(a) The governing board of any school district that maintains prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, classes in bilingual education, or special education programs, may, in consultation with an accredited institution of higher education offering an approved program of pedagogical teacher preparation, employ persons authorized by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to provide service as district interns to provide instruction to pupils in those grades or classes as a classroom teacher. The governing board shall require that each district intern be assisted and guided by a certificated employee selected through a competitive process adopted by the governing board after consultation with the exclusive teacher representative unit or by personnel employed by institutions of higher education to supervise student teachers. These certificated employees shall possess valid certification at the same level, or of the same type of credential, as the district interns they serve.

(b) The governing board of each school district employing district interns shall develop and implement a professional development plan for district interns in consultation with an accredited institution of higher education offering an approved program of pedagogical preparation. The professional development plan shall include all of the following:

(1) Provisions for an annual evaluation of the district intern.

(2) As the governing board determines necessary, a description of courses to be completed by the district intern, if any, and a plan for the completion of preservice or other clinical training, if any, including student teaching.

(3) Mandatory preservice training for district interns tailored to the grade level or class to be taught, through either of the following options:

(A) One hundred twenty clock hours of preservice training and orientation in the aspects of child development, classroom organization and management, pedagogy, and methods of teaching the subject field or fields in which the district intern will be assigned, which training and orientation period shall be under the direct supervision of an experienced permanent teacher. In addition, persons holding district intern certificates issued by the commission pursuant to Section 44325 shall receive orientation in methods of teaching pupils with disabilities. At the conclusion of the preservice training period, the permanent teacher shall provide the district with information regarding the area that should be emphasized in the future training of the district intern.

(B) The successful completion, prior to service by the intern in any classroom, of six semester units of coursework from a regionally accredited college or university, designed in cooperation with the school district to provide instruction and orientation in the aspects of child development and the methods of teaching the subject matter or matters in which the district intern will be assigned.

(4) Instruction in child development and the methods of teaching during the first semester of service for district interns teaching in prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 6, inclusive, including bilingual education classes and special education programs.

(5) Instruction in the culture and methods of teaching bilingual pupils during the first year of service for district interns teaching pupils in bilingual classes and, for persons holding district intern certificates issued by the commission pursuant to Section 44325, instruction in the etiology and methods of teaching pupils with disabilities.

(6) Any other criteria that may be required by the governing board.

(7) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive, the professional development plan for district interns teaching in special education programs shall also include 120 clock hours of mandatory training and supervised fieldwork that shall include, but not be limited to, instructional practices, and the procedures and pedagogy of both general education programs and special education programs that teach pupils with disabilities.

(8) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive, the professional development plan for district interns teaching bilingual classes shall also include 120 clock hours of mandatory training and orientation, which shall include, but not be limited to, instruction in subject matter relating to bilingual-crosscultural language and academic development.

(9) The professional development plan for district interns teaching in special education programs shall be based on the standards adopted by the commission as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 44327.

(c) Each district intern and each district teacher assigned to supervise the district intern during the preservice period shall be compensated for the preservice period required pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b). The compensation shall be that which is normally provided by each district for staff development or in-service activity.

(d) Upon completion of service sufficient to meet program standards and performance assessments, the governing board may recommend to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing that the district intern be credentialed in the manner prescribed by Section 44328.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 316, Sec. 9. (AB 239) Effective January 1, 2010.)