Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 1874
       
       
       
       By Senator Deutch
       
       
       
       
       30-01305-09                                           20091874__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to teacher retention; amending s.
    3         1008.34, F.S.; requiring that the school report card
    4         that is delivered to parents in each school district
    5         include the district's teacher turnover rate; creating
    6         s. 1012.988, F.S.; creating the Florida Teacher
    7         Induction Initiative for the purpose of providing
    8         support to new teachers; requiring each district to
    9         develop and implement a teacher induction initiative;
   10         specifying required minimum elements of the
   11         initiative; requiring that districts report the
   12         teacher turnover rate to the Commissioner of
   13         Education; requiring that a district submit a plan to
   14         address its new teacher attrition rate under certain
   15         circumstances; requiring the Department of Education
   16         to establish a statewide data collection and reporting
   17         system to determine the annual district cost of
   18         replacing teachers; requiring the department to assist
   19         districts in developing initiatives and goals;
   20         requiring the department to conduct a study to
   21         determine the relationship of teacher retention and
   22         attrition to student academic achievement; providing
   23         an effective date.
   24         
   25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   26         
   27         Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 1008.34, Florida
   28  Statutes, is amended to read:
   29         1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
   30  district grade.—
   31         (5) SCHOOL REPORT CARD.—The Department of Education shall
   32  annually develop, in collaboration with the school districts, a
   33  school report card to be delivered to parents throughout each
   34  school district. The report card shall include the school's
   35  grade, information regarding school improvement, an explanation
   36  of school performance as evaluated by the federal No Child Left
   37  Behind Act of 2001, the teacher turnover rate pursuant to s.
   38  1012.988, and indicators of return on investment. Each school's
   39  report card shall be published annually by the department on its
   40  website, and the school district shall provide the school report
   41  card to each parent.
   42         Section 2. Section 1012.988, Florida Statutes, is created
   43  to read:
   44         1012.988Florida Teacher Induction Initiative.—
   45         (1) The Florida Teacher Induction Initiative is established
   46  to develop quality induction models in school districts to
   47  provide new teachers with professional support and guidance in
   48  the development of teaching skills, best practices, and
   49  classroom management skills and to provide new teachers with
   50  emotional and logistical support.
   51         (2) In the 2009-2010 school year, each school district
   52  shall plan for the implementation of a teacher induction
   53  initiative that includes the following minimum elements:
   54         (a) Provide each new teacher with an appropriate 2-year
   55  induction program that supports the teacher in achieving success
   56  in the classroom. A new teacher is defined as a teacher having
   57  less than 1 year of prior teaching experience or having a
   58  temporary teaching certificate. The plan shall include
   59  professional development opportunities for beginning teachers
   60  which are aligned to student achievement and classroom
   61  organization skills.
   62         (b) Implement strategies that include components such as
   63  mentoring and best practices for effective teacher induction in
   64  leadership training for principals.
   65         (c) Propose strategies to redirect existing financial and
   66  human resources to support and expand quality induction efforts
   67  and retain effective teachers.
   68         (d) Review the feasibility and fiscal impact of adjusting
   69  levels of teaching responsibility and providing mentoring in
   70  order to reduce teaching preparations and extracurricular
   71  assignments.
   72         (e) Calculate annual teacher turnover rates for the prior 2
   73  school years, exclusive of retirements, by school and by school
   74  district, including data analysis of the level of teacher
   75  experience, teacher age, teacher ethnicity, teacher preparation
   76  pathway, in-state or out-of-state training, and in-field or out
   77  of-field assignment. This information shall be reported to the
   78  Commissioner of Education.
   79         (f) Establish school goals and school district goals to
   80  reduce teacher attrition to no more than 10 percent, exclusive
   81  of retirements and approved leaves of absence, with special
   82  attention to the first 7 years of teacher service.
   83         (3) In the 2010-2011 school year and each school year
   84  thereafter, each school district shall:
   85         (a) Implement its teacher induction initiative.
   86         (b) Review and report to the commissioner the teacher
   87  turnover rate by school and school district along with
   88  associated data analysis and the progress made towards meeting
   89  its goal to reduce teacher attrition.
   90         (c) Use data from the Department of Education pursuant to
   91  subsection (6) to determine the cost effectiveness of school
   92  district teacher induction initiatives and report the school
   93  district's findings to the commissioner.
   94         (4)In 2011-2012 school year and each school year
   95  thereafter, if the teacher turnover report shows no improvement
   96  over the prior year in the retention of new teachers in schools
   97  having grades of “D” or “F,” the school district must submit a
   98  specific plan to address the attrition rate of new teachers and
   99  must use mentoring and other strategies, such as reduced
  100  teaching loads for new teachers, to address teacher turnover.
  101         (5)If the school district goal to reduce teacher attrition
  102  is not met, the district must revise its teacher induction
  103  initiative and evaluate other methods of retaining teachers.
  104         (6)The Department of Education shall:
  105         (a)Develop and establish a statewide data collection and
  106  reporting system to determine the annual school district cost of
  107  replacing teachers and report the annual cost by district to the
  108  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
  109  House of Representatives.
  110         (b)Provide technical assistance to school districts in
  111  developing the teacher induction initiative and in establishing
  112  school and school district goals to reduce teacher attrition.
  113         (c)Report the teacher turnover rate at each school as part
  114  of the school report card as required in s. 1008.34(5).
  115         (d)Conduct a study to determine the relationship of
  116  teacher retention and attrition to student academic achievement
  117  and report the findings to the Governor, the President of the
  118  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by
  119  October 1, 2012.
  120         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.