Section 99221.

The Regents of the University of California are requested to develop jointly with the Trustees of the California State University and the independent colleges and universities, the High School English 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 12,000 participants who either provide direct instruction in reading and writing to California public high school pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, or supervise beginning teachers of high school reading and writing.

(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 is not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Schools whose pupils' scores on the English language arts portion of the achievement test authorized by Section 60640 are at or below the 40th percentile.

(B) Teams composed of a large percentage of the members of their schools' English 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) Teams of teachers from various departments within a school.

(E) Schools with a high number of beginning and noncredentialed teachers.

(F) 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 meeting the criteria set forth in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2).

(c) (1) The institutes shall provide instruction in the teaching of reading and writing in a manner consistent with the standard for a comprehensive reading and writing instruction program that is research-based, as described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 44259.

(2) Instruction provided pursuant to this section shall be consistent with state-adopted academic content standards and with the curriculum frameworks on reading/language arts 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) In order to provide maximum access, the institutes shall be offered through multiple university and college campuses that are widely distributed throughout the state or in a regionally accredited program offered through instructor-led, interactive online courses. In order to maximize access to teachers and administrators who may be precluded from participating in an onsite institute due to geographical, physical, or time constraints, each institute shall be required to accommodate at least 5 percent of the participants through state-approved instructor-led, interactive online courses. Instruction at the institutes shall consist of an intensive, sustained training period of no less than 40 hours nor more than 120 hours during the summer or during an intersession break or an equivalent instructor-led, online course and shall be supplemented, during the following school year, with no fewer than 80 additional hours nor more than 120 additional hours of instruction and schoolsite meetings, held on at least a monthly basis, to focus on the academic progress of that school's pupils in English language arts.

(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that a local education agency or postsecondary institution that offers an accredited program of professional preparation consider providing partial and proportional credit toward satisfaction of English language arts requirements to an enrolled candidate who satisfactorily completes a High School English Professional Development Institute if the institute has been certified by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing as meeting English language arts standards.

(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 737, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2002.)