44417.
(a) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program established in Section 44415 and the Local Solutions Grant Program established in Section 44416 to determine the effectiveness of these programs in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining special education, and bilingual education, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, teachers and provide a mathematics (STEM) teachers and, with respect to this evaluation, to provide an initial implementation report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on or before December 1, 2023, and a final report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2023. on or before December 31, 2026. (b) The evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program conducted pursuant to this section shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Information regarding Teacher Residency Grant Program implementation, including all of the following:
(A) The number of grant applicants and the number of residents proposed to be trained in each of the following subject areas: special education, bilingual education, and the STEM subjects.
(B) The number of residency grants awarded, the number of capacity grants awarded pursuant to subdivision (r) of Section 44415, and the amount of those grants.
(C) The grant recipients, including how each of them meets the priorities established pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (i) of Section 44415.
(D) The partnering teacher preparation programs, and where applicable, other partners.
(E) The mean and range amount of total financial support provided to residents, such as stipends or tuition support.
(F) The average per resident costs of the program, including matching funds provided by the grantee and sources of those funds.
(2) Information regarding the effectiveness of the Teacher Residency Grant Program in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining special education and bilingual education teachers and teachers in the STEM subjects. Evidence of effectiveness shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:
(A) The percentage of program participants who complete the residency program and earn a preliminary teaching credential.
(B) The extent to which program graduates are teaching in high-need subjects and locations, including all of the following:
(i) The number and percentage of program graduates who teach in special education, bilingual education, and STEM subjects within the boundaries of the grant recipient and the number and percentage who continue to teach in California outside the boundaries of the grant recipient that sponsored the candidate.
(ii) The number and percentage of program graduates who teach in hard-to-staff schools, as determined by the grant recipient.
(iii) The number and percentage of program graduates who teach in a school where 50 percent or more of the enrolled pupils are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
(C) The extent to which program graduates increase the diversity of the grant recipient’s workforce, including the number and percentage of program graduates who are members of underrepresented groups.
(D) Teacher retention rates for program graduates, within the boundaries of the grant recipient and within California public schools.
(E) Residency program graduate achievement, as determined by first-time pass rates on the state teaching performance assessment required pursuant to Section 44320.2.
(F) The percentage of program participants who complete induction and earn a clear teaching credential.
(G) Results from candidate and program graduate surveys of the quality of preparation they received.
(3) Information regarding all of the following:
(A) Best practices found to be effective in implementing the program.
(B) Factors promoting or hindering program implementation.
(C) Lessons learned in order to inform future investments in this type of program.
(c) The evaluation of the Local Solutions Grant Program conducted pursuant to this section shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, both of the following:
(1) Information regarding Local Solutions Grant Program implementation, including all of the following:
(A) The number and amount of grants awarded.
(B) Information regarding the grant recipients, including grantee size, location, demographics, and urbanicity.
(C) The percentage of grant awards allocated to all of the following types of activities, including any reasonable subcategories, and the number of teachers participating in each activity:
(i) Recruitment, including signing bonuses for newly credentialed teachers who earn an education specialist credential.
(ii) Preparation, including teacher service scholarships and student debt payment.
(iii) Induction.
(iv) Professional learning.
(v) Teacher career pathways.
(vi) Other pertinent activities.
(2) Information regarding the effectiveness of the Local Solutions Grant Program in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining special education teachers, including, but not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(A) A reduction in teacher turnover rates for special education teachers within the boundaries of the grant recipient.
(B) The number of special education teachers within the boundaries of the grant recipient serving on intern credentials, permits, or waivers.
(C) Best practices found to be effective in implementing the program.
(D) Factors promoting or hindering program implementation.
(E) Lessons learned in order to inform future investments in this type of program.