Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB816 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		85R16611 MK-D
2		-	By: Bernal H.B. No. 816
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 816:
4		-	By: Dutton C.S.H.B. No. 816
	2	+	By: Bernal, Uresti H.B. No. 816
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to a school district assigning a mentor teacher to a new
10	8		classroom teacher.
11	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	10		SECTION 1. Section 21.458, Education Code, is amended by
13	11		adding Subsections (a-1), (b-1), (f), and (g) and amending
14	12		Subsections (b) and (d) to read as follows:
15	13		(a-1) To be assigned as a mentor, a teacher must agree to
16	14		serve as a mentor teacher for at least two school years. The
17	15		assignment must begin on the first day of employment of the
18	16		classroom teacher to whom the mentor teacher is assigned.
19	17		(b) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to
20	18		administer this section, including rules concerning the duties and
21	19		qualifications of a teacher who serves as a mentor, and the number
22	20		of classroom teachers that may be assigned to a mentor. The rules
23	21		concerning qualifications must require that to serve as a mentor a
24	22		teacher must:
25	23		(1) complete a research-based mentor and induction
26	24		training program approved by the commissioner;
27	25		(2) complete a mentor training program provided by the
28	26		district; [and]
29	27		(3) have at least three complete years of teaching
30	28		experience with a superior record of assisting students, as a
31	29		whole, in achieving improvement in student performance; and
32	30		(4) demonstrate interpersonal skills, instructional
33	31		effectiveness, and leadership skills.
34	32		(b-1) A school district must provide training to mentor
35	33		teachers and any appropriate district and campus employees who work
36	34		with the classroom teacher or supervise the classroom teacher. The
37	35		training must be completed by the mentor teacher and the district
38	36		and campus employees before the beginning of the school year. The
39	37		district shall also provide supplemental training to mentor
40	38		teachers and employees during the school year. The training must
41	39		include content related to best mentorship practices.
42	40		(d) In adopting rules under this section [Subsection (c)],
43	41		the commissioner shall rely on research-based mentoring programs
44	42		that, through external evaluation, have demonstrated success.
45	43		(f) A mentor teacher must meet with each classroom teacher
46	44		assigned to the mentor at least once a week for an individual
47	45		mentoring session lasting at least 45 minutes, with not less than 12
48	46		hours of meeting time each semester. The mentoring sessions must
49	47		address the following topics:
50	48		(1) orientation to the context, policies, and
51	49		practices of the school district;
52	50		(2) data-driven instructional practices;
53	51		(3) specific instructional coaching cycles, including
54	52		coaching regarding conferences between parents and the classroom
55	53		teacher;
56	54		(4) professional development; and
57	55		(5) professional expectations.
58	56		(g) A school district must:
59	57		(1) designate a specific time during the regularly
60	58		contracted school day for meetings between mentor teachers and
61	59		classroom teachers assigned to a mentor; and
62	60		(2) schedule release time or a reduced teaching load
63	61		for mentor teachers and classroom teachers under this section to
64	62		facilitate mentoring activities, including classroom observations
65	63		or participation in supportive coaching.
66	64		SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Education Code, is
67	65		amended by adding Section 42.161 to read as follows:
68	66		Sec. 42.161. MENTOR PROGRAM ALLOTMENT. (a) A school
69	67		district that has implemented a mentoring program for classroom
70	68		teachers who have less than two years of teaching experience under
71	69		Section 21.458 is entitled to an allotment as determined under
72	70		Subsection (b) to fund the mentoring program and to provide
73	71		stipends for mentor teachers.
74	72		(b) The commissioner shall adopt a formula to determine the
75	73		amount that each district described by Subsection (a) is entitled
76	74		to.
77	75		(c) Funding provided to districts under this section may be
78	76		used only for providing:
79	77		(1) mentor teacher stipends;
80	78		(2) scheduled release time for mentor teachers and the
81	79		classroom teachers to whom they are assigned for meeting and
82	80		engaging in mentoring activities; and
83	81		(3) mentoring support through providers of mentor
84	82		training.
85	83		SECTION 3. Section 21.458(c), Education Code, is repealed.
86	84		SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018
87	85		school year.
88	86		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
89	87		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
90	88		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
91	89		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
92	90		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.