CS/HB 7155

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to education; requiring every public
3school to designate lead teachers in certain subject areas
4to train and mentor teachers at their respective schools;
5requiring school districts to appoint master trainers in
6certain subject areas; requiring the Department of
7Education to offer training and provide certain
8information electronically; requiring the State Board of
9Education to adopt rules relating to certain
10qualifications for certification; establishing priorities
11for mentoring; requiring school districts to provide
12written statements regarding liability insurance coverage;
13requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
14Government Accountability to study teacher preparation
15programs and submit a report; requiring teacher
16preparation programs to offer certain options; amending s.
171001.51, F.S.; permitting district school superintendents
18to directly dismiss administrative personnel; amending s.
191004.04, F.S., relating to public accountability and state
20approval for teacher preparation programs; requiring
21programs to incorporate instruction regarding gifted and
22academically talented student identification and
23placement; requiring the department to establish an
24electronic reporting system for approved teacher
25preparation programs; permitting persons who are eligible
26to participate as a mentor in the Dale Hickam Excellent
27Teaching Program to supervise or direct teacher
28preparation students during field experience courses or
29internships; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; requiring
30postsecondary educator preparation institutes to guarantee
31the quality of graduates; requiring institutes to provide
32additional training to educators who fail to demonstrate
33certain essential skills at no cost to the educator or
34employer; amending s. 1012.32, F.S.; permitting background
35screenings of individuals participating in student
36teaching to be transferred among districts; amending s.
371012.56, F.S.; revising acceptable means of demonstrating
38mastery of general knowledge for educator certification;
39requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
40Government Accountability to study teacher retention rates
41and submit a report; providing an effective date.
42
43Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
44
45     Section 1.  Lead teachers and master trainers.--
46     (1)  Each school district shall require every public school
47in that district to designate a lead teacher in the subject
48areas of reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. Each
49lead teacher shall attend periodic training provided by the
50district master trainers on the latest research regarding
51effective teaching methodologies, techniques, and skills,
52including use of information technology; advancements in
53curricula; cross-curricula training strategies; and student
54motivation and management. Lead teachers shall train and mentor
55teachers at their respective schools in their respective subject
56areas.
57     (2)  Each school district shall appoint master trainers who
58must be specialists in reading, mathematics, social studies, or
59science and in techniques for using information technology to
60teach the subject area. The master trainers must train the lead
61teachers and provide onsite training for schools needing
62additional assistance, particularly schools graded "D" or "F."
63     (3)  The Department of Education shall offer a 3-day summer
64academy for master trainers. Training shall include information
65regarding the latest research on effective teaching
66methodologies, techniques, and skills, including use of
67information technology; advancements in curricula; cross-
68curricula training strategies; and student motivation and
69management.
70     (4)  The Department of Education shall make electronically
71available to all teachers the latest updated information
72regarding their subject areas and teaching advancements.
73     Section 2.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
74contrary, the State Board of Education shall adopt rules that:
75     (1)  Allow the military occupational specialty designation
76for instruction to be used as verification of instructional
77experience for purposes of teacher certification.
78     (2)  Count credit granted by the American Council for
79Education the same as college credit for purposes of teacher
80certification.
81     (3)  Allow military personnel to use proof of completion of
82Defense Language Institute training to demonstrate subject area
83competence in the critical shortage area of foreign language.
84     Section 3.  Notwithstanding any provision of law or rule to
85the contrary, the first priority for the use of the time
86required of teachers who have achieved certification by the
87National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for mentoring
88or related services shall be to provide such services to
89beginning teachers, teachers in need of improvement, and
90candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs, including
91educator preparation institutes.
92     Section 4.  School district insurance coverage
93statement.--Each school district shall provide to all covered
94instructional personnel a written statement explaining the
95liability insurance coverage that the district provides such
96personnel. The statement must be concise, written in lay
97language, and distributed to covered instructional personnel
98separate from any other information they may otherwise receive
99from the district. The statement must include a clear
100explanation of the scope of the coverage and a reference to and
101discussion of the existing laws that protect teachers and
102principals from liability. The statement must be provided to and
103discussed with covered personnel at all annual orientations
104provided by the school district as well as posted on the school
105district's website.
106     Section 5.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
107Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to
108identify teacher preparation programs that are most effective at
109producing new teachers who are employed in Florida public K-12
110classrooms. The study must:
111     (1)  Analyze the rates at which students complete teacher
112preparation programs in order to examine the productivity of
113these programs;
114     (2)  Follow one or more cohorts of teacher preparation
115program completers from universities, community colleges,
116educator preparation institutes, and district alternative
117certification programs to determine the proportion of graduates
118who enter classroom teaching; and
119     (3)  Follow one or more cohorts of newly employed Florida
120K-12 classroom teachers to determine how long they remain in the
121classroom and whether teachers who remain in the classroom are
122more likely to be products of certain teacher preparation
123programs.
