AN ACT CONCERNING TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM EFFICACY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On and after July 1, 2015, the Office of Higher Education shall annually submit a report on the quality of teacher preparation programs leading to professional certification offered at institutions of higher education in the state to the State Board of Education and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and higher education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, (1) information and data relating to the extent to which graduates of such teacher preparation programs help their students learn, including, but not limited to, data relating to the academic achievement and progress of the students of such graduates, (2) measures for assessing the classroom teaching performance of such graduates, (3) graduate retention rates in the teaching profession, (4) survey results from such graduates and the employers of such graduates regarding such teacher preparation programs, (5) data relating to the employment of such graduates in a teaching position, (6) certification issuance rates, including first-time pass rates, and (7) recommendations regarding the recruitment of minority teachers and administrators pursuant to section 10-155l of the general statutes.

Sec. 2. Subsection (j) of section 10-145a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2015):

(j) On and after July 1, [2015] 2016, any program of teacher preparation leading to professional certification shall require, as part of the curriculum, clinical experience, field experience or student teaching experience in a classroom of a school located in an alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u, and a classroom of a school that is not located in an alliance district during four semesters of such program of teacher preparation. Such clinical experience, field experience or student teaching experience may include a cooperating teacher serving as a mentor to student teachers, provided such cooperating teacher has received a performance evaluation designation of proficient or exemplary, pursuant to section 10-151b, for the prior school year.

Statement of Purpose:

To require the Office of Higher Education to submit a report on the quality of teacher preparation programs leading to professional certification offered at institutions of higher education in the state and to make revisions to the clinical, field or student teaching experience requirement for teacher preparation programs.

[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.]