AB 551

Under current law, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) provides an

alternative teaching training program consisting of approximately 100 hours of

formal instruction. A person who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, music,

art, foreign language, computer science, mathematics, or science; has at least five

years of professional experience in the subject area; demonstrates competency in his

or her subject area; and satisfactorily completes the 100-hour program, is entitled

to a professional teaching permit, which authorizes the person to teach the subject

area specified by DPI in grades kindergarten to 12. The initial permit is valid for two

years, but is renewable for five-year periods.

This bill establishes three additional ways of obtaining a professional teaching

permit. The bill directs DPI to establish a 40-hour teacher training program that

is designed to provide a person with effective instructional techniques and practices

and that is to be taught by school district staff. DPI must also develop an

examination designed to determine whether a person has mastered the material

taught in the training program.

Under the bill, if DPI determines that a person is fluent in a foreign language

as well as in English, and the person passes the examination described above, DPI

must grant the person a professional teaching permit authorizing him or her to teach

the foreign language in grades specified by DPI. If DPI determines that a person has

at least an associate of arts degree and at least ten years of exceptional work

experience in a particular field, and the person passes the examination described

above, DPI must grant the person a professional teaching permit authorizing him or

her to teach the subject in which he or she is experienced in grades specified by DPI.

Finally, if a person holds a teaching license issued by DPI and passes a proficiency

exam, administered by DPI, in a subject in which he or she is not licensed, DPI must

grant the person a professional teaching permit authorizing him or her to teach the

subject of the examination in the grades that his or her teaching license authorizes

him or her to teach.

Under current law, with certain exceptions, all of the teachers in a private

school that is participating in a parental choice program (PCP) must have a

bachelor's degree.

This bill allows a person to teach in a PCP school if he or she has a bachelor's

degree or holds a license or permit to teach issued by DPI.