124
125The number of cohorts shall be determined by OPPAGA based on the
126research needs of the project. A report shall be submitted to
127the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
128Representatives by February 1, 2008.
129     Section 6.  Each institution that offers state-approved
130teacher preparation programs shall make options available to
131students to pursue a teacher preparation program comprised of 3
132years of coursework followed by a 1-year paid residency or
133internship with opportunities for students to participate in
134classroom experiences each year of the program and specify such
135options in a report to the President of the Senate and the
136Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report shall be
137submitted annually no later than February 1 and may be used to
138develop a performance funding model for approved teacher
139education programs.
140     Section 7.  Subsection (7) of section 1001.51, Florida
141Statutes, is amended to read:
142     1001.51  Duties and responsibilities of district school
143superintendent.--The district school superintendent shall
144exercise all powers and perform all duties listed below and
145elsewhere in the law, provided that, in so doing, he or she
146shall advise and counsel with the district school board. The
147district school superintendent shall perform all tasks necessary
148to make sound recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
149reports required by law to be acted upon by the district school
150board. All such recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
151reports by the district school superintendent shall be either
152recorded in the minutes or shall be made in writing, noted in
153the minutes, and filed in the public records of the district
154school board. It shall be presumed that, in the absence of the
155record required in this section, the recommendations,
156nominations, and proposals required of the district school
157superintendent were not contrary to the action taken by the
158district school board in such matters.
159     (7)  PERSONNEL.--Be responsible, as required herein, for
160directing the work of the personnel, subject to the requirements
161of chapter 1012. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to
162the contrary, a district school superintendent may directly
163dismiss administrative personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(3)(a)
164and (b).
165     Section 8.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3), paragraph (b)
166of subsection (5), and paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of
167section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
168     1004.04  Public accountability and state approval for
169teacher preparation programs.--
170     (3)  DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS.--A system
171developed by the Department of Education in collaboration with
172postsecondary educational institutions shall assist departments
173and colleges of education in the restructuring of their programs
174in accordance with this section to meet the need for producing
175quality teachers now and in the future.
176     (c)  State-approved teacher preparation programs must
177incorporate:
178     1.  Appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages
179instruction so that program graduates will have completed the
180requirements for teaching limited English proficient students in
181Florida public schools.
182     2.  Scientifically researched, knowledge-based reading
183literacy and computational skills instruction so that program
184graduates will be able to provide the necessary academic
185foundations for their students at whatever grade levels they
186choose to teach.
187     3.  Gifted and academically talented student identification
188and placement instruction so that program graduates will be able
189to identify gifted and academically talented students in the
190elementary grades and provide these students with accelerated
191learning opportunities throughout their academic careers that
192allow them to work at suitably challenging levels.
193     (5)  CONTINUED PROGRAM APPROVAL.--Notwithstanding
194subsection (4), failure by a public or nonpublic teacher
195preparation program to meet the criteria for continued program
196approval shall result in loss of program approval. The
197Department of Education, in collaboration with the departments
198and colleges of education, shall develop procedures for
199continued program approval that document the continuous
200improvement of program processes and graduates' performance.
201     (b)  Additional criteria for continued program approval for
202public institutions may be approved by the State Board of
203Education. Such criteria must emphasize instruction in classroom
204management and must provide for the evaluation of the teacher
205candidates' performance in this area. The criteria shall also
206require instruction in working with underachieving students.
207Program evaluation procedures must include, but are not limited
208to, program graduates' satisfaction with instruction and the
209program's responsiveness to local school districts. Additional
210criteria for continued program approval for nonpublic
211institutions shall be developed in the same manner as for public
212institutions; however, such criteria must be based upon
213significant, objective, and quantifiable graduate performance
214measures. Responsibility for collecting data on outcome measures
215through survey instruments and other appropriate means shall be
216shared by the postsecondary educational institutions and the
217Department of Education. By January 1 of each year, the
218Department of Education shall report this information for each
219postsecondary educational institution that has state-approved
220programs of teacher education to the Governor, the State Board
221of Education, the Commissioner of Education, the President of
222the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, all
223Florida postsecondary teacher preparation programs, and
224interested members of the public. This report must analyze the
225data and make recommendations for improving teacher preparation
226programs in the state. By August 1, 2008, the Department of
227Education shall establish an electronic reporting system by
228which all institutions with programs approved under this section
229shall report data required for continued approval. The system
230must be linked to the K-20 Education Data Warehouse and provide
231institutions with a means of reviewing and utilizing data for
232purposes of continuous program improvement. The system must also
233align data elements to allow for comparison of performance
234outcomes common to programs approved under this section and
235other types of approved teacher preparation programs in this
236state.
