LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 544, as amended, Coto. Teaching credential: American Indian
languages.
Existing law authorizes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing,
among other things, to establish professional standards, assessments,
and examinations for entry and advancement in the education process.
The commission is authorized to issue an eminence credential to any
person who has achieved eminence in a field of endeavor taught, or
service practiced, in the public schools of California.
This bill would require the commission, upon recommendation by a
tribal government of a federally recognized Indian tribe in
California, to issue an American Indian languages credential to a
candidate who has demonstrated fluency in that tribal language, and
met other requirements. The bill would authorize the holder of an
American Indian languages credential to teach the American Indian
language for which the credential was issued in California public
schools in preschool, kindergarten, grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and in
adult education courses, and would make the holder of that
credential eligible for a professional clear teaching credential upon
completion of a specified period of time and application and
consultation as specified. The bill would encourage each federally
recognized American Indian tribe to develop a written and oral
assessment that should be successfully completed before an applicant
is recommended for an American Indian languages credential.