the documented labor market demand of its target region, and identifies the resources necessary to offer its degree program or programs. The bill would provide that grants shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for the statewide pilot program is provided in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require the Legislative Analysts Office to submit a report on the implementation of the statewide pilot program to the Legislature and the Department of Finance on or before April 1, 2023.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program under which the commission, in coordination with the chancellor, would award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives, that would be comprised of at least one accredited degree-granting institution of higher education with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering teacher credential coursework remotely at participating community college or colleges. The bill would require these degree programs to be accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. The bill would authorize priority for the receipt of grants to be given to a collaborative that is located in areas of the state with low rates of K12 credentialed public school teachers, demonstrates that its degree program or programs meet the documented labor market demand of its target region, and identifies the resources necessary to offer its degree program or programs. The bill would provide that grants shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for the statewide pilot program is provided in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require the Legislative Analysts Office to submit a report on the implementation of the statewide pilot program to the Legislature and the Department of Finance on or before April 1, 2023.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program under which an unspecified entity the commission, in coordination with the chancellor, would award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives, that would be comprised of at least one accredited degree-granting institution of higher education with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering teacher credential coursework remotely at participating community college or colleges. The bill would require these degree programs to be accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. The bill would authorize priority for the receipt of grants to be given to a collaborative that is located in areas of the state with low rates of K12 credentialed public school teachers, demonstrates that its degree program or programs meet the documented labor market demand of its target region, and identifies the resources necessary to offer its degree program or programs. The bill would provide that grants shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for the statewide pilot program is provided in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require the Legislative Analysts Office to submit a report on the implementation of the statewide pilot program to be submitted to the Legislature and the Department of Finance on or before April 1, 2023.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would establish the California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to under which an unspecified entity would award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives, that would be comprised of at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting institution of higher education institution with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs coursework remotely at participating community college or colleges. The bill would require these degree programs to be accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. The bill would authorize priority for the receipt of grants to be given to a collaborative that is located in areas of the state with low rates of K12 credentialed public school teachers, demonstrates that its degree program or programs meet the documented labor market demand of its target region, and identifies the resources necessary to offer its degree program or programs. The bill would provide that grants shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for the statewide pilot program is provided in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require a report on the implementation of the statewide pilot program to be submitted to the Legislature and the Department of Finance on or before April 1, 2023.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would authorize the board of governors, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize a up to 5 community college district districts to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets specified requirements, including that the program has been accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. If the board of governors authorizes a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets these requirements, the bill would require the board of governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation, as provided.

The bill would require a district offering a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to identify and document unmet teaching workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and to design the program to meet those needs. The bill would require the governing board of a community college district seeking authorization to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to submit specified information for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of governors.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would authorize the board of governors, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets specified requirements, including that the program has been accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness. If the board of governors authorizes a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets these requirements, the bill would require the board of governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation, as provided.

The bill would require a district offering a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to identify and document unmet teaching workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and to design the program to meet those needs. The bill would require the governing board of a community college district seeking authorization to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to submit specified information for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of governors. The bill would require the board of governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation, as provided.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would authorize the board of governors, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets specified requirements, including that the program has been accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.

The bill would require a district offering a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to identify and document unmet teaching workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and to design the program to meet those needs. The bill would require the governing board of a community college district seeking authorization to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to submit specified information for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of governors. The bill would require the board of governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation, as provided.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to appoint a chief executive officer, to be known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by governing boards, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.

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 minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential, including satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as provided.

This bill would authorize the board of governors, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation that meets specified requirements, including that the program has been accredited by the commissions Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.

The bill would require a district offering a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to identify and document unmet teaching workforce needs in the local community or region of the district design the program to meet those needs. The bill would require the governing board of a community college district seeking authorization to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to submit specified information for review by the chancellor and approval by the board of governors. The bill would require the board of governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation, as provided.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Benjamin Allen, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular

Bill No: Hearing Date: August 30, 2018

Subject: California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program.

NOTE: This bill was amended in the Assembly to replace its contents and this is the first time the bill is being heard by this Committee in its current form.

SUMMARY

This bill establishes the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program, awarding grants to collaboratives of one or more teacher-credentialing higher education institutions partnering with one or more community colleges for the purpose of offering teacher credentialing programs at community colleges.

BACKGROUND

Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:

1. The primary mission of the California State University (CSU) is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the University of California (UC) and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level.

ANALYSIS

This bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. States that the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program is established for both of the following purposes:
   1. To encourage accredited degree-granting institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state to collaborate with one or more community colleges to offer teacher credentialing degree programs at the participating community college or colleges; and,
   2. To bring opportunities to earn teacher credentialing degrees to areas with low college-going rates or limited access to teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions.
3. States that the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), in coordination with the Chancellor of the CCC, may award up to three grants, not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each, to collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges.
4. Defines that a collaborative shall be comprised of at least one community college and at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution.
5. Establishes that priority for the receipt of grant funds may be given to a collaborative that meets all of the following:
   1. Is located in areas of the state with low rates of K–12 credentialed public school teachers;
   2. Demonstrates that its teacher credentialing degree program or programs meet a documented labor market demand of the collaborative's target region; and,
   3. Identifies the resources necessary to offer a teacher credentialing degree program or programs.
6. Specifies that the funds granted shall be for one-time startup costs of the collaborative for the purposes of developing and implementing its pilot program. These costs may include any, or any combination, including all, of the following:
   1. Professional development for effective distance learning;
   2. Deploying a teaching assistant for the community college classroom or classrooms where courses are offered via distance learning;
   3. Technology upgrades for the community college classroom or classrooms where the distance learning courses are offered;
   4. Student retention, outreach, or engagement;
   5. Data monitoring and systems infrastructure;
   6. Cross-system alignment; and
   7. Other startup costs that are necessary for developing and implementing its pilot program.
7. Requires each pilot program implemented under this section shall do all of the following:
   1. Utilize courses currently offered by the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions, which may be one or more California State University or University of California campuses, or one or more not-for-profit, private postsecondary educational institutions or independent institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state;
   2. Include, as a primary target population to teach courses under the pilot program, teachers who hold a baccalaureate degree and are currently teaching on a short-term staff permit or a provisional internship permit;
   3. Charge no more than the standard student university course fee of the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting institution or institutions of higher education; and,
   4. Involve current faculty from the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions as faculty for courses offered under the pilot program, which shall be current courses of that institution or institutions.
8. States that it is the intent of the Legislature that no collaborative funded under this bill may be terminated abruptly, leaving its enrolled students without a way to earn a teaching credential under this section.
9. Specifies that, as a condition of an agreement for the receipt of a grant under this section, each collaborative shall ensure that every student who enrolls in its pilot program, before an announcement of the termination of the collaborative, has an opportunity to complete the coursework necessary to obtain a teaching credential under this section.
10. Specifies that a collaborative shall not offer a teaching credentialing degree program under this section unless that program has been accredited by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
11. Specifies that grants awarded under this section shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for this section is provided in the annual Budget Act.
12. Specifies that, on or before April 1, 2023, the Legislative Analyst's Office shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Government Code Section 9795, and to the Department of Finance on the implementation of the program established pursuant to this section. The requirement to submit this report becomes inoperative on April 1, 2027.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.
2. Learning Policy Institute (LPI) teacher shortage report. The LPI’s 2016 report, “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions” included the following summary: “After many years of teacher layoffs in California, school districts around the state are hiring again. With the influx of new K-12 funding, districts are looking to lower student-teacher ratios and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or eliminated during the Great Recession. However, mounting evidence indicates that teacher supply has not kept pace with the increased demand.” The report included the following findings:
   1. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped by more than 70 percent over the last decade.
   2. In 2014-15, provisional and short-term permits nearly tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing from about 850 to more than 2,400.
   3. The number of teachers hired on substandard permits and credentials nearly doubled in the last two years, to more than 7,700 comprising a third of all the new credentials issued in 2014-15.
   4. Estimated teacher hires for the 2015-16 school year increased by 25 percent from the previous year while enrollment in the University of California and the California State University teacher education programs increased by only about 3.8 percent.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) report offered several policy recommendations for consideration. These recommendations include the reinstatement of the California Center on Teaching Careers and the establishment of incentives to attract diverse, talented individuals to teach in high-need locations and fields. This can be accomplished through programs that provide funding for candidates who prepare and teach in such schools and subject areas, e.g. the Assumption Program of Loans for Education. The report also recommends the creation of more innovative pipelines into teaching, such as high school career pathways or teacher preparation models that encourage and support young people and others to go into teaching in their own communities.

1. Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action. However, the LAO noted there are perennial staffing difficulties in specific areas, such as special education, math, and science, for which they encouraged the Legislature to address with narrowly tailored policies rather than with broad statewide policies. Specifically, they recommended the Legislature “consider outreach to re-engage former teachers or recruit out-of-state teachers. Both of these strategies are among the most cost-effective for increasing the supply of teachers within California in the short-term. If the state were to spend one-time funds on outreach, we encourage it to focus specifically on recruiting individuals who are trained to teach in perennial shortage areas. Outreach can attract viable teachers much faster and at a lower cost than many other shortage policies.”
2. Teacher programs funded in the budget. To help address the state’s current teacher shortage, the Governor and Legislature funded the following proposals in the 2018 budget:
   1. Teacher Residency Grant Program: $75 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund to support locally sponsored, one-year intensive, mentored, clinical teacher preparation programs with $50 million aimed at preparing and retaining special education teachers and $25 million aimed at bilingual and STEM teachers.
   2. Local Solutions Grant Program: $50 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund to provide one-time competitive grants to local educational agencies to develop and implement new, or expand existing, locally identified solutions that address a local need for special education teachers.
3. Status of Community Colleges Baccalaureate Pilot Program. As outlined in the Master Plan for Higher Education and by state statute, the California Community Colleges (CCCs) are designated to have an open admission policy and bear the most extensive responsibility for lower-division undergraduate instruction. However, authorization for the CCC to offer baccalaureate degrees on a piloted basis, in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), was granted under Senate Bill 850 (Block, Ch. 747, Stats. 2014). The pilot program allows up to 15 participating community college districts to offer one baccalaureate degree program each to meet local workforce needs as long as it does not duplicate a baccalaureate degree program already offered by the CSU or the UC. SB 850 sunsets on July 1, 2023.