237     (6)  PRESERVICE FIELD EXPERIENCE.--All postsecondary
238instructors, school district personnel and instructional
239personnel, and school sites preparing instructional personnel
240through preservice field experience courses and internships
241shall meet special requirements. District school boards are
242authorized to pay student teachers during their internships.
243     (b)  All school district personnel and instructional
244personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
245during field experience courses or internships must have
246evidence of "clinical educator" training or eligibility for
247participation as a mentor in the Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching
248Program pursuant to s. 1012.72 and must successfully demonstrate
249effective classroom management strategies that consistently
250result in improved student performance. The State Board of
251Education shall approve the training requirements.
252     Section 9.  Subsections (4) through (7) of section 1004.85,
253Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) through (8),
254respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section
255to read:
256     1004.85  Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.--
257     (4)  Each educator preparation institute shall guarantee
258the high quality of its graduates during the first 2 years
259immediately following graduation from the program or following
260initial certification, whichever occurs first. Any educator in a
261Florida school who fails to demonstrate the essential skills
262specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e) shall be provided additional
263training by the educator preparation institute at no expense to
264the educator or the employer. Such training must consist of an
265individualized plan agreed upon by the school district and the
266educator preparation institute that includes specific learning
267outcomes. The educator preparation institute assumes no
268responsibility for the educator's employment contract with the
269employer. Employer satisfaction shall be determined by an
270annually administered survey instrument approved by the
271Department of Education that measures, at a minimum, employer
272satisfaction with the ability of graduates to demonstrate the
273essential skills specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e).
274     Section 10.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
2751012.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
276     1012.32  Qualifications of personnel.--
277     (2)
278     (d)  Individuals Student teachers, persons participating in
279student teaching a field experience pursuant to s. 1004.04(6) or
280s. 1004.85, and persons participating in a short-term experience
281as a teacher assistant pursuant to s. 1004.04(10) in any
282district school system, lab school, or charter school shall,
283upon engagement to provide services, undergo background
284screening as required under s. 1012.56. Such screening may be
285transferred from one school district to another school district.
286
287Fingerprints shall be submitted to the Department of Law
288Enforcement for state processing and to the Federal Bureau of
289Investigation for federal processing. Persons subject to this
290subsection found through fingerprint processing to have been
291convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude shall not be
292employed, engaged to provide services, or serve in any position
293requiring direct contact with students. Probationary persons
294subject to this subsection terminated because of their criminal
295record have the right to appeal such decisions. The cost of the
296background screening may be borne by the district school board,
297the charter school, the employee, the contractor, or a person
298subject to this subsection.
299     Section 11.  Subsection (3) of section 1012.56, Florida
300Statutes, is amended to read:
301     1012.56  Educator certification requirements.--
302     (3)  MASTERY OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.--Acceptable means of
303demonstrating mastery of general knowledge are:
304     (a)  Achievement of passing scores on basic skills
305examination required by state board rule for persons seeking
306initial certification before July 1, 2009;
307     (b)  Achievement of passing scores on an examination that
308demonstrates mastery of a college-level general education
309curriculum required by state board rule for persons seeking
310initial certification on or after July 1, 2009 the College Level
311Academic Skills Test earned prior to July 1, 2002;
312     (c)  A valid professional standard teaching certificate
313issued by another state;
314     (d)  A valid certificate issued by the National Board for
315Professional Teaching Standards or a national educator
316credentialing board approved by the State Board of Education; or
317     (e)  Documentation of two semesters of successful teaching
318in a community college, state university, or private college or
319university that awards an associate or higher degree and is an
320accredited institution or an institution of higher education
321identified by the Department of Education as having a quality
322program.
323     Section 12.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
324Government Accountability shall conduct a study of teacher
325retention rates for each school district. The study shall report
326and analyze the teacher retention rates for each school district
327and each school within the district. The study shall also report
328and analyze the retention rates for new teachers. Teacher
329retention rates shall be disaggregated to include ethnicity,
330age, subject area, and grade level. A report shall be submitted
331to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
332Representatives by March 1, 2008.
333     Section 13.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.