The Regents of the University of California are requested to jointly develop with the Trustees of the California State University and the independent colleges and universities, the Algebra Academies Professional Development Institutes, to be administered by the university, in partnership with the California State University and with private, independent universities in California, in accordance with all of the following criteria:
(a) In July 2000, the University of California and its institutes’ partners shall commence instruction for 1,000 participants who either provide direct instruction in prealgebra and algebra to pupils in grades 7 and 8, or supervise beginning teachers of algebra.
(b) (1) The institutes shall provide instruction for school teams from each participating school. These school teams may include both beginning and experienced teachers and the schoolsite administrator.
(2) Criteria and priority for selection of participating school teams shall include, but are not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
(A) Schools whose pupils’ scores on the mathematics portion of the achievement test authorized by Section 60640 are at or below the 40th percentile.
(B) Teams composed of a large percentage of members of their schools’ mathematics departments, which may include the chair of that department.
(C) Schools with high poverty levels, as determined by the percentage of pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
(D) Schools with a high number of beginning and noncredentialed teachers.
(E) Schools that have adopted standards-based materials approved by the State Board of Education.
(3) In any fiscal year, if funding is inadequate to accommodate the participation of all eligible school teams, first priority shall be given to schools that meet the criteria described in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2).
(c) (1) The institutes shall provide instruction in the teaching of prealgebra and algebra in a manner consistent with the standard for a comprehensive mathematics instruction program that is research-based and shall include all of the following components:
(A) Instruction in prealgebra and algebra that will enhance the ability of teachers to prepare pupils for the achievement test authorized pursuant to Section 60640.
(B) Ongoing diagnostic techniques that inform teaching and assessment.
(C) Early intervention techniques for pupils experiencing difficulty in prealgebra and algebra.
(2) Instruction provided pursuant to this section shall be consistent with state-adopted academic content standards and with the curriculum frameworks on mathematics for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that are adopted by the State Board of Education.
(3) Instruction provided pursuant to this section shall acquaint teachers with the value in the diagnostic nature of standardized tests.
(d) Each participant who satisfactorily completes an institute authorized by this section shall receive a stipend, commensurate with the duration of the institute, of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), as determined by the University of California.
(e) In order to provide maximum access, the institutes shall be offered on multiple university and college campuses that are widely distributed throughout the state. Instruction at the institutes shall consist of an intensive, sustained training period of no less than 40 hours during the summer or during an intersession break, and shall be supplemented, during the following school year, with no fewer than the equivalent of five additional days of instruction and schoolsite meetings, held on at least a monthly basis, to focus on the academic progress of that school’s pupils in prealgebra and algebra.
(f) Teachers attending the institutes authorized by this section shall, as a condition of attendance and subsequent to that attendance, serve as instructors in the program authorized by Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 53081) of Part 28. These teachers shall continue to receive followup professional development during the same time period they are providing instruction. Followup professional development during this time period shall occur outside of instructional time.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature that a local educational agency or postsecondary educational institution that offers an accredited program of professional preparation consider providing partial and proportional credit toward satisfaction of mathematics course requirements to an enrolled candidate who satisfactorily completes an Algebra Academies Professional Development Institute program if the institute has been certified by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing as meeting mathematics standards.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 641, Sec. 19. (AB 830) Effective January 1, 2018.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018