2 EDCAL February 26 , 2018 |
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CTC Continued from page 1
• How to define “ common trunk ” and make operational .
• Adding an additional requirement for a Reading Authorization given the existence of the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment .
• Concerns that the more general the training and broader the authorization the greater teachers would be pulled from their assignments to fill in as substitute teachers .
• SPED teachers could be assigned a greater responsibility for the teaching of reading .
• Need for clear credential language to seamlessly transfer from one specialty area to another .
Following extensive input from stakeholders in February and lengthy discussion among commissioners , the CTC approved the following staff recommendations :
1 .) Adopt the proposed five initial Education Specialist credentials .
2 .) Continue to allow Education Specialist candidates to meet the subjectmatter competence requirement by passage of the appropriate examinations or subjectmatter programs .
3 .) Finalize Teacher Performance Expectations for all Education Specialist credential areas .
4 .) Finalize Education Specialist Program Standards , including clinical practice requirements .
5 .) Affirm candidates for the Education Specialist credential will need to take and pass a Teacher Performance Assessment prior to being recommended for a credential .
Commission staff will resubmit each segment of the recommended changes to address the specific expressed concerns to ensure ample opportunity for stakeholder input and clarification .
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RICA alignment
California Reading Initiative was a research-informed , multifaceted state effort to improve the reading achievement and literacy levels of California students . A bill was passed in 1996 , as part of this initiative , requiring the CTC to develop , adopt and administer a reading instruction competence assessment for prospective teachers that resulted in the development of the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment . Candidates for the Multiple Subject and Education Specialist teaching credentials are required to pass the RICA prior to being recommended for a preliminary teaching credential .
The RICA is a competency-based assessment that evaluates examinees based
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on their “ knowledge of content ” rather than how well they perform in relation to other examinees . Several questions are raised when considering how to best determine whether RICA should be better aligned with commission standards or eliminated in favor of alternative assessments . These questions include but are not limited to the following :
• Is the issue the alignment of the assessment to adopted standards ? or
• Is the issue more linked to the correlation between the preparation of teacher candidates and the candidate ’ s ability to teach reading ? or
• Is the issue the continuous changes to the mandated curriculum ( State Board of Education standards and frameworks ) for teaching reading negatively impacting student performance in reading ?
• Since the original development of the RICA , how do RICA pass rates align with changes to the adopted curriculum ? ( SBE standards and frameworks ) or
• Since the original development of the RICA , how do student performances align with changes to the adopted curriculum ? ( SBE standards and frameworks ) or
• Since the original development of the RICA , how do non-English and limited English student performances align with changes to the adopted curriculums ( SBE standards and frameworks )?
It is timely for the CTC to evaluate the current scope , role and impact of RICA on teaching practice and student learning , which will be a complex undertaking . A timetable for addressing these issues has not yet been established by the commission .
Budget outlook
The CTC ’ s ongoing 2018-19 operational budget proposal , if signed by the governor , will see some positive changes , including ongoing cost adjustments for needed work . Special funding aside , the CTC ’ s budget represents an “ authority to spend ” based upon revenues generated from accreditation and credential fees collected each year . Special funding projects proposed for 2018-19 include the following :
• Continued funding of $ 6.1 million to address the Attorney General ’ s workload related to recommendations from the Committee on Assignments .
• $ 50 million in one-time Prop . 98 funds to establish and administer a new Teacher Residency Grant Program to local educational agencies to develop new , or expand existing , teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of special education teachers .
• $ 1.5 million in one-time Teacher Credentials Fund expenditure authority to digitize teacher credential records .
• $ 1.275 million in one-time Test
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Development and Administration Account expenditure authority to support a field trial of the Administrator Performance Assessment .
• $ 380,000 in one-time Teacher Credentials Fund expenditure authority to automate teacher assignment monitoring activities .
Other matters before the commission in February included :
High Tech High
High Tech High K-12 charter school has been a CTC-approved program sponsor for a number of years . The High Tech High Graduate School of Education , an extension of High Tech High , was recently established and awarded accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2015 .
Following commission initial approval , High Tech High Graduate Schools was approved to move forward to Stage 3 : Review to Determine Alignment with Applicable Standards and Preconditions in order to offer a preliminary general education program ( multiple subjects / single subjects ).
High Tech High Graduate School was recommended because the Board of Institutional Review process found the common standard responses to be aligned to the standards , and CTC staff has determined the preconditions had been met .
The Committee on Accreditation will now review High Tech High Graduate School of Education ’ s proposed program for a Preliminary Multiple Subject / Single Subject Credential for a period of three years .
Regional accreditation
Current regulations do not allow the CTC to accept an institution of higher education ’ s determination of equivalency when a graduate ’ s degree was granted prior to the IHE holding regional accreditation . In order to address this issue , the commission must amend Title 5 regulations to :
1 .) Change the terms “ completed in ” to “ conferred by .” Rationale : This change reflects that a degree must be conferred by the institution of higher education in order to be acceptable and uses language that most colleges and universities rely on to identify when a degree is granted . The previous language did not align with the wording that is most often found on official college transcripts regarding degree issuance .
2 .) Define regional accreditation as it relates to an institution . Rationale : Degrees and / or course work requirements are found in the statute and regulations for almost every CTC-issued credential and permit .
3 .) Provide an option for individuals who have earned their degree during an institution ’ s period of candidacy / pre-accreditation
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to use their degree ( s ) for certification purposes if the following conditions are met :
• The institution ’ s period of pre-accreditation immediately preceded official accreditation ; and
• The degree granting institution provides a written statement that the degree conferred during pre-accreditation is equivalent to the same degree conferred following accreditation .
CTE pathways
Growth in Career Technical Education academies and programs in California public schools are increasing , thereby creating a major challenge for schools to attract sufficient numbers of certificated CTE teachers . While the shortage of teachers intensifies , programs increasingly turn to the CTC for alternative methods of certifying CTE teachers .
Most CTE courses are currently offered in secondary school ; therefore , it is more likely that a Single Subject teacher will be able to serve as both a general education and career technical education teacher , more so than a Multiple Subject teacher .
The high standards established by the CTC is juxtaposed to the high demand for credentialed teachers that underscores the need for the commission and stakeholders to work together for a solution that will both meet the demand for teachers without compromising high standards for teaching .
Potential alternative pathways are summarized below and will require additional discussion between the CTC and a multitude of stakeholders :
1 .) CTE teachers earn a Single Subject Teaching Credential :
• Allow a clear Career Technical Education credential holder with a bachelor ’ s degree to earn a Single Subject credential by verifying subject matter competence , satisfying basic skills , completing a Teacher Performance Assessment , and completing a subject-matter pedagogy class .
• Allow a CTE teacher who has a job offer as a Single Subject teacher and who has completed all prerequisites to be an intern in that subject area .
2 .) A Single Subject teacher holding an Externship Credential :
Create a permit that allows Single Subject teachers with a minimum of hours of industry experience to teach corresponding CTE courses , while completing the required hours .
3 .) Allow community college CTE teachers to teach CTE courses in the public K-12 schools :
Allow community college instructors to use their years of teaching Career Technical Education courses to count toward the clear credential .
4 .) Single Subject teacher preparation programs include preparation for CTE :
Encourage institutions to offer the
See AGENDA , page 3
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