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 elected district school
18	superintendents to directly dismiss administrative
19	personnel; amending s. 1004.04, F.S., relating to public
20	accountability and state approval for teacher preparation
21	programs; requiring programs to incorporate instruction
22	regarding gifted and academically talented student
23	identification and placement; requiring the department to
24	establish an electronic reporting system for approved
25	teacher preparation programs; permitting persons who are
26	eligible to participate as a mentor in the Dale Hickam
27	Excellent 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	1012.33, F.S., relating to contracts with instructional
38	staff, supervisors, and school principals; revising the
39	probationary period for persons newly employed as
40	instructional staff; requiring mentoring, recordkeeping,
41	and reporting; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; revising
42	acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general
43	knowledge for educator certification; requiring the Office
44	of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
45	to study teacher retention rates and submit a report;
46	providing an effective date.
47
48	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50	Section 1.  Lead teachers and master trainers.--
51	(1)  Each school district shall require every public school
52	in that district to designate a lead teacher in the subject
53	areas of reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. Each
54	lead teacher shall attend periodic training provided by the
55	district master trainers on the latest research regarding
56	effective teaching methodologies, techniques, and skills,
57	including use of information technology; advancements in
58	curricula; cross-curricula training strategies; and student
59	motivation and management. Lead teachers shall train and mentor
60	teachers at their respective schools in their respective subject
61	areas.
62	(2)  Each school district shall appoint master trainers who
63	must be specialists in reading, mathematics, social studies, or
64	science and in techniques for using information technology to
65	teach the subject area. The master trainers must train the lead
66	teachers and provide onsite training for schools needing
67	additional assistance, particularly schools graded "D" or "F."
68	(3)  The Department of Education shall offer a 3-day summer
69	academy for master trainers. Training shall include information
70	regarding the latest research on effective teaching
71	methodologies, techniques, and skills, including use of
72	information technology; advancements in curricula; cross-
73	curricula training strategies; and student motivation and
74	management.
75	(4)  The Department of Education shall make electronically
76	available to all teachers the latest updated information
77	regarding their subject areas and teaching advancements.
78	Section 2.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
79	contrary, the State Board of Education shall adopt rules that:
80	(1)  Allow the military occupational specialty designation
81	for instruction to be used as verification of instructional
82	experience for purposes of teacher certification.
83	(2)  Count credit granted by the American Council for
84	Education the same as college credit for purposes of teacher
85	certification.
86	(3)  Allow military personnel to use proof of completion of
87	Defense Language Institute training to demonstrate subject area
88	competence in the critical shortage area of foreign language.
89	Section 3.  Notwithstanding any provision of law or rule to
90	the contrary, the first priority for the use of the time
91	required of teachers who have achieved certification by the
92	National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for mentoring
93	or related services shall be to provide such services to
94	beginning teachers, teachers in need of improvement, and
95	candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs, including
96	educator preparation institutes.
97	Section 4.  School district insurance coverage
98	statement.--Each school district shall provide to all covered
99	instructional personnel a written statement explaining the
100	liability insurance coverage that the district provides such
101	personnel. The statement must be concise, written in lay
102	language, and distributed to covered instructional personnel
103	separate from any other information they may otherwise receive
104	from the district. The statement must include a clear
105	explanation of the scope of the coverage and a reference to and
106	discussion of the existing laws that protect teachers and
107	principals from liability. The statement must be provided to and
108	discussed with covered personnel at all annual orientations
109	provided by the school district as well as posted on the school
110	district's website.
111	Section 5.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
112	Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall conduct a study to
113	identify teacher preparation programs that are most effective at
114	producing new teachers who are employed in Florida public K-12
115	classrooms. The study must:
116	(1)  Analyze the rates at which students complete teacher
117	preparation programs in order to examine the productivity of
118	these programs;
119	(2)  Follow one or more cohorts of teacher preparation
120	program completers from universities, community colleges,
121	educator preparation institutes, and district alternative
122	certification programs to determine the proportion of graduates
123	who enter classroom teaching; and
124	(3)  Follow one or more cohorts of newly employed Florida
125	K-12 classroom teachers to determine how long they remain in the
126	classroom and whether teachers who remain in the classroom are
127	more likely to be products of certain teacher preparation
128	programs.
