CS/HB 7155

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to education; requiring every public
3	school to designate lead teachers in certain subject areas
4	to train and mentor teachers at their respective schools;
5	requiring school districts to appoint master trainers in
6	certain subject areas; requiring the Department of
7	Education to offer training and provide certain
8	information electronically; requiring the State Board of
9	Education to adopt rules relating to certain
10	qualifications for certification; establishing priorities
11	for mentoring; requiring school districts to provide
12	written statements regarding liability insurance coverage;
13	requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
14	Government Accountability to study teacher preparation
15	programs and submit a report; requiring teacher
16	preparation programs to offer certain options; amending s.
17	1001.51, F.S.; permitting district school superintendents
18	to directly dismiss administrative personnel; amending s.
19	1004.04, F.S., relating to public accountability and state
20	approval for teacher preparation programs; requiring
21	programs to incorporate instruction regarding gifted and
22	academically talented student identification and
23	placement; requiring the department to establish an
24	electronic reporting system for approved teacher
25	preparation programs; permitting persons who are eligible
26	to participate as a mentor in the Dale Hickam Excellent
27	Teaching Program to supervise or direct teacher
28	preparation students during field experience courses or
29	internships; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; requiring
30	postsecondary educator preparation institutes to guarantee
31	the quality of graduates; requiring institutes to provide
32	additional training to educators who fail to demonstrate
33	certain essential skills at no cost to the educator or
34	employer; amending s. 1012.32, F.S.; permitting background
35	screenings of individuals participating in student
36	teaching to be transferred among districts; amending s.
37	1012.56, F.S.; revising acceptable means of demonstrating
38	mastery of general knowledge for educator certification;
39	requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
40	Government Accountability to study teacher retention rates
41	and submit a report; amending s. 1009.59, F.S.; requiring
42	applicants for the Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan
43	Forgiveness Program to commit to teaching for 3 years in a
44	critical teacher shortage subject area; amending s.
45	1012.986, F.S.; providing recognition and mentoring
46	opportunities for high-performing principals; providing an
47	effective date.
48
49	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
50
51	Section 1.  Lead teachers and master trainers.--
52	(1)  Each school district shall require every public school
53	in that district to designate a lead teacher in the subject
54	areas of reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. Each
55	lead teacher shall attend periodic training provided by the
56	district master trainers on the latest research regarding
57	effective teaching methodologies, techniques, and skills,
58	including use of information technology; advancements in
59	curricula; cross-curricula training strategies; and student
60	motivation and management. Lead teachers shall train and mentor
61	teachers at their respective schools in their respective subject
62	areas.
63	(2)  Each school district shall appoint master trainers who
64	must be specialists in reading, mathematics, social studies, or
65	science and in techniques for using information technology to
66	teach the subject area. The master trainers must train the lead
67	teachers and provide onsite training for schools needing
68	additional assistance, particularly schools graded "D" or "F."
69	(3)  The Department of Education shall offer a 3-day summer
70	academy for master trainers. Training shall include information
71	regarding the latest research on effective teaching
72	methodologies, techniques, and skills, including use of
73	information technology; advancements in curricula; cross-
74	curricula training strategies; and student motivation and
75	management.
76	(4)  The Department of Education shall make electronically
77	available to all teachers the latest updated information
78	regarding their subject areas and teaching advancements.
79	Section 2.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
80	contrary, the State Board of Education shall adopt rules that:
81	(1)  Allow the military occupational specialty designation
82	for instruction to be used as verification of instructional
83	experience for purposes of teacher certification.
84	(2)  Count credit granted by the American Council for
85	Education the same as college credit for purposes of teacher
86	certification.
87	(3)  Allow military personnel to use proof of completion of
88	Defense Language Institute training to demonstrate subject area
89	competence in the critical shortage area of foreign language.
90	Section 3.  Notwithstanding any provision of law or rule to
91	the contrary, the first priority for the use of the time
92	required of teachers who have achieved certification by the
93	National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for mentoring
94	or related services shall be to provide such services to
95	beginning teachers, teachers in need of improvement, and
96	candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs, including
97	educator preparation institutes.
