Note: Please refer to the Fiscal Issues Relating to Budget Reductions and Flexibility Provisions guidance letter for information on provisions that apply to all programs. The letter covers such matters as the public hearing requirement, base year funding provisions, and how funding reductions will be calculated.
Educators may receive training on standards-based instructional materials for their grade level, course level, and/or school level in mathematics 2001 primary adoption, 2005 follow-up adoption, or 2007 primary adoption and reading/language arts February 2002 primary adoption or September 2005 follow-up adoption. These materials must be state-adopted for kindergarten through grade eight (K-8) or local board-adopted for grades nine through twelve (9-12). To qualify for reimbursement, the professional development must include training on the approved mathematics or reading/language arts instructional materials selected for use in the school.
The Reimbursement Process | Stipends | Training Providers | LEA Criteria
Adopted Instructional Materials | Instructional Material Available to Students
Eligible Teachers and Training Requirements | Paraprofessionals and Instructional Aides
Training Priorities | Program Contacts | Other Resources
Funding Opportunity
Senate Bill (SB) 472 is a funding opportunity that provides reimbursement to local educational agencies (LEAs) for professional development in mathematics and reading/language arts. The reimbursement amount is $2,500 per eligible teacher per subject area for the first 120-hour sequence of training, subject to the 3.16 percent funding cap for FY 2007-08. This cap is the maximum number of teachers for which each LEA is eligible for SB 472 reimbursement during FY 2007-08. This maximum is for mathematics and reading training combined - the LEA does not receive 3.16 percent for reading and another 3.16 percent for mathematics. The Teacher Eligibility List shows this amount for each LEA. Please note, if a LEA does not claim funding up to the 3.16 percent level before the October 30, 2008, deadline, the balance does not carry forward into FY 2008-09. Claims for training completed during 2007-08 but not submitted to CDE until after the deadline will be paid only if funding is available in either the original year’s or next fiscal year’s appropriation.
LEAs may also receive additional funding for teachers trained in excess of the cap. Funding appropriated in 2007-08 that has not been claimed by LEAs will be redirected to LEAs that have trained teachers in excess of the 3.16 percent cap during 2007-08. If the funds available for redirection are insufficient to fully fund all claims over the cap, then CDE will prorate funds among claims received by the October 30, 2008, deadline. Any shortfall will be granted first priority for funding in FY 2008-09. If a funding shortfall exists after the redirection process, and the next year’s Budget Act does not contain an appropriation for this program, then LEAs would absorb the shortfall for teachers trained in excess of the cap.
Reimbursement for 40-hour training is only available for beginning level training - advanced level training is not eligible for 40-hour reimbursement. Unlike the 40-hours, SB 472 reimbursement for the 80-hours may include advanced level training, providing the teacher has completed the initial 40 hours at the beginning level. With very few exceptions, reimbursement is limited to one 120-hour sequence of professional development in each subject area in which a teacher is eligible for training. Those exceptions are that the LEA has changed its adopted instructional materials program, and approved training is available for the new program; the teacher’s grade level assignment has changed; or the teacher’s course assignment has changed to an area in which the teacher has not previously received the applicable training.
The priority for reimbursement is different under AB 466 than it is for SB 472 for a teacher’s second sequence of 40 or 80 hours training in the same subject. If a teacher attends the majority of either the additional 40 or 80 hours before January 1, 2007 (AB 466 training), and completes the training anytime from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, then the CDE will reimburse the LEA only if funding is available after all other claims have been paid, including those over the cap. If funding is insufficient to fully pay claims for additional AB 466 training, remaining funds will be prorated among those claims received by the deadline. Affected LEAs will absorb any shortfall—it will not be paid from the next fiscal year’s appropriation. The appropriations for FY 2004-05 and 2005-06 were fully expended for first sequence 120-hour training; consequently, claims for additional training for either of these two fiscal years will not be paid. Due to changes in law and regulation, claims for teachers attending the majority of 40 or 80 hours second sequence training after January 1, 2007 (SB 472), now have the same standing for funding as first sequence 120-hour training.
The Budget Act for FY 2007-08 does not include any funding for SB 472 training for instructional aides or paraprofessionals. Charter schools are also ineligible for SB 472 funding. Funding for mathematics and reading professional development for charter schools is included in the Charter Schools Categorical Block Grant.