129
130	The number of cohorts shall be determined by OPPAGA based on the
131	research needs of the project. A report shall be submitted to
132	the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
133	Representatives by February 1, 2008.
134	Section 6.  Each institution that offers state-approved
135	teacher preparation programs shall make options available to
136	students to pursue a teacher preparation program comprised of 3
137	years of coursework followed by a 1-year paid residency or
138	internship with opportunities for students to participate in
139	classroom experiences each year of the program and specify such
140	options in a report to the President of the Senate and the
141	Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report shall be
142	submitted annually no later than February 1 and may be used to
143	develop a performance funding model for approved teacher
144	education programs.
145	Section 7.  Subsection (7) of section 1001.51, Florida
146	Statutes, is amended to read:
147	1001.51  Duties and responsibilities of district school
148	superintendent.--The district school superintendent shall
149	exercise all powers and perform all duties listed below and
150	elsewhere in the law, provided that, in so doing, he or she
151	shall advise and counsel with the district school board. The
152	district school superintendent shall perform all tasks necessary
153	to make sound recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
154	reports required by law to be acted upon by the district school
155	board. All such recommendations, nominations, proposals, and
156	reports by the district school superintendent shall be either
157	recorded in the minutes or shall be made in writing, noted in
158	the minutes, and filed in the public records of the district
159	school board. It shall be presumed that, in the absence of the
160	record required in this section, the recommendations,
161	nominations, and proposals required of the district school
162	superintendent were not contrary to the action taken by the
163	district school board in such matters.
164	(7)  PERSONNEL.--Be responsible, as required herein, for
165	directing the work of the personnel, subject to the requirements
166	of chapter 1012. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to
167	the contrary, a district school superintendent elected under s.
168	5, Art. IX of the State Constitution may directly dismiss
169	administrative personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(3)(a) and (b).
170	Section 8.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3), paragraph (b)
171	of subsection (5), and paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of
172	section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
173	1004.04  Public accountability and state approval for
174	teacher preparation programs.--
175	(3)  DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS.--A system
176	developed by the Department of Education in collaboration with
177	postsecondary educational institutions shall assist departments
178	and colleges of education in the restructuring of their programs
179	in accordance with this section to meet the need for producing
180	quality teachers now and in the future.
181	(c)  State-approved teacher preparation programs must
182	incorporate:
183	1.  Appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages
184	instruction so that program graduates will have completed the
185	requirements for teaching limited English proficient students in
186	Florida public schools.
187	2.  Scientifically researched, knowledge-based reading
188	literacy and computational skills instruction so that program
189	graduates will be able to provide the necessary academic
190	foundations for their students at whatever grade levels they
191	choose to teach.
192	3.  Gifted and academically talented student identification
193	and placement instruction so that program graduates will be able
194	to identify gifted and academically talented students in the
195	elementary grades and provide these students with accelerated
196	learning opportunities throughout their academic careers that
197	allow them to work at suitably challenging levels.
198	(5)  CONTINUED PROGRAM APPROVAL.--Notwithstanding
199	subsection (4), failure by a public or nonpublic teacher
200	preparation program to meet the criteria for continued program
201	approval shall result in loss of program approval. The
202	Department of Education, in collaboration with the departments
203	and colleges of education, shall develop procedures for
204	continued program approval that document the continuous
205	improvement of program processes and graduates' performance.
206	(b)  Additional criteria for continued program approval for
207	public institutions may be approved by the State Board of
208	Education. Such criteria must emphasize instruction in classroom
209	management and must provide for the evaluation of the teacher
210	candidates' performance in this area. The criteria shall also
211	require instruction in working with underachieving students.
