AB 2222

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law establishes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials. Existing law requires, as a minimum requirement for a preliminary multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential, the satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation that has been accredited by the Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission. This bill would, among other things, require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to update its literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, literacy teaching performance expectations, and literacy instruction preconditions for program sponsors offering Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credentials and Reading and Literacy Added Authorizations, or any other reading- or literacy-specific credential, certification, or authorization developed by the commission, in order to ensure compliance with effective means of teaching literacy, as defined, and adherence to the science reading, as provided. (2) Existing law prescribes the powers of the commission regarding the accreditation system, including, among others, to adopt and implement an accreditation framework, which sets forth the policies of the commission regarding the accreditation of educator preparation in California. This bill, for program sponsors whose educator preparation programs are not in compliance with the literacy instruction preconditions, as defined, literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, as defined, or literacy teaching performance expectations, as defined, would require the commission to establish a probationary accreditation process that includes mandatory requirements for faculty at the program sponsor to successfully complete professional development and training on the science of reading and effective means of teaching literacy in order to remove probationary status, or lose accreditation, as specified. (3) Existing law establishes the Committee on Accreditation, consisting of 12 members selected for their distinguished records of accomplishment in education, and requires the committee to, among other things, make decisions about the accreditation of educator preparation programs in accordance with the accreditation framework, adopt guidelines for accreditation reviews, and monitor the performance of accreditation teams and other aspects of the accreditation system. This bill would require at least one of the 12 members to have demonstrated expertise in the science of reading and effective means of teaching literacy, and would require the committee to make decisions regarding initial and existing accreditation status of programs of educator preparation, including program approval, with respect to the quality of educator preparation in literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, the literacy instruction preconditions, and the literacy teaching performance expectations, as provided. (4) Existing law requires the accreditation framework to include provisions regarding well-trained accreditation teams, as specified. This bill would, among other things, require an accreditation or program review team to report to literacy personnel, as defined, on the results of their accreditation or program review team site visits, as specified, including a separate section with respect to literacy instruction preconditions, literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, and literacy teaching performance expectations, including detailed summaries as to what evidence was gathered and reviewed during the site visit. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to, among other things, provide funding so that by no later than June 30, 2025, the commission employs sufficient personnel with demonstrated expertise in the science of reading, as defined, and effective means of teaching literacy, as defined, to ensure that the commission's review for accrediting a program sponsor, and its review and approval of the program sponsor's programs and schools, be held to rigorous literacy program standards. (5) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to issue a request for proposals to contract for the development of standards for professional development for educators and instructional leaders. Existing law requires the standards to serve as guidelines for providers of professional development activities and authorizes them to be used to facilitate coordination among existing professional development programs. This bill would, among other things, require the department, on or before August 30, 2025, with technical assistance from the literacy staff, as defined, to designate a county office of education, or a consortium of county offices of education, with demonstrated expertise in the science of reading and evidence-based literacy instruction, with an emphasis on demonstrated, prior experience in literacy with pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 5, inclusive, to serve as the state literacy expert lead for purposes of administering, supporting, and monitoring specified professional development and training. The bill would require the state literacy expert lead, on or before January 1, 2026, to develop a list of professional development and training programs that it recommends and submit the list to the department of for approval, as specified. The bill would authorize the state literacy expert lead to also develop and provide professional development and training programs, as specified. The bill would, commencing March 1, 2026, require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to ensure participation in, and would require all applicable personnel, as defined, to satisfactorily complete by no later than June 30, 2028, an approved professional development and training program that is listed on the department's internet website, as specified, and except as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) Existing law, subject to an appropriation included in the annual Budget Act for these purposes, authorizes the department and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to establish a process, administered by the department, to select, subject to approval by the executive director of the State Board of Education, an expert lead agency based on specific expertise in an area of need to conduct activities and build statewide capacity to address that area of need within the statewide system of support, as specified. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2025, require any expert lead agency supporting literacy initiatives for those purposes to demonstrate expertise in the science of reading and proficiency in evidence-based literacy instruction, as specified. (7) Existing law requires the state board to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards, subject to specified provisions, including, among others, that the state board adopt at least 5 basic instructional materials for all applicable grade levels in each of the specified subject areas, including, among others, language arts, including, but not limited to, spelling, reading, and English language development. In reviewing and adopting or recommending for adoption submitted basic instructional materials, existing law requires the state board to use specified criteria, and to ensure that, in its judgment, the submitted basic instructional materials meet that criteria, including, among others, that the instructional materials are aligned to the content standards adopted by the state board in the subject area and the grade level or levels for which they are submitted. Notwithstanding any other law, existing law authorizes a local educational agency to use instructional materials that are aligned with the academic content standards previously adopted by the state board. This bill would revise and recast provisions relating to adoption of instructional materials for English language arts, English language development, and reading by, among other things, requiring the state board, on or before January 1, 2026, to adopt basic and supplementary instructional materials, as defined, for transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, in English language arts, English language development, and reading. The bill would require the state board to, among other things, ensure that all instructional materials adopted pursuant to these provisions are aligned to the most recently adopted academic content standards and curriculum frameworks, and adhere to the science of reading. The bill would require the department to publish the complete list of the state board's adopted instructional materials on the department's internet website and to distribute the complete list to all local educational agencies, as specified. Upon the state board's adoption of those instructional materials, the bill would require all basic and supplementary instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, and reading for transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, adopted by each school district, county office of education, and charter school to, among other requirements, adhere to the science of reading, and would prohibit those local educational agencies from adopting basic instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, or reading that have not been adopted by the state board unless the local educational agency is granted a waiver, as specified. On or before December 31, 2027, the bill would require each local educational agency to provide to the department, and the department to develop, maintain, and annually update, a current list of basic and supplementary instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, and reading, adopted by each local educational agency that is publicly accessible on the department's internet website. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (8) Existing law requires the University of California, Los Angeles and the California State University, Dominguez Hills, along with California State University campuses serving the Los Angeles Basin selected by the Board of Trustees of the California State University, to form a neurodiversity and learning collaborative in order to, among other things, create a framework for embedding neurodiversity knowledge into the teacher education programs at the University of California and the California State University. This bill would authorize that collaborative to be expanded to include any University of California campus or California State University campus willing to voluntarily participate in strengthening educational support and effective means of teaching literacy through faculty professional development and training programs that adhere to the science of reading. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to provide grant funding to both expand the collaborative and to, among other things, provide faculty professional development aligned with the science of reading to faculty members who teach literacy and reading instruction at accredited institutions with approved educator preparation programs. (9) This bill would make Legislative findings and declarations relating to these provisions, conforming changes, and other nonsubstantive changes. (10) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.