The April meeting of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was attended by ACSA CTC Liaison Doug Gephart, who filed the following report. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing took a number of actions to allow flexibility for teacher credential candidates who have been impacted by the COVID-19 closure of schools. Interactions with TK-12 students are a required component of most educator preparation programs, and are relied upon to meet minimum thresholds for clinical practice hours and completion of performance assessments for prospective teachers and administrators. For the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, these interactions are taking place through a wide range of distance learning opportunities.  The CTC took the following actions during its April meeting:   1) Authorize the deferral of the Basic Skills Requirement: The commission elected to defer CBEST for applicants that were unable to complete the basic skills requirement examination due to the health and safety restrictions related to COVID-19 between March 19, 2020 and Sept. 1, 2020. The deferral period is one year from the date the credential is issued. This deferral is not allowed for applicants that have previously failed the CBEST examination.  2) Identify hardships related to COVID-19 as “good cause” for extensions: COVID-19 restriction and related health issues have been determined to be “good cause” for requests for extension of one year on eligible credentials and permits.   3) Authorize renewals of clear credentials: Credential renewals for five years from the date of expiration shall be granted to applicants who were prohibited from applying in a timely manner due to health and safety restrictions related to COVID-19.  4) Authorize the issuance of Variable Term Waivers for credential candidates: Commission authorize staff to grant Variable Term Waiver requests submitted by commission-approved institutions on behalf of credential candidates who have been impacted by the emergency health and safety conditions related to COVID-19. The CTC also approved the option for commission-approved institutions to submit one-time requests for reissuance of such waivers when candidates have shown continued progress toward completion of the preparation program. Educator preparation programs granted flexibility The Commission’s best estimate is that over 80,000 candidates in California were enrolled in preparation programs at the time the COVID-19 Health and Safety Restrictions were initially implemented. The ongoing extent of the crisis required the commission to address the multiple areas of program requirements. Requirements that are in statute may only be modified through legislative action or an executive order enacted by the governor. The commission approved the following options for candidates on track to complete their preparation program between by Sept. 1, 2020.  Preliminary Multiple and Single Subject Credential requirements: Clinical practice hours may be modified at the discretion of the program sponsor for candidates who have passed the teacher performance assessment. Candidates who have passed a commission-approved Teaching Performance Assessment and completed a minimum number of hours of clinical practice will have met the required hours.  Number of formal observations: Program sponsors have discretion to modify the number of formal observations while candidates are supervised and supported during clinical practice.  Four weeks of solo teaching: The four-week solo teaching requirement may be modified if the program sponsor has deemed that candidates have had sufficient opportunities to independently work with students. Preliminary Education Specialist Credential requirements: Program sponsors, through the Individual Development Plan, may determine whether a candidate has had sufficiently broad experiences with students to take to their induction program.  Preliminary Teacher Preparation Preconditions requirement to meet the Subject Matter Requirement: Waive Precondition 6 (general education candidates) and Precondition 3 (special education candidates) for individuals enrolling in teacher preparation program for the 2020-21 year. Teacher and administrator induction: The commission affirmed that the 2019-20 year of participation in all phases of induction is a full year even though the school year has been interrupted by the COVID-19 crisis. The commission suspended the precondition of holding a preliminary credential to allow new teachers and administrators who hold Variable Term Waivers to begin induction.  Services credentials: The commission adopted the flexibility provided by national associations for School Counseling, School Psychology, School Social Work, and Speech-Language Pathology. Programs have the authority to determine how and when candidates develop proficiency. Preliminary Administrator Preparation and Cal APA: The CalAPA standard setting study is postponed to Spring 2021. Each year, the commission is required to submit an annual teacher supply report to the governor and Legislature. Here is a summary of selected findings from the full report:

• In 2018-19, there were 4,347 university intern and 816 district intern credentials issued.
• California institutes of higher education prepared three-fourths (75.1 percent) of the newly credentialed teachers in California during fiscal year 2018-19. 