Under SB 850, the four-year degree programs must be up and running by the 2017-18 academic year. Below is the list of colleges that were selected to participate in the pilot:

1. Antelope Valley College (airframe manufacturing technology)

2. Bakersfield College (industrial automation)

3. Cypress College (mortuary science)

4. Feather River College (equine industry)

5. Foothill College (dental hygiene)

6. Mesa College (health information management)

7. Mira Costa College (biomanufacturing)

8. Modesto Junior College (respiratory care)

9. Santa Ana College (occupational studies)

10. Shasta College (health information management)

11. Skyline College (respiratory care)

12. West Los Angeles College (dental hygiene)

13. Rio Hondo College (automotive technology)

14. Santa Monica College (interaction design)

15. Solano Community College (biotechnology)

According to the Community College Chancellor’s Office (Chancellor’s Office), of the 15 colleges, 10 started offering classes for their baccalaureate degree pilot programs in fall 2016. The 5 remaining colleges began offering classes fall 2017. The Chancellor’s Office reports that for the fall 2016, 206 students are enrolled in the baccalaureate degree pilot program.

1. Preliminary evaluation of the pilot. In its December 2017 interim report on the pilot program, the Legislative Analyst Office notes that “…the Legislature has faced pressure to expand the bachelor’s degree pilot program. Given numerous concerns about program selection and consultation, a lack of any graduation or workforce outcomes to date, and problems in financial reporting, the Legislature may wish to exercise caution in expanding the bachelor’s degree pilot program in advance of the final evaluation.”

Further, the report poses the following fundamental questions that are relevant to this bill: (1) Are bachelor’s degrees detracting from CCC’s core mission? (2) Could improved collaboration between CCC and CSU yield better results than CCC independently offering more bachelor’s degrees? (3) Is a bachelor’s degree the best solution for addressing certain employers’ needs? (4) If more bachelor’s programs are warranted, to what extent should they include content that overlaps with university courses, especially if such overlap means students are trained for a broader range of jobs? (5) What should be the role of employers in training workers?

1. Prior Legislation.

SB 62 (Pavley, 2016) proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on April 6, 2015, and was subsequently gutted and amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen, 2016) proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on March 28, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block, Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014) authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

SUPPORT

California Association of Joint Powers Authorities

California Catholic Conference

California Workforce Association

Foothill-De Anza Community College District

Kern Community College District

Lake County Office of Education

Redwoods Community College District

Rural County Representatives of California

Yuba Community College District

OPPOSITION

None received

-- END --

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS  

Bill No: SB 577

Author:

:

Vote:

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 5-0, 4/5/17

AYES: Allen, Wilk, Galgiani, Mendoza, Vidak

NO VOTE RECORDED: Leyva, Pan

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-1, 5/25/17

AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Bradford, Hill, Wiener

NOES: Nielsen

SENATE FLOOR: 37-2, 5/31/17

AYES: Allen, Anderson, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Berryhill, Bradford, Cannella, De León, Dodd, Gaines, Galgiani, Glazer, Hernandez, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Jackson, Lara, Leyva, McGuire, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell, Newman, Nguyen, Portantino, Roth, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Vidak, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk

NOES: Fuller, Nielsen

NO VOTE RECORDED: Pan

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 6-0, 8/30/18 (Pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10)

AYES: Allen, Wilk, Galgiani, Leyva, McGuire, Pan

NO VOTE RECORDED: Vidak

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 8/29/18 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill establishes the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program, awarding grants to collaboratives of one or more teacher-credentialing higher education institutions partnering with one or more community colleges for the purpose of offering teacher credentialing programs at community colleges.

Assembly Amendments

establish the CCC Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to provide grants to incentivize the offering of teacher credential degree programs at community colleges.

ANALYSIS: Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:

1. The primary mission of the California State University (CSU) is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the CCC Board of Governors. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the University of California (UC) and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level.

This bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. States that the CCC Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program is established for both of the following purposes:
   1. To encourage accredited degree-granting institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state to collaborate with one or more community colleges to offer teacher credentialing degree programs at the participating community college or colleges; and,
   2. To bring opportunities to earn teacher credentialing degrees to areas with low college-going rates or limited access to teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions.
3. States that the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), in coordination with the Chancellor of the CCC, may award up to three grants, not to exceed $500,000 each, to collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges.
4. Defines that a collaborative shall be comprised of at least one community college and at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution.
5. Establishes that priority for the receipt of grant funds may be given to a collaborative that meets all of the following:
   1. Is located in areas of the state with low rates of K–12 credentialed public school teachers;
   2. Demonstrates that its teacher credentialing degree program or programs meet a documented labor market demand of the collaborative's target region; and,
   3. Identifies the resources necessary to offer a teacher credentialing degree program or programs.
6. Specifies that the funds granted shall be for one-time startup costs of the collaborative for the purposes of developing and implementing its pilot program. These costs may include any, or any combination, including all, of the following:
   1. Professional development for effective distance learning;
   2. Deploying a teaching assistant for the community college classroom or classrooms where courses are offered via distance learning;
   3. Technology upgrades for the community college classroom or classrooms where the distance learning courses are offered;
   4. Student retention, outreach, or engagement;
   5. Data monitoring and systems infrastructure;
   6. Cross-system alignment; and
   7. Other startup costs that are necessary for developing and implementing its pilot program.
7. Requires each pilot program implemented under this bill shall do all of the following:
   1. Utilize courses currently offered by the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions, which may be one or more CSU or UC campuses, or one or more not-for-profit, private postsecondary educational institutions or independent institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state;
   2. Include, as a primary target population to teach courses under the pilot program, teachers who hold a baccalaureate degree and are currently teaching on a short-term staff permit or a provisional internship permit;
   3. Charge no more than the standard student university course fee of the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting institution or institutions of higher education; and,
   4. Involve current faculty from the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions as faculty for courses offered under the pilot program, which shall be current courses of that institution or institutions
8. States that it is the intent of the Legislature that no collaborative funded under this bill may be terminated abruptly, leaving its enrolled students without a way to earn a teaching credential under this bill.
9. Specifies that, as a condition of an agreement for the receipt of a grant under this section, each collaborative shall ensure that every student who enrolls in its pilot program, before an announcement of the termination of the collaborative, has an opportunity to complete the coursework necessary to obtain a teaching credential under this bill.
10. Specifies that a collaborative shall not offer a teaching credentialing degree program under this bill unless that program has been accredited by the CTC’s Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
11. Specifies that grants awarded under this section shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for this bill is provided in the annual Budget Act.
12. Specifies that, on or before April 1, 2023, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Government Code Section 9795, and to the Department of Finance on the implementation of the program established pursuant to this bill. The requirement to submit this report becomes inoperative on April 1, 2027.

Comments

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.
2. Learning Policy Institute (LPI) teacher shortage report. The LPI’s 2016 report, “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions” included the following summary: “After many years of teacher layoffs in California, school districts around the state are hiring again. With the influx of new K-12 funding, districts are looking to lower student-teacher ratios and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or eliminated during the Great Recession. However, mounting evidence indicates that teacher supply has not kept pace with the increased demand.” The report included the following findings:
   1. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped by more than 70 percent over the last decade.
   2. In 2014-15, provisional and short-term permits nearly tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing from about 850 to more than 2,400.
   3. The number of teachers hired on substandard permits and credentials nearly doubled in the last two years, to more than 7,700 comprising a third of all the new credentials issued in 2014-15.
   4. Estimated teacher hires for the 2015-16 school year increased by 25 percent from the previous year while enrollment in the UC and the CSU teacher education programs increased by only about 3.8 percent.

The LPI report offered several policy recommendations for consideration. These recommendations include the reinstatement of the California Center on Teaching Careers and the establishment of incentives to attract diverse, talented individuals to teach in high-need locations and fields. This can be accomplished through programs that provide funding for candidates who prepare and teach in such schools and subject areas, e.g. the Assumption Program of Loans for Education. The report also recommends the creation of more innovative pipelines into teaching, such as high school career pathways or teacher preparation models that encourage and support young people and others to go into teaching in their own communities.

1. LAO teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action. However, the LAO noted there are perennial staffing difficulties in specific areas, such as special education, math, and science, for which they encouraged the Legislature to address with narrowly tailored policies rather than with broad statewide policies. Specifically, they recommended the Legislature “consider outreach to re-engage former teachers or recruit out-of-state teachers. Both of these strategies are among the most cost-effective for increasing the supply of teachers within California in the short-term. If the state were to spend one-time funds on outreach, we encourage it to focus specifically on recruiting individuals who are trained to teach in perennial shortage areas. Outreach can attract viable teachers much faster and at a lower cost than many other shortage policies.”
2. Teacher programs funded in the budget. To help address the state’s current teacher shortage, the Governor and Legislature funded the following proposals in the 2018 Budget:
   1. Teacher Residency Grant Program: $75 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund to support locally sponsored, one-year intensive, mentored, clinical teacher preparation programs with $50 million aimed at preparing and retaining special education teachers and $25 million aimed at bilingual and STEM teachers.
   2. Local Solutions Grant Program: $50 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund to provide one-time competitive grants to local educational agencies to develop and implement new, or expand existing, locally identified solutions that address a local need for special education teachers.
3. Status of community colleges baccalaureate pilot program. As outlined in the Master Plan for Higher Education and by state statute, the CCCs are designated to have an open admission policy and bear the most extensive responsibility for lower-division undergraduate instruction. However, authorization for the CCC to offer baccalaureate degrees on a piloted basis, in consultation with the CSU and the UC, was granted under SB 850 (Block, Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014). The pilot program allows up to 15 participating community college districts to offer one baccalaureate degree program each to meet local workforce needs as long as it does not duplicate a baccalaureate degree program already offered by the CSU or the UC. SB 850 sunsets on July 1, 2023.

