Today's Law As Amended


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SB-436 Teachers: California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway Act of 2017.(2017-2018)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 3.8 (commencing with Section 44790) is added to Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

CHAPTER  3.8. California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway
44790.
 This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway Act of 2017.
44791.
 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers in California is at a critical level that threatens the future workforce and economic well-being of the state.
(b) The projected shortage of 33,000 teachers in mathematics and science in California over the next decade cannot be met with current approaches to recruitment and preparation.
(c) Education experts agree that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals bring unique expertise to the classroom for teaching mathematics and science, addressing the engineering focus within the state’s new science standards, advancing computer science instruction, and connecting academics and careers.
(d) Major increases in California pupils’ performance and interest in mathematics and science can be achieved by increasing significantly the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals transitioning out of careers in these fields who enter a teaching career in mathematics or science.
(e) STEM professionals in sequentially structured teaching pathways are retained in teaching positions at high rates, resulting in a cost-effective solution for addressing STEM teacher shortages.
44792.
 The California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway is hereby established for the purpose of recruiting, training, supporting, and retaining qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals, including military veterans, as mathematics and science teachers in California. The California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway shall be administered by the California Center on Teaching Careers, as established in Section 45 of Chapter 29 of the Statutes of 2016 (Senate Bill 828 of the 2015–16 Regular Session). The activities associated with the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(a) Developing and distributing statewide recruitment materials encouraging interested STEM professionals to pursue teaching careers in mathematics and science.
(b) Conducting outreach to interested STEM professionals, including military veterans, to recruit them to second careers as teachers in mathematics and science.
(c) Developing partnerships with the STEM business and industry community to support the recruitment of retiring STEM professionals as tutors, supporting educators, and credentialed teachers, and establishing a public-private partnership that builds a STEM teacher pipeline.
(d) Providing information to STEM professionals regarding the requirements for obtaining a teaching credential in mathematics and science and how to complete those steps, applying to teacher preparation programs, and accessing financial aid.
(e) Creating California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway fellowships to assist program participants in the transition into the teaching profession and the completion of the requirements to obtain a teaching credential.
(f) Placing STEM professionals interested in teaching in instructional roles in school and out of school in order for them to support STEM learning and motivation among pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(g) Establishing agreements with teacher credentialing programs to facilitate rapid achievement of teaching credentials by STEM professionals and placement of participants in high-need schools for professional preparation and subsequent employment.
(h) Supporting STEM professionals in experiences leading to STEM teacher leadership, including, but not limited to, obtaining additional teaching authorizations in a STEM discipline and participating in research internships at STEM laboratories.
(i) Providing ongoing support and professional development for California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway participants as classroom teachers to foster high rates of retention and teacher leadership.
(j) Conducting the required evaluation of the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway pursuant to Section 44793.
44793.
 The commission shall document the impacts of this chapter and shall include that information in the report submitted to the Department of Finance, the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, and the Legislative Analyst on the outcomes of the California Center on Teaching Careers, as provided in subdivision (i) of Section 45 of Chapter 29 of the Statutes of 2016 (Senate Bill 828 of the 2015–16 Regular Session). The commission shall include in that report all of the following information:
(a) The number of STEM professionals participating in the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway and their demographic characteristics.
(b) The number and demographic characteristics of new mathematics and science teachers who received their teaching credential annually through the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway, the schools in which they teach, and their effect on pupils during their first three years of teaching.
(c) Annual job placement data for new mathematics and science teachers who received their teaching credential through the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway, including placement rates, subjects taught, and poverty and achievement levels of the schools of employment.
(d) The total number of STEM professionals who have been trained and retained in STEM teaching positions in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, through the California STEM Professional Teaching Pathway.
44794.
 This chapter shall be implemented only upon the enactment of an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute for these purposes.