Bill Text: NC S168 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Clarify Education Reporting Requirements
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-07-03 - Ch. SL 2013-226 [S168 Detail]
Download: North_Carolina-2013-S168-Amended.html
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2013
S 1
SENATE BILL 168
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Short Title: Clarify Education Reporting Requirements. |
(Public) |
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Sponsors: |
Senators Tucker (Primary Sponsor); J. Davis, Goolsby, and Hise. |
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Referred to: |
Education/Higher Education. |
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March 5, 2013
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to eliminate unnecessary reports and clarify current education program requirements.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
PART I. REPEAL DISADVANTAGED STUDENT SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING REPORT
SECTION 1.(a) Section 7.8(b) of S.L. 2005‑276 is repealed.
SECTION 1.(b) Section 7.8(b) of S.L. 2007‑323 is repealed.
PART II. ELIMINATE STATE BOARD REPORT ON PERSONAL EDUCATION PLANS
SECTION 2. G.S. 115C‑105.41(a) reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑105.41. Students who have been placed at risk of academic failure; personal education plans; transition teams and transition plans.
(a) In order to implement Part 1A of Article 8 of this Chapter, local school administrative units shall identify students who are at risk for academic failure and who are not successfully progressing toward grade promotion and graduation, beginning in kindergarten. Identification shall occur as early as can reasonably be done and can be based on grades, observations, diagnostic and formative assessments, State assessments, and other factors, including reading on grade level, that impact student performance that teachers and administrators consider appropriate, without having to await the results of end‑of‑grade or end‑of‑course tests. No later than the end of the first quarter, or after a teacher has had up to nine weeks of instructional time with a student, a personal education plan for academic improvement with focused intervention and performance benchmarks shall be developed or updated for any student at risk of academic failure who is not performing at least at grade level, as identified by the State end‑of‑grade test and other factors noted above. Focused instructional supports and services, reading interventions, and accelerated activities should include evidence‑based practices that meet the needs of students and may include coaching, mentoring, tutoring, summer school, Saturday school, and extended days. Local school administrative units shall provide these activities free of charge to students. Local school administrative units shall also provide transportation free of charge to all students for whom transportation is necessary for participation in these activities.
Local school administrative units shall give notice of the personal education plan and a copy of the personal education plan to the student's parent or guardian. Parents should be included in the implementation and ongoing review of personal education plans. If a student's school report card provides all the information required in a personal education plan, then no further personal education plan is mandated for the student.
Local school administrative units shall certify that they
have complied with this section annually to the State Board of Education. The
State Board of Education shall periodically review data on the progress of
identified students and report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight
Committee.
No cause of action for monetary damages shall arise from the failure to provide or implement a personal education plan under this section."
PART III. REPEAL REPORT ON TEACHER MENTORING
SECTION 3. Section 7.8 of S.L. 2008‑107, as amended by Section 1(b) of S.L. 2009‑305, is repealed.
PART IV. REPEAL UNC REPORT TO STATE BOARD ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SECTION 4. G.S. 116‑11(12a) is repealed.
PART V. CLARIFY TEACHER LICENSE AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 5. G.S. 115C‑296 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑296. Board sets licensure requirements; reports; lateral entry and mentor programs.
(b) It is the policy of the State of North Carolina to maintain the highest quality teacher education programs and school administrator programs in order to enhance the competence of professional personnel licensed in North Carolina. To the end that teacher preparation programs are upgraded to reflect a more rigorous course of study, the State Board of Education, as lead agency in coordination and cooperation with the University Board of Governors, the Board of Community Colleges and such other public and private agencies as are necessary, shall continue to refine the several licensure requirements, standards for approval of institutions of teacher education, standards for institution‑based innovative and experimental programs, standards for implementing consortium‑based teacher education, and standards for improved efficiencies in the administration of the approved programs.
(1) Licensure standards.
a. The licensure program shall provide for initial licensure after completion of preservice training, continuing licensure after three years of teaching experience, and license renewal every five years thereafter, until the retirement of the teacher. The last license renewal received prior to retirement shall remain in effect for five years after retirement. The licensure program shall also provide for lifetime licensure after 50 years of teaching.
b. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall evaluate and develop enhanced requirements for continuing licensure. The new requirements shall reflect more rigorous standards for continuing licensure and shall be aligned with quality professional development programs that reflect State priorities for improving student achievement.
c. The State Board of Education, in consultation with local boards of education and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall reevaluate and enhance the requirements for renewal of teacher licenses. The State Board shall consider modifications in the license renewal achievement and to make it a mechanism for teachers to renew continually their knowledge and professional skills.
(2) Teacher education programs.
a. The State Board of Education, as lead agency in coordination with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and any other public and private agencies as necessary, shall continue to raise standards for entry into teacher education programs.
b. To further ensure that teacher preparation
programs remain current and reflect a rigorous course of study that is aligned
to State and national standards, the State Board of Education, in consultation
with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall do
all of the following to ensure that students preparingare
prepared to teach in elementary schoolsschools:
1. (i) haveProvide students with
adequate coursework in the teaching of reading and mathematics;mathematics.
2. (ii) are assessedAssess students
prior to certification licensure to determine that they possess
the requisite knowledge in scientifically based reading and mathematics
instruction that is aligned with the State Board's expectations;expectations.