Under SB 850, the four-year degree programs must be up and running by the 2017-18 academic year. Below is the list of colleges that were selected to participate in the pilot:

• 1. Antelope Valley College (airframe manufacturing technology)
  2. Bakersfield College (industrial automation)
  3. Cypress College (mortuary science)
  4. Feather River College (equine industry)
  5. Foothill College (dental hygiene)
  6. Mesa College (health information management)
  7. Mira Costa College (biomanufacturing)
  8. Modesto Junior College (respiratory care)
  9. Santa Ana College (occupational studies)
  10. Shasta College (health information management)
  11. Skyline College (respiratory care)
  12. West Los Angeles College (dental hygiene)
  13. Rio Hondo College (automotive technology)
  14. Santa Monica College (interaction design)
  15. Solano Community College (biotechnology)

According to the CCC Chancellor’s Office (Chancellor’s Office), of the 15 colleges, 10 started offering classes for their baccalaureate degree pilot programs in fall 2016. The five remaining colleges began offering classes fall 2017. The Chancellor’s Office reports that for the fall 2016, 206 students are enrolled in the baccalaureate degree pilot program.

1. Preliminary evaluation of the pilot. In its December 2017 interim report on the pilot program, the LAO notes that “…the Legislature has faced pressure to expand the bachelor’s degree pilot program. Given numerous concerns about program selection and consultation, a lack of any graduation or workforce outcomes to date, and problems in financial reporting, the Legislature may wish to exercise caution in expanding the bachelor’s degree pilot program in advance of the final evaluation.”

Further, the report poses the following fundamental questions that are relevant to this bill: (1) Are bachelor’s degrees detracting from CCC’s core mission? (2) Could improved collaboration between CCC and CSU yield better results than CCC independently offering more bachelor’s degrees? (3) Is a bachelor’s degree the best solution for addressing certain employers’ needs? (4) If more bachelor’s programs are warranted, to what extent should they include content that overlaps with university courses, especially if such overlap means students are trained for a broader range of jobs? (5) What should be the role of employers in training workers?

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

1. One-time Proposition 98 General Fund (GF) or GF costs of up to $1.5 million for three grants to cover the start-up costs of the pilot program, including professional development and technology upgrades. (If funding were allocated to a CCC, the funding would be Proposition 98 GF, if it were allocated to an accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution, it would be GF.)
2. One-time GF costs in the $500,000 range to an unspecified entity to administer the program and submit a report.

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/29/18)

California Association of Joint Powers Authorities

California Catholic Conference

California Workforce Association

Foothill-De Anza Community College District

Kern Community College District

Lake County Office of Education

Redwoods Community College District

Rural County Representatives of California

Yuba Community College District

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/29/18)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 8/29/18

AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Travis Allen, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Rivas, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon

NO VOTE RECORDED: Patterson

Prepared by:

8/30/18 19:48:53

**** END ****

SENATE THIRD READING

STR Bill Id:SB 577

Author:(Dodd)

As Amended Ver:August 20, 2018

Majority vote

SENATE VOTE: 37-2

SUMMARY: Establishes the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives that would be comprised of at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. States that the CCC Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program is established for both of the following purposes:
   1. To encourage accredited degree-granting institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state to collaborate with one or more community colleges to offer teacher credentialing degree programs at the participating community college or colleges; and,
   2. To bring opportunities to earn teacher credentialing degrees to areas with low college-going rates or limited access to teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions.
3. States that the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), in coordination with the Chancellor of the CCC, may award up to three grants, not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each, to collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges.
4. Defines that a collaborative shall be comprised of at least one community college and at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution.
5. Establishes that priority for the receipt of grant funds may be given to a collaborative that meets all of the following:
   1. Is located in areas of the state with low rates of K–12 credentialed public school teachers;
   2. Demonstrates that its teacher credentialing degree program or programs meet a documented labor market demand of the collaborative's target region; and,
   3. Identifies the resources necessary to offer a teacher credentialing degree program or programs.
6. Specifies that the funds granted shall be for one-time startup costs of the collaborative for the purposes of developing and implementing its pilot program. These costs may include any, or any combination, including all, of the following:
   1. Professional development for effective distance learning;
   2. Deploying a teaching assistant for the community college classroom or classrooms where courses are offered via distance learning;
   3. Technology upgrades for the community college classroom or classrooms where the distance learning courses are offered;
   4. Student retention, outreach, or engagement;
   5. Data monitoring and systems infrastructure;
   6. Cross-system alignment; and
   7. Other startup costs that are necessary for developing and implementing its pilot program.
7. Requires each pilot program implemented under this section shall do all of the following:
   1. Utilize courses currently offered by the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions, which may be one or more California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campuses, or one or more not-for-profit, private postsecondary educational institutions or independent institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state;
   2. Include, as a primary target population to teach courses under the pilot program, teachers who hold a baccalaureate degree and are currently teaching on a short-term staff permit or a provisional internship permit;
   3. Charge no more than the standard student university course fee of the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting institution or institutions of higher education; and,
   4. Involve current faculty from the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions as faculty for courses offered under the pilot program, which shall be current courses of that institution or institutions.
8. States that it is the intent of the Legislature that no collaborative funded under this bill may be terminated abruptly, leaving its enrolled students without a way to earn a teaching credential under this section.
9. Specifies that, as a condition of an agreement for the receipt of a grant under this section, each collaborative shall ensure that every student who enrolls in its pilot program, before an announcement of the termination of the collaborative, has an opportunity to complete the coursework necessary to obtain a teaching credential under this section.
10. Specifies that a collaborative shall not offer a teaching credentialing degree program under this section unless that program has been accredited by the CTC's Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
11. Specifies that grants awarded under this section shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for this section is provided in the annual Budget Act.
12. Specifies that, on or before April 1, 2023, the Legislative Analyst's Office shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Government Code Section 9795, and to the Department of Finance on the implementation of the program established pursuant to this section. The requirement to submit this report becomes inoperative on April 1, 2027.

FISCAL EFFECT: The Assembly Committee on Appropriations estimates one-time Proposition 98 General Fund (GF) or GF costs of up to $1.5 million for three grants to cover the start-up costs of the pilot program, including professional development and technology upgrades. The Committee also estimates one-time GF costs in the $500,000 range to Commission on Teacher Credentialing to administer the program and submit a report, and absorbable costs to the Legislative Analyst's Office to evaluate the program.

COMMENTS: Need for the bill. According to the author, "…the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state's universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers."

"This bill would provide grants to incentivize a CSU or UC to collaborate with a CCC to establish teacher credentialing programs in areas currently lacking an entity with the authority and capacity to offer such a program."

Informational Hearing. The Assembly Committees on Education and Higher Education held a Legislative Oversight Hearing on teacher credentialing shortfalls on December 5th, 2017. This hearing was held, in part, to examine the challenges of producing credentialed teachers in rural and underserved areas throughout the state.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI), which provided testimony at the hearing, noted that despite a 10% increase in teacher preparation enrollments between 2013–14 and 2014–15, the number of teaching candidates enrolled in 2014–15 was just one-quarter of the number enrolled in 2001–02. Testimony also highlighted that in 2015–16, California issued more than 10,000 intern credentials, permits, and waivers, more than double the number issued in 2012–13. The greatest growth has been in emergency-style permits known as Provisional Intern Permits (PIPs) and Short-Term Staff Permits (STSPs).

LPI also noted an acute lack of teachers prepared for work in special education, as they found that just 36% of new special education teachers in 2015–16 had a preliminary credential. The remaining 64% of new special education teachers—more than 4,000 teachers—entered the field as interns or with permits or waivers.

Testimony also highlighted the use of technology to provide options for teacher preparation programs from both the public and private sectors. The CSU highlighted their CalStateTEACH program, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. As noted in a prior analysis of this bill, the CalStateTEACH program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state's 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU. Representatives from California's independent non-profit institutions also highlighted their fully-online credentialing programs.

Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor's Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action.

Non-university credential options. CTC-approved intern programs are a path to the preliminary teaching credential that allows an individual the ability to complete their teacher preparation coursework concurrent with their first year or two in a paid teaching position, upon completion of the required minimum 120 hour intern pre-service preparation. In addition to colleges and universities, approved intern programs can be sponsored by school districts or county offices of education.

An intern credential is issued by the CTC upon application from an approved teacher preparation intern program when a school district, charter organization, or county office of Education employs an intern and agrees to provide support as required by program standards and regulations. The intern credential is based upon collaboration between the CTC-approved alternative certification program and the local education agency (LEA), with both parties bearing responsibilities for support and supervision of the intern while they are employed and on the credential.

An LEA can hire an intern teacher only when a suitable fully prepared teacher is not available. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements, candidates seeking this alternative route to a teaching credential must be enrolled and participating in a CTC-approved intern program including participation in required support and supervision activities and employment as the teacher of record.

According to CTC, there are currently 165 approved LEA intern credential programs, for a total of 251 approved credentialing programs and institutions.

