Two New Laws Intended to Address Teacher Shortage
September 2017
Number 54
Governor Jerry Brown signed two bills intended to ease California's teacher shortage. Assembly Bill (AB) 681 seeks to expedite processing of credential applications for teachers who studied in other countries, while AB 170 eliminates the requirement that an applicant for a multiple subject teaching credential possess a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.
Both laws take effect January 1, 2018.
AB 681 will give the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) the authority to deem other countries' national standards for coursework, programs or degrees equivalent to those offered by a regionally accredited institution in the United States. This allows a potential employee who holds or is eligible for a credential in another country to have satisfied California's teaching credential requirements. For some job candidates, this will shortcut the case-by-case process of foreign transcript evaluation, and quickly move them into classrooms.
The bill will require the CTC to adopt regulations that establish uniform standards and procedures for determining whether another country's national standards are considered equivalent to California's.
The bill will also require school districts, county offices of education and charter schools applying for visas for potential employees to report annually to the state Department of Education the number of visas applied for and the number granted to certain nonimmigrant alien job candidates.
AB 681 also modifies the requirement that county boards of education obtain a CTC certificate of clearance before issuing a temporary certificate authorizing classroom service-a relatively new requirement imposed by 2016's AB 1918 that had unintended impacts on teachers adding new subject areas to an existing credential. AB 681 will allow teachers with a "credential, certificate or permit authorizing the performance of services in public school" to obtain a temporary certificate without first receiving a certificate of clearance from the CTC.
AB 170 eliminates the requirement that a candidate for a multiple subject teaching credential or preliminary multiple subject teaching credential must possess a baccalaureate degree in a subject other than professional education. Eliminating this requirement allows students who earn a degree in education to more quickly complete a credentialing program.
If you have any questions about AB 681 or AB 170 or teacher credentialing in general, please contact the authors of this Client News Brief or an attorney at one of our eight offices located statewide. You can also visit our website, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or download our Client News Brief App.
Number 54
Governor Jerry Brown signed two bills intended to ease California's teacher shortage. Assembly Bill (AB) 681 seeks to expedite processing of credential applications for teachers who studied in other countries, while AB 170 eliminates the requirement that an applicant for a multiple subject teaching credential possess a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.
Both laws take effect January 1, 2018.
AB 681 will give the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) the authority to deem other countries' national standards for coursework, programs or degrees equivalent to those offered by a regionally accredited institution in the United States. This allows a potential employee who holds or is eligible for a credential in another country to have satisfied California's teaching credential requirements. For some job candidates, this will shortcut the case-by-case process of foreign transcript evaluation, and quickly move them into classrooms.
The bill will require the CTC to adopt regulations that establish uniform standards and procedures for determining whether another country's national standards are considered equivalent to California's.
The bill will also require school districts, county offices of education and charter schools applying for visas for potential employees to report annually to the state Department of Education the number of visas applied for and the number granted to certain nonimmigrant alien job candidates.
AB 681 also modifies the requirement that county boards of education obtain a CTC certificate of clearance before issuing a temporary certificate authorizing classroom service-a relatively new requirement imposed by 2016's AB 1918 that had unintended impacts on teachers adding new subject areas to an existing credential. AB 681 will allow teachers with a "credential, certificate or permit authorizing the performance of services in public school" to obtain a temporary certificate without first receiving a certificate of clearance from the CTC.
AB 170 eliminates the requirement that a candidate for a multiple subject teaching credential or preliminary multiple subject teaching credential must possess a baccalaureate degree in a subject other than professional education. Eliminating this requirement allows students who earn a degree in education to more quickly complete a credentialing program.
If you have any questions about AB 681 or AB 170 or teacher credentialing in general, please contact the authors of this Client News Brief or an attorney at one of our eight offices located statewide. You can also visit our website, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or download our Client News Brief App.
As the information contained herein is necessarily general, its application to a particular set of facts and circumstances may vary. For this reason, this News Brief does not constitute legal advice. We recommend that you consult with your counsel prior to acting on the information contained herein.