• Of California institute of higher education-prepared teachers, 53.1 percent came through the student teaching (traditional) pathway and 22 percent came through the university intern pathway. Teachers prepared in other states or other countries who became credentialed in California comprised 21.6 percent, and the remaining 3.3 percent of teachers were prepared through District/County Office Intern programs. 
• The average age for Multiple Subject and Single Subject credential holders was similar – 30.4 years and 30.5 years, respectively. 
• District interns, both Multiple Subject and Single Subject credential holders had similar average age of 34.9 and 35.3, respectively.  
• Teacher preparation programs enrollment increased by about 6,000 candidates over the last five years.
• Candidate enrollment in intern programs have increased steadily over the past five years. 
• Short Term Staff Permits (STSP) and Provisional Intern Permits (PIP) have dramatically increased over the past five years. 
• There was an increase in the number of waivers issued for teaching credentials by 11.9 percent between 2017-18 and 2018-19. 
• Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of the current teaching force are female and nearly two-thirds (61 percent) were white. 
• The estimated teacher hires data for 2019-20 indicate that more than two-thirds of the estimated teacher hires would occur in 10 highest populated counties and in seven subject areas. 

The commission adopted the recommended Subject Matter Requirements and the Teacher Performance Expectations for Theatre and Dance following a field review by a limited number of participants. Limited field review participation is not unusual with subject matter like Theatre and Dance due to the proportional limited number of potential participants. Nonetheless, the commission is confident that the responses from the field did provide sufficient response to support its decision to move forward with the next steps in the process. Subject Matter Requirement adoption will be followed by the development of a test item bank which will provide sufficient operational items for year-round testing and conducting standard setting studies to help determine a recommended minimum passing score. The recommended passing score standards will be brought to the commission for adoption following the initial administrations of these new examinations. 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.  While the commission is engaged in researching, considering, and discussing how best to measure subject matter knowledge for the future, at the present time candidates are trying to earn credentials in these two content areas. In the immediate future, the examination route will be the fastest route for candidates in these two content areas to meet the subject matter competency requirement in order to be qualified to obtain a credential. The ongoing administration of the current CSETs needs to continue so that current candidates for credentials can complete their programs and begin teaching.  The commission’s dashboard reports on six key measurements showing both current year numbers as well as prior year numbers for comparison purposes. “Total Cases” are the number of open cases within Division of Professional Practices pending. At the end of March, the caseload was 2,951 and above the new normal range of 2,600-2,800 cases. “Cases Opened” are new cases received during the month, from all sources, including criminal arrest notices, district reports, affidavits, and educators who self-report misconduct. In March, staff opened 364 cases, which is below the normal range of 400-500 cases per month. “Initial Review Cases” and the “Formal Review Cases,” reflect the number of cases the Committee of Credentials reviews during its three-day meeting. The committee will review the March cases during the May and June meetings. “Cases Closed” is the number of matters closed in March by commission action, committee action or closed by staff where the commission has given formal delegation of authority. In March, 325 cases were closed, which is below the normal range of 400-500 cases per month. “AG Cases” refer to cases in which an educator requests an administrative hearing to challenge the recommendation for discipline made by the committee. The commission is represented in these hearings by the Office of the Attorney General. Current pending cases are 170.  At the September 2019 meeting, the commission reviewed draft Subject Matter Requirements and Teaching Performance Expectations for new Single Subject credentials in Theatre and Dance. The commission also adopted an examination blueprint for development of the necessary California Subject Examinations for Teachers Single Subject Examinations for Theater and Dance at the November 2019 meeting. Currently, single subject credentials in English authorize instruction in drama and single subject credentials in Physical Education authorize instruction in dance. Current teachers with these authorizations may continue to teach drama and dance per their existing credentials.   Summary of Title 5 Amendments:

• Allowing Single Subject Teaching Credentials with English and Physical Education authorizations that were issued prior to Jan. 1, 2022 to continue to authorize teaching Theater and Dance. 