Related legislation. SB 62 (Pavley) of 2016, proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on July 7, 2015, and was subsequently amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen) of 2016 proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on June 22, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block) Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014, authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

Analysis Prepared by: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0004411

SENATE THIRD READING

STR Bill Id:SB 577

Author:(Dodd)

As Amended Ver:August 23, 2018

Majority vote

SENATE VOTE: 37-2

SUMMARY: Establishes the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives that would be comprised of at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. States that the CCC Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program is established for both of the following purposes:
   1. To encourage accredited degree-granting institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state to collaborate with one or more community colleges to offer teacher credentialing degree programs at the participating community college or colleges; and,
   2. To bring opportunities to earn teacher credentialing degrees to areas with low college-going rates or limited access to teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions.
3. States that the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), in coordination with the Chancellor of the CCC, may award up to three grants, not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each, to collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges.
4. Defines that a collaborative shall be comprised of at least one community college and at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution.
5. Establishes that priority for the receipt of grant funds may be given to a collaborative that meets all of the following:
   1. Is located in areas of the state with low rates of K–12 credentialed public school teachers;
   2. Demonstrates that its teacher credentialing degree program or programs meet a documented labor market demand of the collaborative's target region; and,
   3. Identifies the resources necessary to offer a teacher credentialing degree program or programs.
6. Specifies that the funds granted shall be for one-time startup costs of the collaborative for the purposes of developing and implementing its pilot program. These costs may include any, or any combination, including all, of the following:
   1. Professional development for effective distance learning;
   2. Deploying a teaching assistant for the community college classroom or classrooms where courses are offered via distance learning;
   3. Technology upgrades for the community college classroom or classrooms where the distance learning courses are offered;
   4. Student retention, outreach, or engagement;
   5. Data monitoring and systems infrastructure;
   6. Cross-system alignment; and
   7. Other startup costs that are necessary for developing and implementing its pilot program.
7. Requires each pilot program implemented under this section shall do all of the following:
   1. Utilize courses currently offered by the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions, which may be one or more California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campuses, or one or more not-for-profit, private postsecondary educational institutions or independent institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state;
   2. Include, as a primary target population to teach courses under the pilot program, teachers who hold a baccalaureate degree and are currently teaching on a short-term staff permit or a provisional internship permit;
   3. Charge no more than the standard student university course fee of the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting institution or institutions of higher education; and,
   4. Involve current faculty from the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions as faculty for courses offered under the pilot program, which shall be current courses of that institution or institutions.
8. States that it is the intent of the Legislature that no collaborative funded under this bill may be terminated abruptly, leaving its enrolled students without a way to earn a teaching credential under this section.
9. Specifies that, as a condition of an agreement for the receipt of a grant under this section, each collaborative shall ensure that every student who enrolls in its pilot program, before an announcement of the termination of the collaborative, has an opportunity to complete the coursework necessary to obtain a teaching credential under this section.
10. Specifies that a collaborative shall not offer a teaching credentialing degree program under this section unless that program has been accredited by the CTC's Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
11. Specifies that grants awarded under this section shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for this section is provided in the annual Budget Act.
12. Specifies that, on or before April 1, 2023, the Legislative Analyst's Office shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Government Code Section 9795, and to the Department of Finance on the implementation of the program established pursuant to this section. The requirement to submit this report becomes inoperative on April 1, 2027.

FISCAL EFFECT: The Assembly Committee on Appropriations estimates one-time Proposition 98 General Fund (GF) or GF costs of up to $1.5 million for three grants to cover the start-up costs of the pilot program, including professional development and technology upgrades. The Committee also estimates one-time GF costs in the $500,000 range to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to administer the program and submit a report, and absorbable costs to the Legislative Analyst's Office to evaluate the program.

COMMENTS: Need for the bill. According to the author, "…the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state's universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers."

"This bill would provide grants to incentivize a CSU or UC to collaborate with a CCC to establish teacher credentialing programs in areas currently lacking an entity with the authority and capacity to offer such a program."

Informational Hearing. The Assembly Committees on Education and Higher Education held a Legislative Oversight Hearing on teacher credentialing shortfalls on December 5th, 2017. This hearing was held, in part, to examine the challenges of producing credentialed teachers in rural and underserved areas throughout the state.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI), which provided testimony at the hearing, noted that despite a 10% increase in teacher preparation enrollments between 2013–14 and 2014–15, the number of teaching candidates enrolled in 2014–15 was just one-quarter of the number enrolled in 2001–02. Testimony also highlighted that in 2015–16, California issued more than 10,000 intern credentials, permits, and waivers, more than double the number issued in 2012–13. The greatest growth has been in emergency-style permits known as Provisional Intern Permits (PIPs) and Short-Term Staff Permits (STSPs).

LPI also noted an acute lack of teachers prepared for work in special education, as they found that just 36% of new special education teachers in 2015–16 had a preliminary credential. The remaining 64% of new special education teachers—more than 4,000 teachers—entered the field as interns or with permits or waivers.

Testimony also highlighted the use of technology to provide options for teacher preparation programs from both the public and private sectors. The CSU highlighted their CalStateTEACH program, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. As noted in a prior analysis of this bill, the CalStateTEACH program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state's 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU. Representatives from California's independent non-profit institutions also highlighted their fully-online credentialing programs.

Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor's Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action.

Non-university credential options. CTC-approved intern programs are a path to the preliminary teaching credential that allows an individual the ability to complete their teacher preparation coursework concurrent with their first year or two in a paid teaching position, upon completion of the required minimum 120 hour intern pre-service preparation. In addition to colleges and universities, approved intern programs can be sponsored by school districts or county offices of education.

An intern credential is issued by the CTC upon application from an approved teacher preparation intern program when a school district, charter organization, or county office of Education employs an intern and agrees to provide support as required by program standards and regulations. The intern credential is based upon collaboration between the CTC-approved alternative certification program and the local education agency (LEA), with both parties bearing responsibilities for support and supervision of the intern while they are employed and on the credential.

An LEA can hire an intern teacher only when a suitable fully prepared teacher is not available. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements, candidates seeking this alternative route to a teaching credential must be enrolled and participating in a CTC-approved intern program including participation in required support and supervision activities and employment as the teacher of record.

According to CTC, there are currently 165 approved LEA intern credential programs, for a total of 251 approved credentialing programs and institutions.

Related legislation. SB 62 (Pavley) of 2016, proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on July 7, 2015, and was subsequently amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen) of 2016 proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on June 22, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block), Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014, authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

Analysis Prepared by: Kevin Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN: 0004614

Date of Hearing: August 8, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 577

Author:(Dodd) – As Amended Ver:June 21, 2018

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

SUMMARY:

This bill creates, contingent on an appropriation in the annual budget act, the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to award up to three grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives of at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering teacher-credential coursework remotely on community college campuses. It also requires a report on the implementation of the program be submitted by April 1, 2023.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. One-time Proposition 98 General Fund (GF) or GF costs of up to $1.5 million for three grants to cover the start-up costs of the pilot program, including professional development and technology upgrades. (If funding were allocated to a CCC, the funding would be Proposition 98 GF, if it were allocated to an accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution, it would be GF.)
2. One-time GF costs in the $500,000 range to an unspecified entity to administer the program and submit a report.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. According to the author:

Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.

1. Teacher Credentialing. To obtain a first-time teaching credential in California, individuals must have a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher preparation program, meet certain basic skills requirements, and demonstrate subject matter competency. Currently, California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), and some private universities offer the upper-division coursework required to obtain a first-time teaching credential, while CCCs may offer only lower division coursework (except at 15 campuses that participate in the baccalaureate degree pilot program).
2. Staff Comments. The 2018-19 budget act does not include an appropriation for this program. In addition, the bill does not specify what entity would administer or report on the program.

This bill has changed significantly from the version that passed the Senate in 2017.

1. Related Legislation. SB 850 (Block) Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014, authorizes the Board of Governors of the CCC, in consultation with the CSU and UC, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs at up to 15 community college districts.

Analysis Prepared by: Natasha Collins / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: June 19, 2018

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Jose Medina, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 577

Author:(Dodd) – As Amended Ver:June 11, 2018

SENATE VOTE: 37-2

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: California Community College Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program

SUMMARY: Establishes the California Community College (CCC) Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program to award up to 3 grants, in the amount of $500,000 each, to collaboratives that would be comprised of at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution with a physical presence in this state and at least one community college, for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. States that the CCC Teacher Credentialing Partnership Pilot Program is established for both of the following purposes:
   1. To encourage accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions with a physical presence in this state to collaborate with one or more community colleges to offer one or more teacher credentialing degree programs at the participating community college or colleges; and,
   2. To bring opportunities to earn teacher credentialing degrees to areas with low college-going rates or limited access to teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institutions.
3. States that three grants may award up to, but not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each, to collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering one or more teacher credential degree programs at a participating community college or colleges.
4. Defines that a collaborative shall be comprised of at least one community college and at least one accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution.
5. Establishes that priority for the receipt of grant funds may be given to a collaborative that meets all of the following:
   1. Is located in areas of the state with low rates of K–12 credentialed public school teachers;
   2. Demonstrates that its teacher credential degree program or programs meet a documented labor market demand of the collaborative’s target region; and,
   3. Identifies the resources necessary to offer its teacher credential degree program or programs.
6. Specifies that the funds granted shall be for one-time startup costs of the collaborative for the purposes of developing and implementing its pilot program. These costs may include any, or any combination, including all, of the following:
   1. Professional development for effective distance learning;
   2. Deploying a teaching assistant for the community college classroom or classrooms where courses are offered via distance learning;
   3. Technology upgrades for the community college classroom or classrooms where the distance learning courses are offered; and,
   4. Other startup costs that are necessary for developing and implementing its pilot program.
7. Requires each pilot program implemented under this section shall do all of the following:
   1. Utilize courses currently offered by the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions, which may be one or more California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campuses, or one or more not-for-profit, private postsecondary educational institutions or independent institutions of higher education with a physical presence in this state;
   2. Include, as a primary target population to teach courses under the pilot program, teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree and are currently teaching on a short-term staff permit or a provisional internship permit;
   3. Charge no more than the standard student university course fee of the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions; and,
   4. Involve current faculty from the collaborating accredited teacher-credentialing, degree-granting higher education institution or institutions as faculty for courses offered under the pilot program, which shall be current courses of that institution or institutions.
8. States that it is the intent of the Legislature that no collaborative funded under this bill may be terminated abruptly, leaving its enrolled students without a way to earn a teacher credential under this section.
9. Specifies that, as a condition of an agreement for the receipt of a grant under this section, each collaborative shall ensure that every student who enrolls in its pilot program, before an announcement of the termination of the collaborative, has an opportunity to complete the coursework necessary to obtain a teacher credential under this section.
10. Specifies that a collaborative shall not offer a teacher credentialing degree program under this section unless that program has been accredited by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
11. Specifies that grants awarded under this section shall be awarded only to the extent that funding for this section is provided in the annual Budget Act.
12. Specifies that, on or before April 1, 2023, a report shall be submitted to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, and to the Department of Finance on the implementation of the program established pursuant to this section. The requirement to submit this report becomes inoperative on April 1, 2027.