212	Program evaluation procedures must include, but are not limited
213	to, program graduates' satisfaction with instruction and the
214	program's responsiveness to local school districts. Additional
215	criteria for continued program approval for nonpublic
216	institutions shall be developed in the same manner as for public
217	institutions; however, such criteria must be based upon
218	significant, objective, and quantifiable graduate performance
219	measures. Responsibility for collecting data on outcome measures
220	through survey instruments and other appropriate means shall be
221	shared by the postsecondary educational institutions and the
222	Department of Education. By January 1 of each year, the
223	Department of Education shall report this information for each
224	postsecondary educational institution that has state-approved
225	programs of teacher education to the Governor, the State Board
226	of Education, the Commissioner of Education, the President of
227	the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, all
228	Florida postsecondary teacher preparation programs, and
229	interested members of the public. This report must analyze the
230	data and make recommendations for improving teacher preparation
231	programs in the state. By August 1, 2008, the Department of
232	Education shall establish an electronic reporting system by
233	which all institutions with programs approved under this section
234	shall report data required for continued approval. The system
235	must be linked to the K-20 Education Data Warehouse and provide
236	institutions with a means of reviewing and utilizing data for
237	purposes of continuous program improvement. The system must also
238	align data elements to allow for comparison of performance
239	outcomes common to programs approved under this section and
240	other types of approved teacher preparation programs in this
241	state.
242	(6)  PRESERVICE FIELD EXPERIENCE.--All postsecondary
243	instructors, school district personnel and instructional
244	personnel, and school sites preparing instructional personnel
245	through preservice field experience courses and internships
246	shall meet special requirements. District school boards are
247	authorized to pay student teachers during their internships.
248	(b)  All school district personnel and instructional
249	personnel who supervise or direct teacher preparation students
250	during field experience courses or internships must have
251	evidence of "clinical educator" training or eligibility for
252	participation as a mentor in the Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching
253	Program pursuant to s. 1012.72 and must successfully demonstrate
254	effective classroom management strategies that consistently
255	result in improved student performance. The State Board of
256	Education shall approve the training requirements.
257	Section 9.  Subsections (4) through (7) of section 1004.85,
258	Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) through (8),
259	respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section
260	to read:
261	1004.85  Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.--
262	(4)  Each educator preparation institute shall guarantee
263	the high quality of its graduates during the first 2 years
264	immediately following graduation from the program or following
265	initial certification, whichever occurs first. Any educator in a
266	Florida school who fails to demonstrate the essential skills
267	specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e) shall be provided additional
268	training by the educator preparation institute at no expense to
269	the educator or the employer. Such training must consist of an
270	individualized plan agreed upon by the school district and the
271	educator preparation institute that includes specific learning
272	outcomes. The educator preparation institute assumes no
273	responsibility for the educator's employment contract with the
274	employer. Employer satisfaction shall be determined by an
275	annually administered survey instrument approved by the
276	Department of Education that measures, at a minimum, employer
277	satisfaction with the ability of graduates to demonstrate the
278	essential skills specified in s. 1004.04(5)(e).
279	Section 10.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
280	1012.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
281	1012.32  Qualifications of personnel.--
282	(2)
283	(d)  Individuals Student teachers, persons participating in
284	student teaching a field experience pursuant to s. 1004.04(6) or
285	s. 1004.85, and persons participating in a short-term experience
286	as a teacher assistant pursuant to s. 1004.04(10) in any
287	district school system, lab school, or charter school shall,
288	upon engagement to provide services, undergo background
289	screening as required under s. 1012.56. Such screening may be
290	transferred from one school district to another school district.
291
292	Fingerprints shall be submitted to the Department of Law
293	Enforcement for state processing and to the Federal Bureau of
294	Investigation for federal processing. Persons subject to this
295	subsection found through fingerprint processing to have been
296	convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude shall not be
297	employed, engaged to provide services, or serve in any position
298	requiring direct contact with students. Probationary persons
299	subject to this subsection terminated because of their criminal
300	record have the right to appeal such decisions. The cost of the
301	background screening may be borne by the district school board,
302	the charter school, the employee, the contractor, or a person
303	subject to this subsection.