LEAs who requested Federal Title II, Part A funding for program training (conducted from July 1, 2006, through September 30, 2006) should be aware of how this funding dovetails with the regular state-funded reimbursement process. If a LEA has received Federal Title II, Part A funding or special one-time state funding for specific teacher program training, then the LEA must not also request funding through the regular state-funded reimbursement process for the same teacher training hours. CDE has notified LEAs whether they received the federal funds or special one-time state funds. Unfunded teacher training may be claimed on a Request for Reimbursement for Prior Years through the regular state-funded reimbursement process, providing all program requirements are met. Since the Federal Title II, Part A funding is not available to reimburse the 80-hours of follow-up, LEAs may also request reimbursement on this same form for completed 80-hour training.
LEAs with a Reading First grant must use Reading First funding, instead of SB 472 funding, to pay for Reading First teachers to attend SB 472 reading/language arts training, if training occurs during the Reading First grant award period. Reading First teachers are those who teach kindergarten through grade three or special education (any grade) at a Reading First school.
The Reimbursement Process
To receive reimbursement, a LEA must submit both an Application form and a Request for Reimbursement form for the appropriate fiscal year. Requests for reimbursement may be submitted on a continuous basis until the due date of the associated fiscal year. Following the initial 40 hours of training, districts may submit a Request for Reimbursement Form to request payment for 50 percent of the funding ($1,250 per teacher). After completion of the 80 hours of follow-up training, the LEA may request payment for the remaining 50 percent ($1,250 per teacher). The LEA also has the option of submitting one Request for Reimbursement form for both the 40 hours and 80 hours, providing all training was concluded in the same fiscal year.
California Education Code (EC) Section 99234(f) requires that the SBE approve a LEA’s certified assurances in its application before the CDE can process payment. After the CDE receives a LEA’s application for a fiscal year, the CDE will include it on the agenda of the earliest possible SBE meeting. (The SBE meets every two months, and agenda items are due six to eight weeks before the meeting.) After SBE approval, CDE can then pay a LEA’s Requests for Reimbursement for that fiscal year, consistent with the program’s laws and regulations governing funding. Consequently, the submission of an early Application will expedite payment.
During FY 2007-08, the CDE will reimburse a LEA’s FY 2007-08 Requests for Reimbursement only up to the level of its funding cap. Providing that sufficient funding is available, payment for teachers trained in excess of the cap will occur in the winter of the following fiscal year.
Claims for a second sequence of 120 hours of AB 466 training in the same subject will be paid only if funding is available at the end of the final year of an appropriation’s life - in general, an appropriation is available for three years. For example, a claim for additional AB 466 training which a teacher completed during FY 2006-07 would be paid at the end of June 2009, providing sufficient funding is available. The reimbursement process for additional SB 472 training is the same as the process for first sequence 120-hours training.
Stipends
The law permits but does not require payment of a stipend. Of the $2,500 reimbursement per teacher, no more than $1,000 may be used for stipends per person in each instructional training area, mathematics or reading/language arts. The LEA may pay a stipend up to $500 after a teacher completes the initial 40-hours of training and up to another $500 after a teacher completes the 80-hours follow-up.
Training Providers
Complete details regarding provider information can be found in the Guidelines and Criteria for Approval of Training Providers, approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Information for Prospective Providers section of the Introduction. If a LEA intends to become a training provider, it must submit its training program in advance to the SBE for approval. The SBE provider application (DOC; 52KB; 3pp.) may be printed, completed, and mailed to the SBE. Applications for training will be due according to the timeline.
As part of the program assurances, LEAs must agree to provide 120 hours of SB 472 training to participating teachers, which must consist of 40 hours of intensive professional development and 80 hours of follow-up training. LEAs are required to use an SBE-approved provider for the 40-hour portion of their SB 472 training. A training provider must be approved to conduct the 40-hour training on the specific instructional materials the LEA is claiming. The CDE cannot issue payment for 40-hour training by providers who are not approved.
For the 80 hours of follow-up training, all participating LEAs may provide it themselves or choose another provider at their discretion. An SBE-approved provider does not need to conduct the 80 hours of follow-up training. If the LEA chooses to provide its own 80 hours of follow-up training, the LEA determines its format.
A letter was sent to all county and district superintendents and current training providers to announce an informational rollout meeting for SB 472 and to provide an analysis of SB 472. The SBE's lists of approved training providers are available and will be updated as new providers are added.