EXISTING LAW: Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:

1. The primary mission of the CSU is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the CCC BOG. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the UC and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level. (Education Code 66010, et seq.)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This legislation is substantively different from when it was heard before the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

COMMENTS: Need for the bill. According to the author, “…the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.”

“This bill would provide grants to incentivize a CSU or UC to collaborate with a CCC to establish teacher credentialing programs in areas currently lacking an entity with the authority and capacity to offer such a program.”

Informational Hearing. The Assembly Committees on Education and Higher Education held a Legislative Oversight Hearing on teacher credentialing shortfalls on December 5^th, 2017. This hearing was held, in part, to examine the challenges of producing credentialed teachers in rural and underserved areas throughout the state.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI), which provided testimony at the hearing, noted that despite a 10% increase in teacher preparation enrollments between 2013–14 and 2014–15, the number of teaching candidates enrolled in 2014–15 was just one-quarter of the number enrolled in 2001–02. Testimony also highlighted that in 2015–16, California issued more than 10,000 intern credentials, permits, and waivers, more than double the number issued in 2012–13. The greatest growth has been in emergency-style permits known as Provisional Intern Permits (PIPs) and Short-Term Staff Permits (STSPs).

LPI also noted an acute lack of teachers prepared for work in special education, as they found that just 36% of new special education teachers in 2015–16 had a preliminary credential. The remaining 64% of new special education teachers—more than 4,000 teachers—entered the field as interns or with permits or waivers.

Testimony also highlighted the use of technology to provide options for teacher preparation programs from both the public and private sectors. The CSU highlighted their CalStateTEACH program, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. As noted in a prior analysis of this bill, the CalStateTEACH program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state’s 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU. Representatives from California’s independent non-profit institutions also highlighted their fully-online credentialing programs.

Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action.

Non-university credential options. CTC-approved intern programs are a path to the preliminary teaching credential that allows an individual the ability to complete their teacher preparation coursework concurrent with their first year or two in a paid teaching position, upon completion of the required minimum 120 hour intern pre-service preparation. In addition to colleges and universities, approved intern programs can be sponsored by school districts or county offices of education.

An intern credential is issued by the CTC upon application from an approved teacher preparation intern program when a school district, charter organization, or county office of Education employs an intern and agrees to provide support as required by program standards and regulations. The intern credential is based upon collaboration between the CTC-approved alternative certification program and the local education agency (LEA), with both parties bearing responsibilities for support and supervision of the intern while they are employed and on the credential.

An LEA can hire an intern teacher only when a suitable fully prepared teacher is not available. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements, candidates seeking this alternative route to a teaching credential must be enrolled and participating in a CTC-approved intern program including participation in required support and supervision activities and employment as the teacher of record.

According to CTC, there are currently 165 approved LEA intern credential programs, for a total of 251 approved credentialing programs and institutions.

Committee comments. This legislation has changed significantly from the version that passed through the Senate in 2017, and reflects collaborative work between the author and various stakeholder groups.

Staff notes that SB 577 does not specify the entity responsible for awarding the three $500,000 grants that will be made available contingent upon funding in the budget. Moving forward, staff recommends that the author continue to work with stakeholders to identify the agency or organization most appropriate to select and oversee the collaboratives.

Committee staff recommends, and the author has accepted, several technical amendments to clarify elements of SB 577. The amendments are as follows:

1. Uniformly refers to eligible institutions as “Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs).”
2. Specifies that the program established in this legislation, and that the awarding of the grants, is intended for “…collaboratives formed for the purpose of offering teacher credential course work remotely at a participating community college or colleges.”
3. Clarifies the definition of a non-profit independent college in Section 78061(b)(2)(C)(i) of the bill to be consistent with Section 66010 of the Education Code.
4. Changes the word “teach” to “take” in Section 78061(b)(2)(C)(ii) of the bill.

Related legislation. SB 62 (Pavley) of 2016, proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on July 7, 2015, and was subsequently amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen) of 2016 proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on June 22, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block) Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014, authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Community College League of California

California Catholic Conference

Foothill-De Anza Community College District

Kern Community College District

Yuba Community College District

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960

Date of Hearing: July 11, 2017

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Jose Medina, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 577

Author:(Dodd) – As Amended Ver:May 26, 2017

SENATE VOTE: 37-2

SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: community college districts: teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation

SUMMARY: Authorizes the Board of Governors (BOG) of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), to authorize up to five community college districts to offer a teacher credentialing program meeting specified requirements. Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. Adds programs of professional preparation offered at campuses of the CCC to the list of programs that meet the minimum requirements for a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential.
3. Permits the CCC BOG, in consultation with the CSU and the UC, to authorize up to five community college districts to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, subject to the following requirements:
4. Accreditation by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness;
5. The documenting of unmet teacher workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and a program designed to train qualified teachers to meet those needs;
6. Expertise and resources to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation; and,
7. Submittal of all of the following for review by the Chancellor of the CCC and approval by the CCC BOG:
8. The administrative plan for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, including, but not limited to, the governing board of the district’s funding plan for its specific district;
9. A description of the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation’s curriculum, faculty, and facilities;
10. The enrollment projections for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation;
11. Documentation regarding unmet teaching workforce needs, and a written statement supporting the necessity of a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation in the district to train qualified teachers to meet those needs; and,
12. Documentation of consultation with the CSU and the UC regarding collaborative approaches to meeting regional teaching workforce needs.
13. Requires the CCC BOG to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation that is based on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in all district teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation.
14. Specifies that funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at a marginal cost calculation, as determined by the CCC BOG, that shall not exceed the community college credit instruction marginal cost calculation for a full-time equivalent student, as specified.
15. Prohibits a student in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be charged fees higher than the fees charged for comparable programs of professional preparation offered at the CSU.
16. Requires the fees for coursework in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be consistent with the current statutory requirements for student fees at community colleges.

EXISTING LAW: Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:

1. The primary mission of the CSU is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the CCC BOG. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the UC and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level. (EC 66010, et seq.)

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill’s provision for the Chancellor’s Office to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher preparation program is permissive, therefore the related requirements are not likely to result in a reimbursable state mandate. However, assuming the amount of $6 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund that was included in the SB 81 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 81, Statutes of 2015) for the baccalaureate degree pilot program which provided implementation costs of $350,000 to each of 15 campus programs, this bill could result in a similar cost pressure for the state. These funds would be needed for equipment, space, staff, faculty, professional development, library resources, travel, and consultants. The exact amount will vary depending on the number of participating community college districts, but assuming a pilot program of five community college districts, the costs would be $1.75 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund.

Additionally, the Chancellor’s Office indicates ongoing General Fund costs of $607,000 for administrative workload as a result of this measure. The CTC believes that, to review applications for colleges to be become accredited teacher credentialing programs will potentially cost $110,000 in special funds, depending on the number of colleges that elect to participate.

COMMENTS: Need for the bill. According to the author, “…the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.”

Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action.

Community College Baccalaureate Pilot Program. A recent initiative, the Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program, authorizes the Board of Governors, in consultation with the CSU and the University of California (UC), to allow up to 15 community college districts each to offer one baccalaureate degree program, as long as it does not duplicate a program already offered by the California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC). The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) will conduct an interim and final evaluation of the program in 2018 and 2022, respectively, with the pilot program set to sunset in 2023.

This pilot program represents a potential broadening of the core mission of the community colleges and has created additional workload for the system. Some stakeholders have raised concerns that broadening the mission of the community colleges may take away from efforts that would otherwise be focused on improving student transfers, basic skills, and career technical education offerings.

Further, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) indicates that, until a review of the state’s existing pilot program is completed, it is unable to support the creation of new baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate programs.

Non-university credential options. CTC-approved intern programs are a path to the preliminary teaching credential that allows an individual the ability to complete their teacher preparation coursework concurrent with their first year or two in a paid teaching position, upon completion of the required minimum 120 hour intern pre-service preparation. In addition to colleges and universities, approved intern programs can be sponsored by school districts or county offices of education.

An intern credential is issued by the CTC upon application from an approved teacher preparation intern program when a school district, charter organization, or county office of Education employs an intern and agrees to provide support as required by program standards and regulations. The intern credential is based upon collaboration between the CTC-approved alternative certification program and the local education agency (LEA), with both parties bearing responsibilities for support and supervision of the intern while they are employed and on the credential.

