General Assembly Raised Bill No. 455
February Session, 2018 LCO No. 2249
*02249_______ED_*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 455
February Session, 2018
LCO No. 2249
*02249_______ED_*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2018) On or before January 1, 2019, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council, shall (1) identify relevant research and successful practices to enhance minority teacher recruitment throughout the state, (2) identify and establish public, private and philanthropic partnerships to increase minority teacher recruitment, (3) utilize innovative methods to attract minority candidates to the teaching profession, particularly in subject areas in which a teacher shortage exists, as determined by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to section 10-8b of the general statutes, (4) modernize the process for educators to obtain professional certification by eliminating obstacles to certification to increase competitiveness with other states, (5) identify and utilize high quality, affordable and bias-free educator assessments, (6) adopt cut scores for educator assessments, that do not exceed the multi-state cut scores, to increase competitiveness with surrounding states, (7) support new and existing educator preparation programs that commit to enrolling greater numbers of minority teacher candidates in a manner that supports interstate reciprocity, and (8) advise and support local and regional boards of education to prioritize minority teacher recruitment and develop innovative strategies to attract and retain minority teachers within their districts. For purposes of this section, "minority" has the same meaning as provided in section 10-156bb of the general statutes.
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10-145d of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):
(a) The State Board of Education shall, pursuant to chapter 54, adopt such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of sections 10-144o, 10-145a to 10-145d, inclusive, as amended by this act, 10-145f and 10-146b. Such regulations shall provide for (1) the establishment of an appeal panel to review any decision to deny the issuance of a certificate authorized under section 10-145b, as amended by this act; (2) the establishment of requirements for subject area endorsements, provided no subject area endorsement, including vocational endorsements, shall require more than five years of occupational, trade or work experience; (3) the extension of the time to complete requirements for certificates under section 10-145b, as amended by this act; (4) the establishment of requirements for administrator and supervisor certificates; (5) the composition of, and the procedures to be utilized by, the assessment teams in implementing the beginning educator program; (6) procedures and criteria for issuing certificates to persons whose certificates have lapsed or persons with non-public-school or out-of-state teaching experience, including provisions for the acceptance of equivalent education, experience or other circumstances to substitute for testing, coursework or degree requirements; (7) the criteria for defining a major course of study; (8) a requirement that on and after July 1, 1993, in order to be eligible to obtain an initial educator certificate with an elementary endorsement, each person be required to (A) complete a survey course in United States history comprised of not fewer than three semester hours, or (B) achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area assessment; and (9) a requirement that on and after July 1, 2004, in order to be eligible to obtain an initial educator certificate with an early childhood nursery through grade three or an elementary endorsement, each person be required to complete a comprehensive reading instruction course comprised of not less than six semester hours. Such regulations may provide for exceptions to accommodate specific certification endorsement areas.
Sec. 3. Section 10-145q of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):
(a) Subject to the provisions of subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of section 10-66dd, the State Board of Education, upon the request of the state charter school governing council, may issue a charter school educator permit to a person who is employed by a charter school as a teacher or administrator and does not hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional educator certificate if such person (1) takes and achieves a satisfactory [scores] score on the state reading, writing [and] or mathematics competency examination, prescribed by and administered under the direction of the State Board of Education, that is related to the subject matter area that such person is teaching at the charter school, or qualifies for a waiver of such test based on criteria approved by the State Board of Education, (2) achieves a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area assessment, and (3) demonstrates evidence of effectiveness. Such permit shall authorize a person to serve as an administrator or teacher in the charter school employing such person. Each such charter school educator permit may be renewed by the Commissioner of Education for good cause upon the request of the state charter school governing council employing such person at the time the charter for the school is renewed.
(b) The State Board of Education shall issue a provisional educator certificate to any person who has completed at least three years of successful teaching while holding a charter school educator permit and demonstrates (1) a commitment to continued education and professional development, and (2) evidence of effectiveness for three consecutive school years while holding the charter school educator permit.
