LAO Teacher Reform: Rethinking Teacher Accreditation, Credentialing, and Tenure Policies Jennifer Kuhn Director, K-12 Education Legislative Analyst’s Office August

LAO Ensuring Teacher Quality  California uses three systems to try to ensure teacher quality. Accreditation Credentialing Probationary period

LAO Ensuring Teacher Quality (Continued)  Accreditation: Ensure teacher preparation institutions are of sufficient quality  Credentialing: Ensure individual teacher candidates are of sufficient quality  Probationary period: Ensure beginning teachers are of sufficient quality

LAO Outline of Workshop  In each of these three areas: Review existing policies Identify shortcomings/areas of concern Discuss recommendations for reform

LAO Accreditation

LAO Three Accreditation Systems  Types of accreditation Regional accreditation (required) State accreditation (required) National accreditation (voluntary)  Systems operate independently from one another

LAO State Accreditation System Accreditation Standards  Each teacher preparation institution must meet: 10 general preconditions Program-specific preconditions 8 common standards 19 program standards 116 program elements

LAO State Accreditation System (Continued)  Review of teacher preparation institution conducted by accreditation team  Team ranges in size from 2 to 15 reviewers  Team includes: Reviewers selected from pool of faculty members, K-12 teachers, and administrators Staff from Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)

LAO State Accreditation System (Continued)  Team conducts site visit every 5 to 7 years  Team examines program documents and interviews program participants

LAO State Accreditation System (Continued)  Team makes a recommendation to CTC’s Committee on Accreditation  Institution can be: Accredited Accredited with stipulations Denied accreditation

LAO Most Recent Accreditation Cycle  From , accreditation teams visited 73 campuses.

LAO Most Recent Accreditation Cycle (Continued)  How many were denied accreditation?

LAO Most Recent Accreditation Cycle (Continued)  How many received full accreditation?

LAO State-Accredited Institutions  Today, 92 state-accredited teacher preparation institutions operate in California. 53 private colleges and universities 22 CSU campuses 8 UC campuses 9 local education agencies

LAO Shortcomings of Existing State Accreditation System  Standards vague  Reviews subjective  Reviews occur too infrequently  System almost entirely input-oriented

LAO Moving Toward Performance- Based Accreditation System  Institutions would report performance data each year  Intervention would be more targeted  Data would be made easily accessible

LAO New System Based on Program Performance  Teacher preparation institutions would be assessed based on: Average scores on state-required teacher assessments Graduation rates Employment rates Three-year retention rates Employer satisfaction rates Student improvement

LAO New System Reviews Performance Every Year  Teacher preparation institutions would provide performance data every year  If met set performance thresholds, institution would retain accreditation

LAO New System Targets Assistance  If teacher preparation institution fails to meet one or more performance thresholds, state would provide targeted assistance  If program does not improve within reasonable period of time, its accreditation would be revoked

LAO New System Maximizes Value of Performance Information  Aggregated performance data would be posted on the Web  Site also would display growth measures and similar-school rankings

LAO Credentialing

LAO Basic Types of Credentials  The CTC currently issues more than 40 different types of teacher licenses 20 types of teaching credentials 8 types of teaching certificates 4 types of teaching short-term permits 8 types of emergency permits 1 credential waiver  The CTC has more than 90 different types of outdated licensing documents

LAO Most Common Types of Credentials  Multiple Subject Credential  Single Subject Credential  Education Specialist Credential  Within each of these categories, CTC issues: Preliminary credentials Professional credentials Renewal credentials

LAO Types of Credential Authorizations  Single Subject Credential 21 basic authorizations 26 subject matter authorizations 63 supplementary authorizations  Education Specialist Credential 6 basic authorizations  Career Technical Credential 173 basic authorizations

LAO Layers of Requirements  Teachers need to meet: Initial requirements to obtain preliminary credential Subsequent requirements to obtain professional clear credential Supplemental requirements to obtain an authorization Fill out paperwork to receive renewal credential

LAO Layers of Duplication  Credential applications reviewed by: Teacher preparation institution CTC staff County office of education

LAO Recommend Major Credential Reform  Reduce the types of credential documents issued  Simplify credential requirements  Eliminate duplication

LAO Simplify While Still Ensuring Quality  Authorize credentials in broad categories  Eliminate preliminary, professional, renewal documents  Eliminate most authorizations  Fund beginning teacher support

LAO Eliminate Duplication  State Option: For in-state applications, require universities and CTC to process applications within 30 days of end of term For out-of-state applications, require CTC to process applications within 30 days Eliminate most temporary county certificates

LAO Eliminate Duplication (Continued)  Local Option: Require universities to process applications within 30 days of end of term and forward basic data to state Require county offices of education to process out-of-state credentials within 30 days and forward basic data to state

LAO Tenure and Evaluation Policies

LAO Brief History of California’s Tenure Policies  From 1927 to 1982: California had a three-year probationary period Probationary employees had certain legal rights to challenge dismissal decisions

LAO Brief History of California’s Tenure Policies (Continued)  Since 1982: California has had a two-year probationary period Probationary employees have reduced legal rights to challenge dismissal decisions

LAO Length of States’ Probationary Period for K-12 Teachers

LAO California’s Evaluation Policies  Probationary teachers must be evaluated at least once a year  Permanent/tenured teachers must evaluated at least once every two years  Tenured teachers who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation must be assessed annually until they receive a satisfactory evaluation or are dismissed

LAO California’s Dismissal Policies  Statute permits a tenured teacher to be dismissed as a result of unsatisfactory performance  Dismissal process consists of ten-some stages

LAO Number of Dismissal Cases  From 1996 to 2005, approximately how many teacher dismissal hearings were conducted in California? ,000 10,000

LAO Concerns with Existing System  Two-year probationary period can be too short  Evaluation process largely disconnected from job retention, promotion, and compensation  Dismissal process can be time-intensive and expensive

LAO Reform Options— Probationary Period  Consider three or four-year probationary period, with permission to grant permanent status any time after 6 months Allows districts to reward especially promising new teachers Allows districts time to transfer teachers to new sites Allows districts time to assist struggling teachers

LAO Reform Options— Evaluation Process  Strengthen evaluation process Clarify performance standards/expectations Link evaluation to job retention and promotion Train school leaders to conduct rigorous teacher evaluations Significantly improve teacher information system