An LEA can hire an intern teacher only when a suitable fully prepared teacher is not available. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements, candidates seeking this alternative route to a teaching credential must be enrolled and participating in a CTC-approved intern program including participation in required support and supervision activities and employment as the teacher of record.

According to CTC, there are currently 165 approved LEA intern credential programs, for a total of 251 approved credentialing programs and institutions.

Collegiate program impaction and availability. As noted previously in the analysis, there are currently 251 CTC-approved programs and institutions offering teaching credentials. According to CSU, all 22 campus-based programs and the CalStateTEACH online program have the capacity to admit additional students. Committee Staff understands that the 53 private, non-profit teacher education programs – including several large online programs – have a similar capacity to accept more students.

The CSU has existing models that leverage University Centers and community college facilities to offer programs to placebound students. The Committee may wish to consider if existing, alternate credential delivery models could more quickly meet the needs of potential teachers.

Necessary for intern credentials? 165 LEAs currently offer intern credential programs, either on their own or in partnership with a higher education institution. Committee Staff understands that there is nothing preventing a Community College from currently partnering with an LEA to deliver this program.

The Committee may wish to consider if this existing model eliminates the need for Community Colleges to independently offer a credentialing program as provided in SB 577.

Concerns about program duplication. As presently drafted, this bill, according to the CSU, provides the authority for community college districts to establish teacher credentialing programs - unnecessarily duplicating programs currently offered by CSU throughout the state. Specifically:

1. All but one of the CSU’s 23 campuses offer at least one teacher credential program.
2. The CSU offers CalStateTEACH, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. This program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state’s 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU.
3. Eighteen CSU campuses recently received more than $6 million in Integrated Program Grants from the CTC to develop 26 new integrated teacher credential programs in which students can earn a multiple subject, bilingual authorization, special education, or single subject credential in math or science.

In addition, the CTC recognizes 53 independent programs that provide teacher credentialing. Forty-three percent of teacher credentials are provided by the private, nonprofit colleges and universities.

Segmental concerns. The CCCCO and the UC have both expressed concern with SB 577. The CCCCO notes that there are promising options for expanding teacher credentialing opportunities in rural areas through partnerships models, where “…for example, College of the Canyons has developed a partnership with CSU Bakersfield, CSU Northridge and surrounding public school districts to provide students with supervised fieldwork and specialized support services while pursuing a teaching credential. Through the TEACH program, students complete lower division general education requirements and pre-credential requirements at College of the Canyons, and then transfer to CSU or UC to finish educational requirements for the degree and teaching credential. Students have the option to complete education without leaving the Santa Clarita Valley through the University Center.”

The UC believes that, in a time of limited state resources, “…priority should be given to support existing programs to address the state’s teacher shortage instead of creating new programs. A more efficient use of resources to meet the intent of the bill would be to make scholarship or program development funding available to existing institutions and to encourage partnerships among institutions. For example, through recently available state funding for the development of integrated teacher education programs, several UC campuses (UCLA and UC Irvine) have been collaborating with the CCC on these efforts.”

Arguments in support. Kern, Yuba, and Redwoods Community College Districts write that, “…recent reports indicate that approximately 75 percent of school districts report teacher shortages. They also report that new teaching credentials in California have remained flat at approximately 11,500 annually since 2013-2014, while projections show the need for new teachers eclipsing over 20,000 per year. Despite the state’s serious need for teachers, 20 of the 58 counties in California have no approved institutions with an active teacher credentialing program. The teacher shortage is even more acute in these areas.”

The California State PTA “…recognizes that a severe teaching shortage will greatly affect the education of our students. We advocate and support state policies that and programs that promote the recruitment, hiring and retention of well prepared, fully credentialed teachers. We are concerned about the state’s dependence on emergency teaching permits and waivers. By increasing the capacity of community colleges to offer teaching credentials we believe that the teacher shortage could be ameliorated.”

Arguments in opposition. The California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers, the California Faculty Association, and the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges note that, “Extending teacher credential programs to the community college could have a negative impact on the CSU credentialing programs by reducing the number of students in the CSU programs. These programs have been developed by the CSU campuses and faculty over years, which have been based upon rich relationships with local school districts which enabled those programs to provide a valuable experience for students in their credential programs. These relationships do not exist nor have they been established by California community colleges.”

“SB 577 does not have the necessary funding to provide the new program which would mean that the costs to build the programs would be a reduction in resources that would otherwise go to community college students. Community colleges would be forced to develop new courses, buy new library resources and offer counseling support for students in the credentialing programs without the financial resources to cover these costs meaning that the additional costs associated with this program would be an encroachment on Prop. 98 by non-community college students.”

The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) noted that, like CSU, their member schools not only “provide access throughout California through traditional programs, but also [by] using technology and online teacher credentialing programs that serve all areas of California. Using the existing capacity of the state’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities not only saves the state money, as the only state monies that are used in our sector are from students who choose to use their Cal Grant at an AICCU campus but also because the state would not bear the brunt of significant startup costs of new programs in the public sector.”

Committee comments. SB 577 requires a potential community college institution offering a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation to earn an accreditation from the CTC’s Committee on Accreditation. CTC requires that an institution seeking to offer new educator preparation programs must first be approved for initial accreditation as a new program sponsor and must do so by completing the Commission's Initial Institution Approval process. The process includes five stages including: Stage I - Prerequisites, Stage II - Eligibility Requirements, Stage III - Alignment with All Applicable Standards and Preconditions, Stage IV - Provisional Approval and finally, Stage V - Full Approval. All stages must be successfully completed for an institution to earn accreditation.

Committee Staff understands that the CTC accreditation process, along with the time and effort that would be required to recruit appropriate faculty, design and build a program, and develop appropriate curricula, could take between 4-5 years before a program is ready to offer courses.

The Committee may wish to consider if such a dedication of time and resources is in alignment with the Legislature’s vision for the community college.

Additionally, the Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program authorized in SB 850 (Block) contains multiple reporting requirements, and as noted previously in the analysis, requires an interim report to be issued by July 1, 2018. Committee Staff understands that this report will likely be released in the fall of 2017.

There are multiple similarities between the Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program and the provisions of SB 577, including provisions governing: consultation, accreditation, documenting unmet workforce need, faculty expertise and resources, and the documentation that is required to be submitted to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Board of Governors.

Given these substantial similarities, the Committee may wish to consider if it is appropriate to further expand the mission of the Community Colleges before first receiving and analyzing the LAO’s legislatively-mandated report.

Further, as noted in the existing law section of this analysis, community colleges are tasked with numerous missions that directly impact their respective communities. With a generous enrollment policy and a mandate to, “…as a primary mission, offer academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level for both younger and older students, including those persons returning to school” (EC 66010.4(a)(1)), Community Colleges play an important role in helping to educate our most vulnerable and needy students.

The CCCCO noted that partnership models, like the aforementioned CSU-College of the Canyons model, “…could increase teacher credential program opportunities, without unintentionally diverting limited resources away from the CCC primary mission.”

The Committee may wish to consider if the expansion of the mission of California’s Community Colleges, as proposed by SB 577, has the potential to unintentionally divert limited resources away from the CCC primary mission.

Related legislation. SB 62 (Pavley) of 2016, proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on July 7, 2015, and was subsequently amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen, 2016) proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on June 22, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block, Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014) authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Advancement Via Individual Determination

Association of California Community College Administrators

Association of California School Administrators

California Association of Joint Power Authorities

California Catholic Conference

California State Parent Teacher Association

California Workforce Association

Cerritos Community College District

EdVoice

Lake County Office of Education

Kern Community College District

Napa County Office of Education

Napa Valley College

Rural County Representatives of California

Redwoods Community College District

Siskiyou Joint Community College District

Yuba Community College District

Opposition

Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities

California Faculty Association

California Federation of Teachers

California State University

California State University Academic Senate

California Teachers Association

Faculty Association of California Community Colleges

Analysis Prepared by: Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SB 577

Author:

Amended: 5/26/17

Vote:

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 5-0, 4/5/17

AYES: Allen, Wilk, Galgiani, Mendoza, Vidak

NO VOTE RECORDED: Leyva, Pan

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-1, 5/25/17

AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Bradford, Hill, Wiener

NOES: Nielsen

SUBJECT:

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), to authorize up to five community college districts to offer a teacher credentialing program meeting specified requirements.

ANALYSIS: Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:

1. The primary mission of the CSU is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the CCC Board of Governors. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the UC and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level.

This bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. Adds programs of professional preparation offered at campuses of the CCC to the list of programs that meet the minimum requirements for a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential.
3. Permits the Board of Governors of the CCC, in consultation with the CSU and the UC, to authorize up to five community college districts to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, subject to the following requirements:
   1. Accreditation by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
   2. The documenting of unmet teacher workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and a program design to train qualified teachers to meet those needs.
   3. Expertise and resources to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation.
   4. Submittal of all of the following for review by the Chancellor of the CCC and approval by the Board of Governors of the CCC:
      1. The administrative plan for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, including, but not limited to, the governing board of the district’s funding plan for its specific district.
      2. A description of the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation’s curriculum, faculty, and facilities.
      3. The enrollment projections for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation.
      4. Documentation regarding unmet teaching workforce needs, and a written statement supporting the necessity of a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation in the district to train qualified teachers to meet those needs.
      5. Documentation of consultation with the CSU and the UC regarding collaborative approaches to meeting regional teaching workforce needs.
4. Requires the Board of Governors of the CCC to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation that is based on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in all district teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation.
5. Specifies that funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at a marginal cost calculation, as determined by the Board of Governors of the CCC, that shall not exceed the community college credit instruction marginal cost calculation for a full-time equivalent student, as specified.
6. Prohibits a student in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be charged fees higher than the fees charged for comparable programs of professional preparation offered at the CSU.
7. Requires the fees for coursework in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be consistent with the current statutory requirements for student fees at community colleges.

