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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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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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Accreditation

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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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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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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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Layers of Duplication

Credential applications reviewed by:

• Teacher preparation institution• CTC staff • County office of education

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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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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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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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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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Length of States’ Probationary Period for K-12 Teachers

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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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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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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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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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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