Governor’s proposed 2024-25 budget includes these credentialing changes
February 26, 2024
The February 2024 meeting of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was attended by ACSA CTC Liaison Doug Gephart, who filed the following report.
Prior to the Budget Act of 2013, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s revenue came from two primary sources: credential application fees, which are the primary source of revenue for the Teacher Credential Fund, and educator exam fees, which fund the Teacher Development and Assessment Account. The Budget Act of 2014 authorized the commission to charge fees of institutions offering educator preparation programs to support the accreditation system, which established a third source of revenue for the agency. With the Budget Act of 2023, the Teacher Development and Assessment Account was consolidated into the Teacher Credential Fund.
The governor’s 2024-25 budget proposes $34.8 million for CTC state operations and 189.9 positions. The governor’s budget does not propose to continue the examination and performance assessment fee waiver, thereby reinstating the necessity to require credential candidates to pay these fees. The governor’s budget also proposes the following:
The May Revision will provide a more detailed insight of how the budget will continue, and commission staff will provide additional updated information as necessary at that time.
Integrated teacher candidates subject matter competence
Commission staff recommended two options to allow eligible integrated undergraduate teacher preparation candidates to meet the subject matter competence requirement by degree major. Both options would be in alignment with the provisions of AB 130 of 2021.
Option 1: Extend the 80 percent rule to apply to candidates enrolled in any relevant integrated undergraduate teacher preparation program that will, once completed, meet their subject matter competence requirement. This option would not apply to candidates in non-integrated teacher credentialing programs including those in intern programs, post-baccalaureate programs, or those pursuing the coursework transcript review or the combination of coursework and examination subtest options. Calculating the 80 percent point in a degree major may be somewhat onerous given that programs would complete a calculation for each candidate, thereby increasing the workload for understaffed programs.
Option 2: Remove the requirement to fully demonstrate subject matter competence prior to daily whole class instruction for all candidates enrolled in an integrated undergraduate teacher preparation program. This option would move the commission deadline to meet subject matter competence to align with Education Code section 44259(b), which is prior to the credential recommendation. This option would give programs the most flexibility in determining the best timeline for candidates to meet the subject matter competency requirement. Most importantly, this option recognizes that candidates who stay on track for their bachelor’s degree will meet subject matter competence prior to being recommended, consistent with statute. For all practical reasons the commission approved this option.
Proposed California Standards for the Teaching Profession
The California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) describe the set of knowledge, skills and abilities characteristic of accomplished professional practice at the level expected of effective veteran teachers. The CSTP are organized within six overarching and interrelated domains of teaching, as follows:
During summer 2021, the work on the California Standards for the Teaching Profession paused, as COVID-19 and other critical world events demanded pause and reflection. At the same time, the commission was engaging in other related work that would have an impact on both the content and focus of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession that included the development of a new PK-3 Early Childhood Specialist Instruction Credential, implementation of revised literacy standards and literacy-related teaching performance expectations.
Staff recommended, and the commission approved, that the Teacher Induction programs would use the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 academic years to align their programs with the revised California Standards for the Teaching Profession. Beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, all teacher induction programs would be required to fully implement the revised 2024 CSTP.
The governor’s budget does not propose to continue the examination and performance assessment fee waiver, thereby reinstating the necessity to require credential candidates to pay these fees.
Passing score standards for art, multiple subjects and music
Updating the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) requires a two-stage process: First, the revision of the commission-adopted Subject Matter Requirements that identify the content eligible to be assessed on the examination, and second, the revision, redevelopment and/or new development of test items that assess candidate levels of knowledge specific to the content area of the credential. Preparation programs must also update their coursework and assessments to align with the revised Subject Matter Requirements.
Development of a new CSET examination is a multi-stage process that follows testing-industry standard practices and conforms to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, commonly known as the “joint standards.” Adhering to these national testing standards assures that the commission’s examinations are and remain valid and reliable for all examinees. Following the standard setting studies, the commission’s contractor calculates the median panel-recommended passing score based on the individual members’ recommendations. Staff recommended and the commission approved the adoption of the standard setting review panel’s recommended minimum passing standard for each of the subtests and approved the recommended standard error of measurement (SEM) adjustment of -1.5 to each of the cut scores.
CTC staff will post the commission’s decision on the CSET website and distribute to the field. In addition, future examinees’ scores for candidates who took the assessments will be calculated based on the adopted passing standard for each exam.
Child Development Permit Workgroup update
The executive director appointed 26 individuals from higher education, county offices of education, education agencies, and public and private child development centers to serve on the workgroup. The Child Development Permit Workgroup has conducted four out of the seven scheduled meetings, commencing in August 2023, and is set to conclude in April 2024. In order to gather information more broadly about the needs of the state around early learning and care, seven focus groups were conducted from September to December 2023 to discuss the Child Development Permit. ACSA has representation on the workgroup and has reinforced the need for a pathway to the administrative credential at workgroup meetings, through public testimony and written comment.
Moving forward, the Child Development Permit Workgroup will engage the field in providing input on proposed modifications to the permit structure and potential approaches to monitoring and ensuring quality in early childhood education workforce preparation within available resources. Progress updates to the commission are scheduled for spring 2024, with Child Development Permit Workgroup recommendations and public input shared for commission discussion and consideration by fall 2024.
TK/ECE Commission action to realities of implementation
From the author’s perspective, the CTC has responded with expedience to organize a highly informed workgroup to address the challenges of implementing credential requirements for TK/ECE teaching authorizations. Lurking just beyond the final phase of planning and the horizon of implementation is the unfunded cost of implementing these cutting-edge teaching authorizations. Current funding sources for TK/ECE are not on the same level of funding of K-12 programs and will require a significant influx of funding to account for the increase in the number of “new” teachers as well as the smaller class sizes than current class loads. The only practical source for the required funding is embedded in the governor’s budget planning process. This will require significant strategic planning and accounting when state funding wanes, as this funding year demonstrates, but will also compete with myriad funding demands from a very wide range of special interests. There is no doubt the TK/ECE funding will eventually materialize, but at what cost to other programs?
Special education: Fresno Assessment of Student Teachers
In fall 2022, the FAST Coordinator and the assistant director of teacher education brought together a focus group consisting of 11 university faculty members, coaches and district support providers of new teachers to review two student-submitted site visitation projects: one completed in a Mild-to-Moderate context and one completed in an Extensive-Support Needs context.
The group briefly reviewed each project and then each person shared how they scored it on each element of the appropriate rubric. As in the other sessions, the groups were within one score point on each element of the rubric. After discussion, groups agreed on standard scores for the projects. Moving forward, these scores and these projects will be used when calibrating future scorers. Staff recommended and the commission approved the passing standard of 2 for each task in both the site visitation project and the teaching sample project for the FAST: ES-Mild to Moderate Support Needs and FAST: ES-Extensive Support Needs. It is important to note that none of the options above apply to intern credential candidates as they are required to meet subject matter competence before they are recommended for the intern credential, since they will serve as teacher of record in a public school classroom and need to show subject matter competence before that time.
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