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LAO
Teacher Reform: Rethinking Teacher Accreditation, Credentialing, and Tenure Policies
Jennifer Kuhn
Director, K-12 Education Legislative Analyst’s Office
August 2007
www.lao.ca.gov
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Ensuring Teacher Quality
California uses three systems to try to ensure teacher quality.
• Accreditation• Credentialing• Probationary period
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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
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Outline of Workshop
In each of these three areas:
• Review existing policies• Identify shortcomings/areas of concern• Discuss recommendations for reform
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LAO
Accreditation
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LAO
Three Accreditation Systems
Types of accreditation• Regional accreditation (required)• State accreditation (required)• National accreditation (voluntary)
Systems operate independently from one another
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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
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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)
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State Accreditation System (Continued)
Team conducts site visit every 5 to 7 years
Team examines program documents and interviews program participants
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State Accreditation System (Continued)
Team makes a recommendation to CTC’s Committee on Accreditation
Institution can be: • Accredited• Accredited with stipulations• Denied accreditation
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Most Recent Accreditation Cycle
From 1997-2002, accreditation teams visited 73 campuses.
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Most Recent Accreditation Cycle (Continued)
How many were denied accreditation?
• 0• 3• 7• 12
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Most Recent Accreditation Cycle (Continued)
How many received full accreditation?
• 73• 50• 36• 25
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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
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Shortcomings of Existing State Accreditation System
Standards vague
Reviews subjective
Reviews occur too infrequently
System almost entirely input-oriented
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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
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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
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New System Reviews Performance Every Year
Teacher preparation institutions would provide performance data every year
If met set performance thresholds, institution would retain accreditation
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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
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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
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Credentialing
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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
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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
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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
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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
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LAO
Layers of Duplication
Credential applications reviewed by:
• Teacher preparation institution• CTC staff • County office of education
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LAO
Recommend Major Credential Reform
Reduce the types of credential documents issued
Simplify credential requirements
Eliminate duplication
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Simplify While Still Ensuring Quality
Authorize credentials in broad categories
Eliminate preliminary, professional, renewal documents
Eliminate most authorizations
Fund beginning teacher support
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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
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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
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LAO
Tenure and Evaluation Policies
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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
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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
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LAO
Length of States’ Probationary Period for K-12 Teachers
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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
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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
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LAO
Number of Dismissal Cases
From 1996 to 2005, approximately how many teacher dismissal hearings were conducted in California?• 0• 100• 1,000• 10,000
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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
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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
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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