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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 89 FILED ON: 1/6/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 658
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Kelly W. Pease
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-
level children.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Kelly W. Pease4th Hampden1/6/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 89 FILED ON: 1/6/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 658
By Representative Pease of Westfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 658) of Kelly
W. Pease relative to educator training for gifted and beyond grade-level children. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to educator training to create educational equity for gifted and beyond grade-
level children.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
2is hereby amended by inserting the following new section:
3 “Section 16. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall establish a
4professional development program in gifted and talented education which will provide access to
5certain educators across the Commonwealth, fifteen hours of professional development in the
6specific field of the education of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students. Fifteen hours of such
7professional development shall be completed in any five year period for the renewal of licensure
8for any educators, including administrators, whose classrooms, schools, or districts contain one
9or more students who achieve ro have the potential to achieve beyond the age-average grade-
10level or are identified, or who could be identified as gifted and talented as defined by federal law,
11or as determined by a school district professional or any other professional working in the field
12of psychology, gifted education or who regularly provides services of educational assessments.” 2 of 3
13 SECTION 2. Chapter 71 Section 38G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
14Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting after the sentence, “In addition to any other
15requirements in this section, in order to receive a provisional or standard educator certificate,
16persons applying for such certification shall have completed such courses or training sessions as
17the board shall require in second language acquisition.” the following words:
18 “ In addition to any other requirements of this section, in order to receive a provisional or
19standard educator certificate, persons applying for such certification shall have completed such
20courses or training sessions as the board shall require in the education of beyond grade-level
21and/or gifted students. The board shall establish such requirements as recommended by
22generally-accepted standards in the field of gifted and talented education. This shall include
23training in talent development framework to find and cultivate strengths of a student’s latent and
24emergent potential; and training to address biases in the educational environment that lead to low
25expectations, missed talents, and lack of opportunities for students based on factors such as race,
26ethnicity, geography, gender, religion, EL or socioeconomic status.
27 In addition to any other requirements of this section, the board shall require, as a
28provision of an administrator's or an educator's initial certification, that all such educators and
29administrators shall have training in strategies for the effective education of beyond-grade-level
30and gifted and talented students as they are defined by federal law.”
31 SECTION 3. Chapter 71 Section 38Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
32Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting the following text in the first paragraph, after the
33sentence, “In any school district with limited English proficient students, the plan shall provide 3 of 3
34training for teachers in second language acquisition techniques for the re-certification of teachers
35and administrators.”
36 “ In any school district containing gifted and talented students as defined by federal law,
37the plan shall provide training for administrators and teachers in gifted education, and shall state
38how such training will support the needs of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students. Each
39school district shall report to the department, on an annual basis, the gifted education training
40provided by the district, the number of educators in the district receiving such training and the
41total number of hours received. Each school district shall report to the department, on an annual
42basis, the specific ways in which its Title II Part A programs and activities address the learning
43needs of beyond grade-level and/or gifted students and is improving the education of beyond
44grade-level and/or gifted students.”
45 SECTION 4. Chapter 71 Section 38Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016
46Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting the following sentence after the second sentence
47of the second paragraph, which ends with the words “limited English proficient students.” the
48following text:
49 “ The plan shall include data that demonstrates, statewide and by school district, the types
50of professional development provided for educators who work with beyond-grade-level, gifted
51and talented, highly or profoundly gifted, including those with one or more disabilities.”