Comments

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.
2. Learning Policy Institute (LPI) teacher shortage report. The LPI’s 2016 report, “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions” included the following summary: “After many years of teacher layoffs in California, school districts around the state are hiring again. With the influx of new K-12 funding, districts are looking to lower student-teacher ratios and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or eliminated during the Great Recession. However, mounting evidence indicates that teacher supply has not kept pace with the increased demand.” The report included the following findings:
   1. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped by more than 70 percent over the last decade.
   2. In 2014-15, provisional and short-term permits nearly tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing from about 850 to more than 2,400.
   3. The number of teachers hired on substandard permits and credentials nearly doubled in the last two years, to more than 7,700 comprising a third of all the new credentials issued in 2014-15.
   4. Estimated teacher hires for the 2015-16 school year increased by 25 percent from the previous year while enrollment in the UC and the CSU teacher education programs increased by only about 3.8 percent.

The LPI report offered several policy recommendations for consideration. These recommendations include the reinstatement of the California Center on Teaching Careers and the establishment of incentives to attract diverse, talented individuals to teach in high-need locations and fields. This can be accomplished through programs that provide funding for candidates who prepare and teach in such schools and subject areas, e.g. the Assumption Program of Loans for Education. The report also recommends the creation of more innovative pipelines into teaching, such as high school career pathways or teacher preparation models that encourage and support young people and others to go into teaching in their own communities.

1. Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action. However, the LAO noted there are perennial staffing difficulties in specific areas, such as special education, math, and science, for which they encouraged the Legislature to address with narrowly tailored policies rather than with broad statewide policies. Specifically, they recommended the Legislature “consider outreach to re-engage former teachers or recruit out-of-state teachers. Both of these strategies are among the most cost-effective for increasing the supply of teachers within California in the short-term. If the state were to spend one-time funds on outreach, we encourage it to focus specifically on recruiting individuals who are trained to teach in perennial shortage areas. Outreach can attract viable teachers much faster and at a lower cost than many other shortage policies.”
2. Concerns about program duplication. According to the CSU, extending the authority of community college districts to establish teacher credential programs unnecessarily duplicates programs currently offered throughout the state. Specifically:
   1. All but one of the CSU’s 23 campuses offer at least one teacher credential program.
   2. The CSU offers CalStateTEACH, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. This program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state’s 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU.
   3. Eighteen CSU campuses recently received more than $6 million in Integrated Program Grants from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to develop 26 new integrated teacher credential programs in which students can earn a multiple subject, bilingual authorization, special education, or single subject credential in math or science.

In addition, there are several programs available through other postsecondary higher education institutions.

1. Chancellor’s Office Capacity. Citing current efforts related to improving student success, addressing equity disparities, and developing the Guided Pathways Program, the Governor’s 2017-18 Budget proposes additional staffing resources for the Chancellor’s Office. Throughout the spring, the Department of Finance and the Chancellor’s Office plan to develop an organizational framework that will better enable the Chancellor’s Office to achieve the goals and priorities set forth by the new system Chancellor and Board of Governors.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill’s provision for the Chancellor’s Office to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher preparation program is permissive, therefore the related requirements are not likely to result in a reimbursable state mandate. However, assuming the amount of $6 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund that was included in the SB 81 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 81, Statutes of 2015) for the baccalaureate degree pilot program which provided implementation costs of $350,000 to each of 15 campus programs, this bill could result in a similar cost pressure for the state. These funds would be needed for equipment, space, staff, faculty, professional development, library resources, travel, and consultants. The exact amount will vary depending on the number of participating community college districts, but assuming a pilot program of five community college districts, the costs would be $1.75 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund.

Additionally, the Chancellor’s Office indicates ongoing General Fund costs of $1.4 million for administrative workload as a result of this measure. There could also be an increase in workload for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to review applications for colleges to be become accredited teacher credentialing programs, potentially worth $110,000 in special funds, depending on the number of colleges that elect to participate.

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/25/17)

California Association of Joint Powers Authorities

California Catholic Conference

California Workforce Association

Lake County Office of Education

Redwoods Community College District

Rural County Representatives of California

Yuba Community College District

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/25/17)

California State University

Prepared by:

5/27/17 18:17:19

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular Session

SB 577 (Dodd) - Public postsecondary education: community college districts: teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on May 25, 2017

Bill Summary:

This bill allows the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCCs) to authorize up to five community college districts to offer teacher preparation programs.

Fiscal Impact:

• The Chancellor’s Office of the CCCs indicates ongoing costs of approximately $607,000 General Fund and 4.0 PY’s for developmental workload activities necessary to establish the new teacher preparation programs.
• Cost pressure of $1.75 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund for the state to fund five community college teacher preparation programs.
• Up to $110,000 and 1.0 PY’s for an increase in workload for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to review applications for the colleges to be become accredited teacher credentialing programs.

Author Amendments:

Provide that only five community college districts may be authorized to offer teacher preparation programs pursuant to this measure.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular Session

SB 577 (Dodd) - Public postsecondary education: community college districts: teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation

This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Bill Summary:

This bill authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCCs) to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher preparation program.

Fiscal Impact:

• $1.4 million General Fund for administrative costs at the Chancellor’s Office of the CCCs.
• Cost pressure of $1.75 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund for the state to fund a community college teacher preparation pilot program.

Background:

Existing law differentiates the missions and functions of the state’s public and independent institutions of higher education. The primary mission of the California State University (CSU) is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the CCC Board of Governors. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the UC and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.

The University of California is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.

The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.

The mission and function of the CCCs is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level.

Proposed Law:

This bill adds programs of professional preparation offered at campuses of the CCCs to the list of programs that meet the minimum requirements for a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential.

The bill also permits the Board of Governors of the CCC, in consultation with the CSU and the UC, to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, subject to the following requirements:

1. Accreditation by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
2. Documentation of unmet teacher workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and the design of the district’s program to train qualified teachers to meet those needs.
3. Expertise and resources to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation.
4. Submittal of all of specific components for review by the Chancellor of the CCC and approval by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, including the administrative plan for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, including, but not limited to, the governing board of the district’s funding plan for its specific district.

Further, the bill requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation that is based on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in all district teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation.

The bill specifies that funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at a marginal cost calculation, as determined by the Board of Governors of the CCCs, that shall not exceed the community college credit instruction marginal cost calculation for a full-time equivalent student, as specified. It also prohibits a student in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be charged fees higher than the fees charged for comparable programs of professional preparation offered at the CSU.

Lastly, the bill requires the fees for coursework in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be consistent with the current statutory requirements for student fees at community colleges.

Related Legislation:

SB 436 (Allen) establishes the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway to recruit, train, support, and retain qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, including military veterans, as mathematics and science teachers in California. SB 436 is currently on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s suspense file.

SB 533 (Portantino) authorizes the Governor to declare an “Urgent State of Need” in response to a teacher shortage in one or more school districts, with affected school districts authorized to employ non-credentialed individuals as teachers, as specified. SB 533 is pending in the Senate Education Committee.

Staff Comments:

The bill’s provision for the Chancellor’s Office to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher preparation program is permissive, therefore the related requirements are not likely to result in a reimbursable state mandate. However, assuming the amount of $6 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund that was included in the SB 81 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 81, Statutes of 2015) for the baccalaureate degree pilot program which provided implementation costs of $350,000 to each of 15 campus programs, this bill could result in a similar cost pressure for the state. These funds would be needed for equipment, space, staff, faculty, professional development, library resources, travel, and consultants. The exact amount will vary depending on the number of participating community college districts, but assuming a pilot program of five community college districts, the costs would be $1.75 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund.

Additionally, the Chancellor’s Office indicates ongoing General Fund costs of $1.4 million for administrative workload as a result of this measure. There could also be an increase in workload for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to review applications for colleges to be become accredited teacher credentialing programs, potentially worth $110,000 in special funds, depending on the number of colleges that elect to participate.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Benjamin Allen, Chair

2017 - 2018 Regular

Bill No: Hearing Date: April 5, 2017

Subject:

SUMMARY

This bill authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC), to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program meeting specified requirements.

BACKGROUND

Existing law:

1. Differentiates the missions and functions of public and independent institutions of higher education. Under these provisions:
   1. The primary mission of the CSU is to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree. The CSU is authorized to establish two-year programs only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees and the California Community Colleges (CCC) Board of Governors. The CSU is also authorized to jointly award the doctoral degree with the UC and with one or more independent institutions of higher education.
   2. The UC is authorized to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over graduate instruction in the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The UC is also the primary state-supported academic agency for research.
   3. The independent institutions of higher education are required to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions.
   4. The mission and function of the CCC is the offering of academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level and the CCC are authorized to grant the associate in arts and the associate in science degree. The community colleges are also required to offer remedial instruction, English as a Second Language instruction, and adult noncredit instruction, and support services which help students succeed at the postsecondary level.