98	Section 4.  School district insurance coverage
99	statement.--Each school district shall provide to all covered
100	instructional personnel a written statement explaining the
101	liability insurance coverage that the district provides such
102	personnel. The statement must be concise, written in lay
103	language, and distributed to covered instructional personnel
104	separate from any other information they may otherwise receive
105	from the district. The statement must include a clear
106	explanation of the scope of the coverage and a reference to and
107	discussion of the existing laws that protect teachers and
108	principals from liability. The statement must be provided to and
109	discussed with covered personnel at all annual orientations
110	provided by the school district as well as posted on the school
111	district's website.
112	Section 5.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
113	Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to
114	identify teacher preparation programs that are most effective at
115	producing new teachers who are employed in Florida public K-12
116	classrooms. The study must:
117	(1)  Analyze the rates at which students complete teacher
118	preparation programs in order to examine the productivity of
119	these programs;
120	(2)  Follow one or more cohorts of teacher preparation
121	program completers from universities, community colleges,
122	educator preparation institutes, and district alternative
123	certification programs to determine the proportion of graduates
124	who enter classroom teaching; and
125	(3)  Follow one or more cohorts of newly employed Florida
126	K-12 classroom teachers to determine how long they remain in the
127	classroom and whether teachers who remain in the classroom are
128	more likely to be products of certain teacher preparation
129	programs.
130
131	The number of cohorts shall be determined by OPPAGA based on the
132	research needs of the project. A report shall be submitted to
133	the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
134	Representatives by February 1, 2008.
135	Section 6.  Each institution that offers state-approved
136	teacher preparation programs shall make options available to
137	students to pursue a teacher preparation program comprised of 3
138	years of coursework followed by a 1-year paid residency or
139	internship with opportunities for students to participate in
140	classroom experiences each year of the program and specify such
141	options in a report to the President of the Senate and the
142	Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report shall be
143	submitted annually no later than February 1 and may be used to
144	develop a performance funding model for approved teacher
145	education programs.
146	Section 7.  Subsection (7) of section 1001.51, Florida
147	Statutes, is amended to read:
148	1001.51  Duties and responsibilities of district school
149	superintendent.--The district school superintendent shall
150	exercise all powers and perform all duties listed below and
151	elsewhere in the law, provided that, in so doing, he or she
152	shall advise and counsel with the district school board. The
153	district school superintendent shall perform all tasks necessary
154	to make sound recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
155	reports required by law to be acted upon by the district school
156	board. All such recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
157	reports by the district school superintendent shall be either
158	recorded in the minutes or shall be made in writing, noted in
159	the minutes, and filed in the public records of the district
160	school board. It shall be presumed that, in the absence of the
161	record required in this section, the recommendations,
162	nominations, and proposals required of the district school
163	superintendent were not contrary to the action taken by the
164	district school board in such matters.
165	(7)  PERSONNEL.--Be responsible, as required herein, for
166	directing the work of the personnel, subject to the requirements
167	of chapter 1012. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to
168	the contrary, a district school superintendent may directly
169	dismiss administrative personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(3)(a)
170	and (b).
171	Section 8.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3), paragraph (b)
172	of subsection (5), and paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of
173	section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
174	1004.04  Public accountability and state approval for
175	teacher preparation programs.--
176	(3)  DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS.--A system
177	developed by the Department of Education in collaboration with
178	postsecondary educational institutions shall assist departments
179	and colleges of education in the restructuring of their programs
180	in accordance with this section to meet the need for producing
181	quality teachers now and in the future.
182	(c)  State-approved teacher preparation programs must
183	incorporate:
184	1.  Appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages
185	instruction so that program graduates will have completed the
186	requirements for teaching limited English proficient students in
187	Florida public schools.
188	2.  Scientifically researched, knowledge-based reading
189	literacy and computational skills instruction so that program
190	graduates will be able to provide the necessary academic
191	foundations for their students at whatever grade levels they
192	choose to teach.
193	3.  Gifted and academically talented student identification
194	and placement instruction so that program graduates will be able
195	to identify gifted and academically talented students in the
196	elementary grades and provide these students with accelerated
197	learning opportunities throughout their academic careers that
198	allow them to work at suitably challenging levels.
