Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H521 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2422 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 521
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Meghan Kilcoyne
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-
13	13	level children.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Meghan Kilcoyne12th Worcester1/18/2023Gerard J. Cassidy9th Plymouth3/7/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/13/2023 1 of 3
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2422 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 521
19	19	By Representative Kilcoyne of Clinton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 521) of
20	20	Meghan Kilcoyne, Gerard J. Cassidy and James C. Arena-DeRosa that the Department of
21	21	Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to establish a professional development
22	22	program in gifted and talented education. Education.
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
26	26	(2023-2024)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-
29	29	level children.
30	30	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
31	31	of the same, as follows:
32	32	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
33	33	2is hereby amended by inserting the following new section:
34	34	3 “Section 16. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall establish a
35	35	4professional development program in gifted and talented education which will provide access to
36	36	5certain educators across the Commonwealth, fifteen hours of professional development in the
37	37	6specific field of the education of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students. Fifteen hours of such
38	38	7professional development shall be completed in any five year period for the renewal of licensure
39	39	8for any educators, including administrators, whose classrooms, schools, or districts contain one
40	40	9or more students who achieve ro have the potential to achieve beyond the age-average grade-
41	41	10level or are identified, or who could be identified as gifted and talented as defined by federal law, 2 of 3
42	42	11or as determined by a school district professional or any other professional working in the field
43	43	12of psychology, gifted education or who regularly provides services of educational assessments.”
44	44	13 SECTION 2. Chapter 71 Section 38G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
45	45	14Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting after the sentence, “In addition to any other
46	46	15requirements in this section, in order to receive a provisional or standard educator certificate,
47	47	16persons applying for such certification shall have completed such courses or training sessions as
48	48	17the board shall require in second language acquisition.” the following words:
49	49	18 “ In addition to any other requirements of this section, in order to receive a provisional or
50	50	19standard educator certificate, persons applying for such certification shall have completed such
51	51	20courses or training sessions as the board shall require in the education of beyond grade-level
52	52	21and/or gifted students. The board shall establish such requirements as recommended by
53	53	22generally-accepted standards in the field of gifted and talented education. This shall include
54	54	23training in talent development framework to find and cultivate strengths of a student’s latent and
55	55	24emergent potential; and training to address biases in the educational environment that lead to low
56	56	25expectations, missed talents, and lack of opportunities for students based on factors such as race,
57	57	26ethnicity, geography, gender, religion, EL or socioeconomic status.
58	58	27 In addition to any other requirements of this section, the board shall require, as a
59	59	28provision of an administrator's or an educator's initial certification, that all such educators and
60	60	29administrators shall have training in strategies for the effective education of beyond-grade-level
61	61	30and gifted and talented students as they are defined by federal law.”
62	62	31 SECTION 3. Chapter 71 Section 38Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
63	63	32Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting the following text in the first paragraph, after the 3 of 3
64	64	33sentence, “In any school district with limited English proficient students, the plan shall provide
65	65	34training for teachers in second language acquisition techniques for the re-certification of teachers
66	66	35and administrators.”
67	67	36 “ In any school district containing gifted and talented students as defined by federal law,
68	68	37the plan shall provide training for administrators and teachers in gifted education, and shall state
69	69	38how such training will support the needs of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students. Each
70	70	39school district shall report to the department, on an annual basis, the gifted education training
71	71	40provided by the district, the number of educators in the district receiving such training and the
72	72	41total number of hours received. Each school district shall report to the department, on an annual
73	73	42basis, the specific ways in which its Title II Part A programs and activities address the learning
74	74	43needs of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students and is improving the education of beyond
75	75	44grade-level and/or gifted students.”
76	76	45 SECTION 4. Chapter 71 Section 38Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016
77	77	46Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting the following sentence after the second sentence
78	78	47of the second paragraph, which ends with the words “limited English proficient students.” the
79	79	48following text:
80	80	49 “ The plan shall include data that demonstrates, statewide and by school district, the types
81	81	50of professional development provided for educators who work with beyond-grade-level, gifted
82	82	51and talented, highly or profoundly gifted, including those with one or more disabilities.”
83	83	52