ANALYSIS

This bill:

1. Makes various findings and declarations regarding the shortage of qualified teachers in California and communities not close in proximity to a four-year university offering a teacher credentialing program.
2. Adds programs of professional preparation offered at campuses of the California Community Colleges (CCC) to the list of programs that meet the minimum requirements for a preliminary multiple or single subject teaching credential.
3. Permits the Board of Governors of the CCC, in consultation with the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC), to authorize a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, subject to the following requirements:
   1. Accreditation by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness.
   2. The documenting of unmet teacher workforce needs in the local community or region of the district and a program design to train qualified teachers to meet those needs.
   3. Expertise and resources to offer a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation.
   4. Submittal of all of the following for review by the Chancellor of the CCC and approval by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges:
      1. The administrative plan for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation, including, but not limited to, the governing board of the district’s funding plan for its specific district.
      2. A description of the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation’s curriculum, faculty, and facilities.
      3. The enrollment projections for the teacher credentialing program of professional preparation.
      4. Documentation regarding unmet teaching workforce needs, and a written statement supporting the necessity of a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation in the district to train qualified teachers to meet those needs.
      5. Documentation of consultation with the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) regarding collaborative approaches to meeting regional teaching workforce needs.
4. Requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation that is based on a calculation of the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in all district teacher credentialing programs of professional preparation.
5. Specifies that funding for each full-time equivalent student shall be at a marginal cost calculation, as determined by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, that shall not exceed the community college credit instruction marginal cost calculation for a full-time equivalent student, as specified.
6. Prohibits a student in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be charged fees higher than the fees charged for comparable programs of professional preparation offered at the CSU.
7. Requires the fees for coursework in a teacher credentialing program of professional preparation authorized by this bill to be consistent with the current statutory requirements for student fees at community colleges.

STAFF COMMENTS

1. Need for the bill. According to the author, the National Center for Education Statistics predicts the school-going population will increase by roughly three million students in the next decade. Districts are looking to reinstate classes and programs that were cut or reduced during the Great Recession, which would require hiring an additional 145,000 teachers, on top of standard hiring needs, over the next decade. Attracting and keeping quality teachers in California classrooms is a constant challenge, with some areas reaching crisis proportions, particularly for urban and rural schools. While our state’s universities and local education agencies host innovative teacher credentialing programs, many communities are not close to an institution that offers a teacher credentialing program, at a detriment to those communities that seek to attract and retain high quality teachers.
2. Learning Policy Institute (LPI) teacher shortage report. The LPI’s 2016 report, “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions” included the following summary: “After many years of teacher layoffs in California, school districts around the state are hiring again. With the influx of new K-12 funding, districts are looking to lower student-teacher ratios and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or eliminated during the Great Recession. However, mounting evidence indicates that teacher supply has not kept pace with the increased demand.” The report included the following findings:
   1. Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped by more than 70 percent over the last decade.
   2. In 2014-15, provisional and short-term permits nearly tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing from about 850 to more than 2,400.
   3. The number of teachers hired on substandard permits and credentials nearly doubled in the last two years, to more than 7,700 comprising a third of all the new credentials issued in 2014-15.
   4. Estimated teacher hires for the 2015-16 school year increased by 25 percent from the previous year while enrollment in the University of California and the California State University teacher education programs increased by only about 3.8 percent.

The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) report offered several policy recommendations for consideration. These recommendations include the reinstatement of the California Center on Teaching Careers and the establishment of incentives to attract diverse, talented individuals to teach in high-need locations and fields. This can be accomplished through programs that provide funding for candidates who prepare and teach in such schools and subject areas, e.g. the Assumption Program of Loans for Education. The report also recommends the creation of more innovative pipelines into teaching, such as high school career pathways or teacher preparation models that encourage and support young people and others to go into teaching in their own communities.

1. Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) teacher workforce assessment. As part of the Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2016-17 Governor’s Budget released in February 2016, the LAO included a section on teacher workforce trends in which it examined evidence for teacher shortages in specific areas, identified and assessed past policy responses to these shortages, and raised issues for the Legislature to consider going forward in terms of new policy responses. In the report, the LAO indicated that the statewide teacher market will help alleviate existing shortages over time and that the shortages may decrease without direct state action. However, the LAO noted there are perennial staffing difficulties in specific areas, such as special education, math, and science, for which they encouraged the Legislature to address with narrowly tailored policies rather than with broad statewide policies. Specifically, they recommended the Legislature “consider outreach to re-engage former teachers or recruit out-of-state teachers. Both of these strategies are among the most cost-effective for increasing the supply of teachers within California in the short-term. If the state were to spend one-time funds on outreach, we encourage it to focus specifically on recruiting individuals who are trained to teach in perennial shortage areas. Outreach can attract viable teachers much faster and at a lower cost than many other shortage policies.”
2. Teacher programs funded in the 2016-17 budget. To help address the state’s current teacher shortage, the Governor and Legislature funded the following proposals in the 2016 budget:
   1. Classified School Employees Credentialing Program: $20 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund for grants to local educational agencies to provide opportunities for classified school employees to pursue a teaching credential.
   2. Integrated Teacher Preparation Grant Program: $10 million in one-time non-Proposition 98 General Fund for grants to post-secondary institutions for the creation or expansion of four-year integrated teacher preparation programs. The funding is designed to increase the number of students who receive their bachelor’s degree and teaching credential concurrently within a four-year program.
   3. Cal-Teach: $5 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund for the CTC to contract with an local educational agency to recruit additional teachers into the profession, including new teachers, former teachers, and teachers from out of state. The recruitment efforts will particularly focus on recruiting individuals in shortage areas of math, science, special education, and bilingual education.
3. Concerns about program duplication. According to the California State University (CSU), extending the authority of community college districts to establish teacher credential programs unnecessarily duplicates programs currently offered throughout the state. Specifically:
   1. All but one of the CSU’s 23 campuses offer at least one teacher credential program.
   2. The CSU offers CalStateTEACH, a fully-online multiple subject teacher credential program that was designed to provide access to credentialing to Californians who did not have access to a physical CSU campus. This program is available to any Californian with an internet connection, and in 2015-16 enrolled 1,275 students in 53 of the state’s 58 counties. In recent years, this program has had the highest enrollment of any teacher credential program offered by the CSU.
   3. Eighteen CSU campuses recently received more than $6 million in Integrated Program Grants from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to develop 26 new integrated teacher credential programs in which students can earn a multiple subject, bilingual authorization, special education, or single subject credential in math or science.

In addition, there are several programs available through other postsecondary higher education institutions.

1. Community Colleges Baccalaureate Pilot Program. A recent initiative, the Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program, authorizes the Board of Governors, in consultation with the CSU and the University of California (UC), to allow up to 15 community college districts each to offer one baccalaureate degree program, as long as it does not duplicate a program already offered by the California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC). The Legislative Analyst’s Office will conduct an interim and final evaluation of the program in 2018 and 2022, respectively, with the pilot program set to sunset in 2023.

The following colleges were selected to participate in the pilot, serving a total of 206 students:

1. Antelope Valley College (airframe manufacturing technology)

2. Bakersfield College (industrial automation)

3. Cypress College (mortuary science)

4. Feather River College (equine industry)

5. Foothill College (dental hygiene)

6. Mesa College (health information management)

7. Mira Costa College (bio manufacturing)

8. Modesto Junior College (respiratory care)

9. Santa Ana College (occupational studies)

10. Shasta College (health information management)

11. Skyline College (respiratory care)

12. West Los Angeles College (dental hygiene)

13. Rio Hondo College (automotive technology)

14. Santa Monica College (interaction design)

15. Solano Community College (biotechnology)

This pilot program represents a potential broadening of the core mission of the community colleges and has created additional workload for the system. Some stakeholders have raised concerns that broadening the mission of the community colleges may take away from efforts that would otherwise be focused on improving student transfers, basic skills, and career technical education offerings.

Further, the Chancellor’s Office indicates that, until a review of the state’s existing pilot program is completed, it is unable to support the creation of new baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate programs.

The committee may wish to consider what the impact of further broadening the mission of community colleges to include post baccalaureate teacher credentialing programs will be on the system’s other core services.

1. Chancellor’s Office Capacity. Citing current efforts related to improving student success, addressing equity disparities, and developing the Guided Pathways Program, the Governor’s 2017-18 budget proposes additional staffing resources for the Chancellor’s Office. Throughout the spring, the Department of Finance and the Chancellor’s Office plan to develop an organizational framework that will better enable the Chancellor’s Office to achieve the goals and priorities set forth by the new system Chancellor and Board of Governors.

The committee may wish to consider whether the Chancellor’s Office will require additional resources, beyond what is proposed in the budget, to meet the requirements of this bill and whether the additional workload is appropriate at this time.

1. Technical Amendment. If it is the desire of the Committee to pass this measure, staff recommends that the bill be amended to clarify that the requirement of the Board of Governors to develop, and adopt by regulation, a funding model for the support of teacher credentialing programs be contingent on the Board of Governors authorizing a community college district to offer a teacher credentialing program.
2. Related Legislation.

SB 436 (Allen) establishes the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway to recruit, train, support, and retain qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, including military veterans, as mathematics and science teachers in California. SB 436 passed out of this committee with amendments on March 29, 2017.

SB 533 (Portantino) authorizes the Governor to declare an “Urgent State of Need” in response to a teacher shortage in one or more school districts, with affected school districts authorized to employ non-credentialed individuals as teachers, as specified. SB 533 is pending hearing in this committee.

1. Prior Legislation.

SB 62 (Pavley, 2016) proposed to make various programmatic changes and issues additional warrants for the existing Assumption Program of Loans for Education. This measure passed this Committee on April 6, 2015, and was subsequently gutted and amended to deal with the Public Utilities Commission.

SB 933 (Allen, 2016) proposed to create a California Teacher Corps program that would provide matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs while funding the teacher credentialing process for recruited candidates. This measure passed this Committee on March 28, 2016, and was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 850 (Block, Chapter 747, Statutes of 2014) authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (CCC), in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish baccalaureate degree pilot programs, at up to 15 community college districts, with one baccalaureate degree program each, as specified, to be determined by the Chancellor of the CCC.

SUPPORT

California Association of Joint Powers Authorities

California Catholic Conference

California Workforce Association

Lake County Office of Education

Redwoods Community College District

Rural County Representatives of California

Yuba Community College District

OPPOSITION

California State University

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