• Adding Theater and Dance Credentials to the List of Statutory Single Subject Areas Available as Authorizations for Departmentalized Classroom Instruction. 
• Changing Supplementary Authorization of “Drama” to “Theater.”
• Adding Theater and Dance as Supplementary Authorizations.
• Allowing English and PE Introductory Subject Matter Authorizations issued prior to January 1, 2022 to continue to authorize teaching Introductory Theater and Introductory Dance.

Assignment monitoring is the mechanism that the Commission on Teacher Credentialing uses to ensure that educators are appropriately credentialed for their positions, and that students are served by an appropriately certificated staff. Assignment monitoring is also a key way in which the state can identify areas of shortage, because a mis-assignment signifies a position in which the employer was unable to hire a credentialed educator. In 2017, the State Board of Education approved California’s plan of compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act defined, in part, an Ineffective Teacher that includes “mis-assigned” as a primary parameter. Federal reporting under ESSA requires that annual data related to the state’s number of Ineffective Teachers be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education. Historically, monitoring was accomplished through a labor intensive, paper-based process in which County Office of Education credential analysts would manually compare master schedules, course descriptions, and educator credential information. Because of the immense workload, statute only required that one-quarter of certificated staff employed within California be reviewed annually. Therefore, the results of statewide monitoring were not available until the culmination of a four-year cycle. This timeline prevented the commission from being able to provide the mis-assignment data necessary to fulfill federal reporting requirements under ESSA. To address this issue, the Budget Act of 2018 required the commission and the California Department of Education to enter into a data sharing agreement that resulted in the commission developing the California Assignment Accountability Systems. The legislation identified COEs as the monitoring authority for school districts and county-authorized charter schools, and school districts as the monitoring authority for district-authorized charter schools. California Statewide Assignment Accountability System works through an interface where the commission’s credentialing data is compared with CDE’s California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the California Department of Education has pushed back the deadline for submission of the 2019/20 CALPADS Fall 2 data to April 24, 2020. This change affects the start of the first assignment monitoring process through CalSAAS, which was originally slated to begin in April. However, because CalSAAS relies on the CDE to provide the Fall 2 assignment data, monitoring cannot begin until the data is received and loaded into the system. Therefore, the new anticipated start for CalSAAS monitoring is June 1, 2020. California law provides the commission with the authority to accredit institutions to offer programs that lead to a credential to serve as an educator in California’s public schools.   Newhall School District: Newhall School District has submitted responses to the Eligibility Requirements for consideration and possible approval by the commission to offer a teacher induction program.  Newhall School District will be the LEA program sponsor for the Santa Clarita Valley Consortium. There are four districts within this consortium: Castaic Union, Newhall, Saugus Union, and Sulphur Springs Union. Saugus Union is currently the LEA program sponsor for the consortium. Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Michelle Morse will be responsible for ongoing oversight of all educator preparation programs. The Newhall School District has provided assurances, signed by Superintendent Jeff Pelzel, that the duties related to credential recommendations will be performed only by Marguerite Armstrong, induction coordinator, and Teressa Soto, credential analyst, and that they will take part in the commission training related to the recommendation process. Newhall School District has a history of excellence in delivering professional development to teachers both within and outside the district.  San Mateo Union High School District: The San Mateo Union High School District is proposing to offer a teacher induction program. Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources and Student Services Kirk Black will be responsible for the oversight of all educator preparation programs. The district plans to use a hybrid model in which candidates in the teacher induction program will receive face-to-face instruction through workshops and seminars in the district office, or school sites. In addition, online courses “that augment and supplement face-to-face workshops and seminars will be created in Canvas (or similar online learning management system).” Administrators, teachers on special assignment, instructional coaches, curriculum and instruction leaders, special education leaders, and English learner program departments, will provide a majority of the direct educational services to candidates. According to the district, there will also be an opportunity to earn post-graduate continuing education units through a partnership with San Jose State University.