199	(5)  CONTINUED PROGRAM APPROVAL.--Notwithstanding
200	subsection (4), failure by a public or nonpublic teacher
201	preparation program to meet the criteria for continued program
202	approval shall result in loss of program approval. The
203	Department of Education, in collaboration with the departments
204	and colleges of education, shall develop procedures for
205	continued program approval that document the continuous
206	improvement of program processes and graduates' performance.
207	(b)  Additional criteria for continued program approval for
208	public institutions may be approved by the State Board of
209	Education. Such criteria must emphasize instruction in classroom
210	management and must provide for the evaluation of the teacher
211	candidates' performance in this area. The criteria shall also
212	require instruction in working with underachieving students.
213	Program evaluation procedures must include, but are not limited
214	to, program graduates' satisfaction with instruction and the
215	program's responsiveness to local school districts. Additional
216	criteria for continued program approval for nonpublic
217	institutions shall be developed in the same manner as for public
218	institutions; however, such criteria must be based upon
219	significant, objective, and quantifiable graduate performance
220	measures. Responsibility for collecting data on outcome measures
221	through survey instruments and other appropriate means shall be
222	shared by the postsecondary educational institutions and the
223	Department of Education. By January 1 of each year, the
224	Department of Education shall report this information for each
225	postsecondary educational institution that has state-approved
226	programs of teacher education to the Governor, the State Board
227	of Education, the Commissioner of Education, the President of
228	the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, all
229	Florida postsecondary teacher preparation programs, and
230	interested members of the public. This report must analyze the
231	data and make recommendations for improving teacher preparation
232	programs in the state. By August 1, 2008, the Department of
233	Education shall establish an electronic reporting system by
234	which all institutions with programs approved under this section
235	shall report data required for continued approval. The system
236	must be linked to the K-20 Education Data Warehouse and provide
237	institutions with a means of reviewing and utilizing data for
238	purposes of continuous program improvement. The system must also
239	align data elements to allow for comparison of performance
240	outcomes common to programs approved under this section and
241	other types of approved teacher preparation programs in this
242	state.
243	(6)  PRESERVICE FIELD EXPERIENCE.--All postsecondary
244	instructors, school district personnel and instructional
245	personnel, and school sites preparing instructional personnel
246	through preservice field experience courses and internships
247	shall meet special requirements. District school boards are
248	authorized to pay student teachers during their internships.
249	(b)  All school district personnel and instructional
250	personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
251	during field experience courses or internships must have
252	evidence of "clinical educator" training or eligibility for
253	participation as a mentor in the Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching
254	Program pursuant to s. 1012.72 and must successfully demonstrate
255	effective classroom management strategies that consistently
256	result in improved student performance. The State Board of
257	Education shall approve the training requirements.
258	Section 9.  Subsections (4) through (7) of section 1004.85,
259	Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) through (8),
260	respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section
261	to read:
262	1004.85  Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.--
263	(4)  Each educator preparation institute shall guarantee
264	the high quality of its graduates during the first 2 years
265	immediately following graduation from the program or following
266	initial certification, whichever occurs first. Any educator in a
267	Florida school who fails to demonstrate the essential skills
268	specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e) shall be provided additional
269	training by the educator preparation institute at no expense to
270	the educator or the employer. Such training must consist of an
271	individualized plan agreed upon by the school district and the
272	educator preparation institute that includes specific learning
273	outcomes. The educator preparation institute assumes no
274	responsibility for the educator's employment contract with the
275	employer. Employer satisfaction shall be determined by an
276	annually administered survey instrument approved by the
277	Department of Education that measures, at a minimum, employer
278	satisfaction with the ability of graduates to demonstrate the
279	essential skills specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e).
280	Section 10.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
281	1012.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
282	1012.32  Qualifications of personnel.--
283	(2)
284	(d)  Individuals Student teachers, persons participating in
285	student teaching a field experience pursuant to s. 1004.04(6) or
286	s. 1004.85, and persons participating in a short-term experience
287	as a teacher assistant pursuant to s. 1004.04(10) in any
288	district school system, lab school, or charter school shall,
289	upon engagement to provide services, undergo background
290	screening as required under s. 1012.56. Such screening may be
291	transferred from one school district to another school district.