304	Section 11.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
305	1012.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
306	1012.33  Contracts with instructional staff, supervisors,
307	and school principals.--
308	(3)(a)  Each district school board shall provide a
309	professional service contract as prescribed herein. Each member
310	of the instructional staff who completed the following
311	requirements prior to July 1, 1984, shall be entitled to and
312	shall be issued a continuing contract in the form prescribed by
313	rules of the state board pursuant to s. 231.36, Florida Statutes
314	(1981). Each member of the instructional staff who completes the
315	following requirements on or after July 1, 1984, shall be
316	entitled to and shall be issued a professional service contract
317	in the form prescribed by rules of the state board as provided
318	herein:
319	1.  The member must hold a professional certificate as
320	prescribed by s. 1012.56 and rules of the State Board of
321	Education.
322	2.a.  The member must have completed 3 years of
323	probationary service in the district during a period not in
324	excess of 5 successive years, except for leave duly authorized
325	and granted.
326	b.  For any person newly employed as a member of the
327	instructional staff after July 1, 2007, the member must have
328	completed 5 years of probationary service in the district during
329	a period not in excess of 7 successive years, except for leave
330	duly authorized and granted. During the first year of service, a
331	teacher shall be provided mentoring and induction to assist with
332	skills necessary for excellent teaching. Mentoring shall be
333	provided by a nationally board-certified teacher, if available.
334	A principal may prescribe a second year of mentoring in order to
335	continue the skill building process. During the probationary
336	process, the district shall require the principal to maintain
337	records of assistance to the teacher, copies of teacher
338	appraisals, and reasons for teacher nonrenewal, if applicable. A
339	principal must submit annually a written report to the district,
340	on a form developed by the district, this record and other
341	relevant information on probationary teachers under the
342	principal's direct supervision.
343	3.  The member must have been recommended by the district
344	school superintendent for such contract and reappointed by the
345	district school board based on successful performance of duties
346	and demonstration of professional competence.
347	4.  For any person newly employed as a member of the
348	instructional staff after June 30, 1997, the initial annual
349	contract shall include a 97-day probationary period during which
350	time the employee's contract may be terminated without cause or
351	the employee may resign without breach of contract.
352	Section 12.  Subsection (3) of section 1012.56, Florida
353	Statutes, is amended to read:
354	1012.56  Educator certification requirements.--
355	(3)  MASTERY OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.--Acceptable means of
356	demonstrating mastery of general knowledge are:
357	(a)  Achievement of passing scores on basic skills
358	examination required by state board rule for persons seeking
359	initial certification before July 1, 2009;
360	(b)  Achievement of passing scores on an examination that
361	demonstrates mastery of a college-level general education
362	curriculum required by state board rule for persons seeking
363	initial certification on or after July 1, 2009 the College Level
364	Academic Skills Test earned prior to July 1, 2002;
365	(c)  A valid professional standard teaching certificate
366	issued by another state;
367	(d)  A valid certificate issued by the National Board for
368	Professional Teaching Standards or a national educator
369	credentialing board approved by the State Board of Education; or
370	(e)  Documentation of two semesters of successful teaching
371	in a community college, state university, or private college or
372	university that awards an associate or higher degree and is an
373	accredited institution or an institution of higher education
374	identified by the Department of Education as having a quality
375	program.
376	Section 13.  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
377	Government Accountability shall conduct a study of teacher
378	retention rates for each school district. The study shall report
379	and analyze the teacher retention rates for each school district
380	and each school within the district. The study shall also report
381	and analyze the retention rates for new teachers. Teacher
382	retention rates shall be disaggregated to include ethnicity,
383	age, subject area, and grade level. A report shall be submitted
384	to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
385	Representatives by March 1, 2008.
386	Section 14.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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