Senate Bill 1286c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 CS for SB 1286
By the Committee on Education and Senator Dyer
304-1958-99
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to personnel of the school
3 system; creating s. 231.315, F.S.; providing
4 for the establishment of model peer assistance
5 and review programs; providing minimum
6 standards; providing for technical assistance
7 and allocations; providing an effective date.
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 Section 1. Section 231.315, Florida Statutes, is
12 created to read:
13 231.315 Peer assistance and review.--
14 (1) The Legislature, the education community, and the
15 public expect high standards of professional practice from
16 school administrators and instructional staff. To promote high
17 professional standards, administrators and instructional staff
18 must develop a system of shared accountability. Peer
19 assistance and review is a process in which highly skilled
20 instructional personnel serve in a consulting role with their
21 peers to improve the quality of classroom instruction. Peer
22 assistance and review allows administrators and instructional
23 personnel to share the responsibility of mentoring, training,
24 assisting, and reviewing the professional standards and
25 practices of instructional personnel.
26 (2) Peer assistance and review programs must meet the
27 following minimum standards:
28 (a) Program provisions must be developed through the
29 collective bargaining agreement between the teachers'
30 association and the school district.
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 CS for SB 1286
304-1958-99
1 (b) A joint instructional personnel and school
2 district governing body must be created with responsibility to
3 review recommendations of the consulting peer instructional
4 personnel.
5 (c) Consulting peer instructional personnel must be
6 recognized by their peers as highly skilled practitioners and
7 must be selected by their peers.
8 (d) Consulting peer instructional personnel must be
9 properly compensated and trained.
10 (e) Consulting peer instructional personnel must
11 provide assistance and review for instructional personnel with
12 the same area of expertise as the consulting peer
13 instructional personnel member.
14 (f) Consulting peer instructional personnel must not
15 be considered administrative personnel and must retain status
16 within the employees' collective bargaining unit.
17 (3) For fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001, up to
18 six school districts may be selected to establish model peer
19 assistance and review programs. At least one district selected
20 must have less than 6,000 students and at least one district
21 selected must have more than 100,000 students. Districts that
22 wish to apply for selection must submit an application to the
23 Department of Education by September 1, 1999, which includes
24 the agreement between the teachers' association and the school
25 district. By October 1, 1999, the department shall select the
26 participating districts based on the quality of their
27 applications.
28 (4) The department shall provide technical assistance
29 to selected school districts to establish model peer
30 assistance and review programs.
31
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 CS for SB 1286
304-1958-99
1 (5) The school districts selected to establish model
2 peer assistance and review programs shall receive an
3 allocation from the department as established in the General
4 Appropriations Act.
5 (6) During the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the department
6 shall assess the results of the selected model peer assistance
7 and review programs and shall submit a report to the Governor,
8 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
9 Representatives by March 1, 2001. The report must include the
10 department's recommendation as to the continuation or
11 expansion of peer assistance and review programs.
12 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
13
14 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
15 SB 1286
16
17 The Committee Substitute differs from SB 1286 in that:
18 It would not amend s. 231.600, F.S., to require school
districts and the school community to assess the effectiveness
19 of expenditures for professional development.
20 It would not amend s. 236.0811, F.S., to require funding as
provided in the appropriations act for an extra 2 days of
21 inservice training for all instructional personnel and
instructional specialists.
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
3