Sec. 4. Subdivision (5) of section 10-144o of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):
(5) "Provisional educator certificate" means a license to teach, issued on or after July 1, 1989, to a person who (A) has successfully completed a beginning educator program, if there is such a program for such person's certification endorsement area, and not less than one school year of successful teaching in a public school, (B) has completed at least three years of successful teaching in a public or nonpublic school approved by the State Board of Education or appropriate governing body in another state within ten years prior to application for such provisional educator certificate, [or] (C) has successfully taught with a provisional teaching certificate for the year immediately preceding application for such provisional educator certificate as an employee of a local or regional board of education or facility approved for special education by the State Board of Education, or (D) has completed at least three years of successful teaching while holding a charter school educator permit and otherwise satisfies the requirements of section 10-145q, as amended by this act;
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2019, the Department of Education shall develop a definition of educator effectiveness that includes (1) a focus on an educator's demonstrated record of improving student achievement, summative ratings of proficient or exemplary on performance evaluations conducted pursuant to section 10-151b of the general statutes, and (2) methods by which an educator can demonstrate evidence of effectiveness. In developing the definition of educator effectiveness, the department shall solicit input from the Performance Evaluation and Advisory Council established pursuant to section 10-151d of the general statutes, superintendents, community leaders, industry leaders, parents and representatives from interdistrict magnet school programs and charter schools. The department shall make the definition of educator effectiveness available to local and regional boards of education and publish such definition on its Internet web site.
Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 10-145b of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):
(a) The State Board of Education, upon receipt of a proper application, shall issue an initial educator certificate to any person who (1) holds a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Regents for Higher Education or Office of Higher Education or is regionally accredited, and (2) has completed (A) an educator preparation program approved by the State Board of Education or the appropriate governing body in the state in which the institution of higher education is located, or (B) an alternate route to certification program approved by the State Board of Education or the appropriate governing body in the state in which such alternate route to certification program is located, and satisfies the requirements for a temporary ninety-day certificate, pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, or a resident teacher certificate, pursuant to section 10-145m. In addition, on and after July 1, 1993, each applicant shall have completed a subject area major as defined by the State Board of Education, except (i) as provided in section 10-145l, or (ii) where an applicant achieves a satisfactory score on a relevant examination or has completed advanced coursework in a relevant subject area. Each such initial educator certificate shall be valid for three years, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, and may be extended by the Commissioner of Education for an additional year for good cause upon the request of the superintendent in whose school district such person is employed or upon the request of the assessment team reviewing such person's performance.
Sec. 7. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 10-156aa of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2018):
(a) There is established a task force to study and develop strategies to increase and improve the recruitment, preparation and retention of minority teachers, as defined in section 10-155l, in public schools in the state. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) an analysis of the causes of minority teacher shortages in the state, (2) an examination of current state-wide and school district demographics, and (3) a review of best practices.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a member of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus of the General Assembly;
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
(7) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee;
(8) The president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, or the president's designee;
(9) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, or the executive director's designee; and
(10) [The] Three appointed by the executive director of the Commission on Equity and Opportunity, [or the executive director's designee] one of whom has expertise in African American affairs, one of whom has expertise in Latino and Puerto Rican affairs, and one of whom has expertise in Asian and Pacific Islander affairs.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2018 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2018 10-145d(a)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2018 10-145q
Sec. 4 July 1, 2018 10-144o(5)
Sec. 5 from passage New section
Sec. 6 July 1, 2018 10-145b(a)
Sec. 7 July 1, 2018 10-156aa(a) and (b)
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
July 1, 2018
New section
Sec. 2
July 1, 2018
10-145d(a)
Sec. 3
July 1, 2018
10-145q
Sec. 4
July 1, 2018
10-144o(5)
Sec. 5
from passage
New section
Sec. 6
July 1, 2018
10-145b(a)
Sec. 7
July 1, 2018
10-156aa(a) and (b)
Statement of Purpose:
To require the Department of Education to take certain actions to recruit and retain minority teachers, amend its regulations relating to teacher certification, issue a provisional educator certificate to certain holders of charter school educator permits, develop a definition of educator effectiveness and issue an initial educator certificate to applicants who have passed a relevant examination or completed advanced coursework, and to revise the membership of the minority teacher recruitment and retention task force.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]