292
293	Fingerprints shall be submitted to the Department of Law
294	Enforcement for state processing and to the Federal Bureau of
295	Investigation for federal processing. Persons subject to this
296	subsection found through fingerprint processing to have been
297	convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude shall not be
298	employed, engaged to provide services, or serve in any position
299	requiring direct contact with students. Probationary persons
300	subject to this subsection terminated because of their criminal
301	record have the right to appeal such decisions. The cost of the
302	background screening may be borne by the district school board,
303	the charter school, the employee, the contractor, or a person
304	subject to this subsection.
305	Section 11.  Subsection (3) of section 1012.56, Florida
306	Statutes, is amended to read:
307	1012.56  Educator certification requirements.--
308	(3)  MASTERY OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.--Acceptable means of
309	demonstrating mastery of general knowledge are:
310	(a)  Achievement of passing scores on basic skills
311	examination required by state board rule for persons seeking
312	initial certification before July 1, 2009;
313	(b)  Achievement of passing scores on an examination that
314	demonstrates mastery of a college-level general education
315	curriculum required by state board rule for persons seeking
316	initial certification on or after July 1, 2009 the College Level
317	Academic Skills Test earned prior to July 1, 2002;
318	(c)  A valid professional standard teaching certificate
319	issued by another state;
320	(d)  A valid certificate issued by the National Board for
321	Professional Teaching Standards or a national educator
322	credentialing board approved by the State Board of Education; or
323	(e)  Documentation of two semesters of successful teaching
324	in a community college, state university, or private college or
325	university that awards an associate or higher degree and is an
326	accredited institution or an institution of higher education
327	identified by the Department of Education as having a quality
328	program.
329	Section 12.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
330	Government Accountability shall conduct a study of teacher
331	retention rates for each school district. The study shall report
332	and analyze the teacher retention rates for each school district
333	and each school within the district. The study shall also report
334	and analyze the retention rates for new teachers. Teacher
335	retention rates shall be disaggregated to include ethnicity,
336	age, subject area, and grade level. A report shall be submitted
337	to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
338	Representatives by March 1, 2008.
339	Section 13.  Subsection (1) of section 1009.59, Florida
340	Statutes, is amended to read:
341	1009.59  Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness
342	Program.--
343	(1)  The Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness
344	Program is established to encourage qualified personnel to seek
345	employment in subject areas in which critical teacher shortages
346	exist, as identified annually by the State Board of Education.
347	The primary function of the program is to make repayments toward
348	student loans received by students from federal programs or
349	commercial lending institutions for the support of postsecondary
350	education study. Repayments are intended to be made to qualified
351	applicants who are begin teaching for the first time in
352	designated subject areas, and who apply during their first year
353	of teaching as certified teachers in those these subject areas,
354	and who commit in writing to teach in the designated subject
355	areas for a minimum of 3 years.
356	Section 14.  Subsection (1) of section 1012.986, Florida
357	Statutes, is amended to read:
358	1012.986  William Cecil Golden Professional Development
359	Program for School Leaders.--
360	(1)  There is established the William Cecil Golden
361	Professional Development Program for School Leaders to provide
362	high standards and sustained support for principals as
363	instructional leaders. The program shall consist of a
364	collaborative network of state and national professional
365	leadership organizations working together to respond to
366	instructional leadership needs throughout the state. The network
367	shall support the human-resource development needs of
368	principals, principal leadership teams, and candidates for
369	principal leadership positions using the framework of leadership
370	standards adopted by the State Board of Education, the Southern
371	Regional Education Board, and the National Staff Development
372	Council. The goals goal of the network leadership program are is
373	to:
374	(a)  Provide resources to support and enhance the
375	principal's role as the instructional leader.
376	(b)  Maintain a clearinghouse and disseminate data-
377	supported information related to enhanced student achievement,
378	based on educational research and best practices.
379	(c)  Build the capacity for increasing to increase the
380	quality of programs for preservice education for aspiring
381	principals and inservice professional development for principals
382	and principal leadership teams.
383	(d)  Support best teaching and research-based instructional
384	practices through dissemination and modeling at the preservice
385	and inservice levels for both teachers who are aspiring school
386	leaders and principals.
387	(e)  Recognize high-performing principals, including those
388	who excel in instructional leadership, and provide opportunities
389	for these individuals to serve as mentors in this program.
390	Section 15.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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