(a) From funds appropriated for purposes of this section, the commission may award increased funding, in addition to incentive grants awarded pursuant to Section 44386, to a school district or county office of education that agrees to enhance internship programs as provided in subdivision (b) and to address the distribution of teacher interns as required in subdivision (c).

(b) To qualify for increased intern program funding pursuant to this section, a school district or county office of education shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide teacher interns with the greater of (A) 120 hours of intensive preservice training focused on the teaching of English language learners, or (B) 40 hours of the preservice training in addition to all other required training, including, but not limited to, training required pursuant to Sections 44253.3, 44253.4, and 44253.10. The preservice training shall be completed before an intern teacher may provide instructional services.

(2) Provide all teacher interns with 40 hours of classroom observation, supervision, assistance, and assessment by one or more experienced teachers who possess valid certification to teach at the same grade level and the same subject matter and who are employed by the school district or county office of education, are assigned to assist the intern at the schoolsite, and, to the extent possible, are assigned to teach at the same schoolsite as the intern who is being assisted.

(3) Maintain a ratio of one experienced teacher to no more than five teacher interns at the same schoolsite.

(c) To continue to receive increased intern program funding pursuant to this section, commencing with the receipt of funding for a second year, a school district or county office of education shall show annually to the commission that no high-priority school, as described in Section 52055.605, will have a higher percentage of teacher interns than the districtwide average of teacher interns at a school in that year.

(d) Increased funding up to a total of three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) per intern, per year, may be awarded by the commission to a school district or county office of education that meets the requirements of this section.

(e) Participants in an alternative certification program pursuant to this article, a district intern program conducted pursuant to Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325), or an intern program conducted pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3, who have received a preliminary credential and who are generating funding for participating in an induction program pursuant to Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) are eligible to generate enhanced funding under this section.

(f) When reporting to the Legislature and the Governor pursuant to Section 44225.6, the commission shall include the number of school districts and county offices of education receiving increased funding, and the number of interns for whom increased funding is claimed, pursuant to this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 345, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2008.)