LEA Criteria
An individual school district or county office of education may apply for reimbursement for training under the program. County offices of education may also submit an application as the lead agency for a consortium of school districts. The consortium leader serves as the fiscal agent for both reading/language arts and mathematics training for all of its LEA members. Fiscal arrangements between the consortiums, its members, and providers are the responsibility of the consortium. All reimbursement payments from the CDE will be made to the consortium lead.
Adopted Instructional Materials
SB 472 authorizes training reimbursement based on three criteria:
- Use of pupils’ instructional materials which are aligned to the content standards for English-language arts and mathematics
- Use of content standards adopted by the SBE for English-language arts and mathematics
- Use of curriculum frameworks adopted by the SBE for reading/language arts or mathematics
Materials include the following:
- Mathematics materials for kindergarten through grade eight, including algebra, adopted by the SBE, February 2001, September 2005, and November 2007
- Reading/language arts materials for grades kindergarten through grade eight adopted by the SBE, February 2002 and September 2005
- Mathematics materials (including algebra II and geometry) and reading/language arts materials for grades nine through twelve, which are standards-aligned and have been adopted by local boards of education
Instructional Materials Available to Students
SB 472 requires that districts have adopted instructional materials in the hands of students before conducting professional development for which reimbursement will be requested. These qualifying materials must meet the following criteria:
Instructional materials used by LEAs for courses usually taught in kindergarten through grade eight, including algebra, must have been adopted by the SBE subsequent to February 2001, unless otherwise authorized by the SBE.
Non-adopted instructional materials are occasionally authorized for purchase and use by LEAs using the Petition Process, under the waiver authority of EC sections 60421(d) and 60200(g). In addition, a new waiver authority, EC Section 60422(c), may be used to allow districts to waive the purchasing priority established in EC Section 60622(b) if a district can prove that “standards aligned alternative materials” are provided in the four core areas. For further information, contact the CDE Waiver Office at 916-319-0824.
Eligible Teachers and Training Requirements
Training is limited to those teachers who provide direct instruction to pupils and who also meet the specific credential and assignment requirements summarized below:
| Teachers | Allowable Training | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
K-8 "self contained" classroom |
40 hours mathematics |
80 hours mathematics |
K-8 multiple-subject credentialed teachers, whose primary assignment is to teach in a classroom that is "not self-contained" |
40 hours mathematics or |
80 hours mathematics or |
K-12 teachers providing exceptional needs students instruction in mathematics and reading/language arts |
40 hours mathematics |
80 hours mathematics |
Secondary teachers with single subject credentials in English or social science |
40 hours reading/language arts |
80 hours reading/language arts |
Secondary teachers and substitutes with one year emergency teaching permits for English and social science |
40 hours reading/language arts |
80 hours reading/language arts |
Secondary teachers with single subject credentials in mathematics or science |
40 hours mathematics |
80 hours mathematics |
Secondary teachers and substitutes with one-year emergency permits for mathematics or science |
40 hours mathematics |
80 hours mathematics |
Teachers not included in the above table may attend professional development sessions, but the LEA cannot claim SB 472 funding for those teachers. Further, the LEA must not claim SB 472 reimbursement for training attended by administrators or coaches who do not provide direct instruction to pupils. Holders of emergency 30-day substitute teaching permits are not eligible to participate.
A teacher is eligible for a second sequence of 40, 80, or 120 hours of professional development at the beginning level in the same subject area only under the following circumstances.
- The LEA has changed its adopted instructional materials program, and approved training is available for the new program.
- The teacher's grade level assignment has changed.
- The teacher's course assignment has changed to an area in which the teacher has not previously received the applicable training.
Paraprofessionals and Instructional Aides
The Budget Act of FY 2007-08 does not contain an appropriation to fund the training of paraprofessionals and instructional aides.
Training Priorities
LEAs are to give highest priority for training to the following:
- Teachers who are new to the teaching profession
- Teachers who are assigned to high-priority schools
- Teachers who are assigned to schools that are under state sanctions
- Teachers who have recently changed teaching assignments
Program Contacts
Reading/Language Arts
Carrie Roberts, Education Programs Consultant
Reading/Language Arts Leadership Office
croberts@cde.ca.gov or 916-323-4630
Mathematics
Jim Greco, Education Administrator I
Mathematics and Science Leadership Office
jgreco@cde.ca.gov or 916-323-6189
LEA Applications and Fiscal Issues
Juliet Barbero, Associate Analyst
Administrative and Fiscal Services Office
jbarbero@cde.ca.gov or 916-323-5795