3. (iii) continue to receiveContinue
to provide students with preparation in applying formative and summative
assessments within the school and classroom setting through technology‑based
assessment systems available in North Carolina schools that measure and predict
expected student improvement; andimprovement.
4. (iv) are preparedPrepare students
to integrate arts education across the curriculum.
c. The State Board of Education, in consultation with local boards of education and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall evaluate and modify, as necessary, the academic requirements of teacher preparation programs for students preparing to teach science in middle and high schools to ensure that there is adequate preparation in issues related to science laboratory safety.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall evaluate and
develop enhanced requirements for continuing licensure. The new requirements
shall reflect more rigorous standards for continuing licensure and to the
extent possible shall be aligned with quality professional development programs
that reflect State priorities for improving student achievement.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with local
boards of education and the Board of Governors of The University of North
Carolina, shall reevaluate and enhance the requirements for renewal of teacher
licenses. The State Board shall consider modifications in the license renewal
achievement and to make it a mechanism for teachers to renew continually their
knowledge and professional skills. The State Board shall adopt new standards
for the renewal of teacher licenses by May 15, 1998.
d. The standards for approval of institutions of teacher education shall require that teacher education programs for all students include demonstrated competencies in (i) the identification and education of children with disabilities and (ii) positive management of student behavior and effective communication techniques for defusing and deescalating disruptive or dangerous behavior.
e. The State Board of Education shall incorporate the criteria developed in accordance with G.S. 116‑74.21 for assessing proposals under the School Administrator Training Program into its school administrator program approval standards.
All North Carolina institutions of higher education that
offer teacher education programs, masters degree programs in education, or
masters degree programs in school administration shall provide performance
reports to the State Board of Education. The performance reports shall follow a
common format, shall be submitted according to a plan developed by the State
Board, and shall include the information required under the plan developed by
the State Board.
(b1) The State Board of Education shall develop a
plan to provide a focused review ofrequire teacher education programsprograms,
master's degree programs in education, and master's degree programs in school
administration to submit annual performance reports. The performance reports
shall provide the State Board of Education with a focused review of the
programs and the current process of accrediting these programs in order to
ensure that the programs produce graduates that are well prepared to teach. The
plan shall include the development and implementation of a school of education
performance report for each teacher education program in North Carolina.
(1) Report contents. The performance report for each teacher education program and master's degree programs in education and school administration in North Carolina shall follow a common format and include at least the following elements:
a. (i) qualityQuality of students
entering the schools of education, including the average grade point average
and average score on preprofessional skills tests that assess reading, writing,
math and other competencies;competencies.
b. (ii) graduation rates;Graduation
rates.
c. (iii) time‑to‑graduation
rates;Time‑to‑graduation rates.
d. (iv) averageAverage scores of
graduates on professional and content area examination for the purpose of licensure;licensure.
e. (v) percentagePercentage of
graduates receiving initial licenses;licenses.
f. (vi) percentagePercentage of
graduates hired as teachers;teachers.
g. (vii) percentagePercentage of
graduates remaining in teaching for four years;years.
h. (viii) graduateGraduate
satisfaction based on a common survey; andsurvey.
i. (ix) employerEmployer
satisfaction based on a common survey.
j. Effectiveness of teacher education program graduates.
The performance reports shall follow a common format. The
performance reports shall be submitted annually. The State Board of Education
shall develop a plan to be implemented beginning in the 1998‑99 school
year to reward and sanction approved teacher education programs and masters of
education programs and to revoke approval of those programs based on the
performance reports and other criteria established by the State Board of
Education.
The State Board also shall develop and implement a plan
for annual performance reports for all masters degree programs in education and
school administration in North Carolina. To the extent it is appropriated, the
performance report shall include similar indicators to those developed for the
performance report for teacher education programs. The performance reports
shall follow a common format.
(2) Submission of annual performance reports.
Both plans for performance Performance reports also
shall include a method to provide the annual performance reports be
provided annually to the Board of Governors of The University of North
Carolina, the State Board of Education, and the boards of trustees of the
independent colleges. The State Board of Education shall review the schools of
education performance reports and the performance reports for masters degree
programs in education and school administration each year the performance
reports are submitted.
(3) Educator preparation program report card. The State Board shall create a higher education educator preparation program report card reflecting the information collected in the annual performance reports for each North Carolina institution offering teacher education programs and master's of education programs. The report cards shall, at a minimum, summarize information reported on all of the performance indicators for the performance reports required by subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(4) Annual State Board of Education report.
The State Board shall submit the performance report for the 1999‑2000
school year to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December
15, 2000. Subsequent performance reportsThe educator preparation program
report cards shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Education
Oversight Committee on an annual basis by October 1.
(5) State Board of Education action based on performance. The State Board of Education shall reward and sanction approved teacher education programs and master's of education programs and revoke approval of those programs based on the performance reports and other criteria established by the State Board of Education.
."
PART VI. REPEAL CHILD NUTRITION STATE STANDARDS REPORT
SECTION 6. Section 2 of S.L. 2005‑457 is repealed.
PART VII. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 7. This act is effective when it becomes law. Section 5 of this act applies beginning with the 2013‑2014 school year.
