Bill Text: TX SB570 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to beginning teacher induction and mentoring programs for public schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-05-22 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB570 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB570-Engrossed.html
By: Shapiro | S.B. No. 570 |
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relating to beginning teacher induction and mentoring programs for | ||
public schools. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter N to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER N. BEGINNING TEACHER INDUCTION AND MENTORING PROGRAMS | ||
Sec. 21.651. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Beginning teacher" means a classroom teacher who: | ||
(A) has less than two complete years of | ||
experience teaching the subject or grade level to which the teacher | ||
is assigned; or | ||
(B) has less than three complete years of | ||
experience teaching the subject or grade level to which the teacher | ||
is assigned and is identified as in need of assistance under an | ||
appraisal system developed under Section 21.351 or 21.352. | ||
(2) "Program" means the beginning teacher induction | ||
and mentoring program established under this subchapter. | ||
Sec. 21.652. BEGINNING TEACHER INDUCTION AND MENTORING | ||
PROGRAM. (a) To enable establishment of sustainable | ||
district-wide high-quality beginning teacher induction and | ||
mentoring, the commissioner by rule shall establish a beginning | ||
teacher induction and mentoring program under which school | ||
districts may participate in accordance with local plans approved | ||
by the commissioner that are based on guidelines adopted under this | ||
subchapter. A participating district receives program grants from | ||
the agency from funds appropriated to the agency for the purpose of | ||
planning for and providing high-quality induction and mentoring to | ||
beginning teachers in the manner provided by this subchapter. A | ||
district is not required to participate in the program, but each | ||
district may ensure that beginning teachers have access to | ||
high-quality induction and mentoring consistent with the | ||
guidelines established under Section 21.653(a). | ||
(b) In establishing the program, the commissioner, in | ||
consultation with the committee established under Subsection (c), | ||
shall, not later than January 1, 2012, adopt program guidelines in | ||
accordance with Section 21.653(a), and the commissioner shall, not | ||
later than January 1, 2012, adopt program guidelines in accordance | ||
with Section 21.653(b) for a school district to follow in | ||
developing a local plan. | ||
(c) To assist the commissioner in developing program | ||
guidelines under Section 21.653(a), the commissioner shall appoint | ||
a committee of interested persons, including agency staff, | ||
education policy makers, representatives of educator preparation | ||
programs and educator associations, and educators who work with | ||
beginning teachers under beginning teacher induction programs, as | ||
determined appropriate by the commissioner. | ||
(d) In adopting rules under this section, the commissioner | ||
shall provide for participating school districts to receive | ||
technical assistance and planning and program guidance. | ||
Sec. 21.653. PROGRAM GUIDELINES. (a) The program | ||
guidelines must establish quality indicators for each of the | ||
following required components of the program: | ||
(1) research-based program standards, including: | ||
(A) assigning a district-level coordinator to | ||
administer the program at the district level; | ||
(B) establishing a local advisory committee of | ||
teachers and other educators to assist in implementing the program | ||
in the school district; | ||
(C) establishing district administrative policy | ||
roles and responsibilities for persons involved in the program; | ||
(D) establishing, for each beginning teacher in | ||
the program, a support team composed of: | ||
(i) the campus principal or the beginning | ||
teacher's appraiser; | ||
(ii) an educator preparation program field | ||
supervisor; and | ||
(iii) the beginning teacher's mentor | ||
provided by the district; | ||
(E) requiring each beginning teacher and that | ||
teacher's support team members described by Paragraph (D) to meet | ||
at least three times each school year; and | ||
(F) providing training for support team members | ||
described by Paragraph (D); | ||
(2) mentoring standards to ensure high-quality | ||
mentoring, including: | ||
(A) requiring each district to assign a mentor | ||
teacher to each beginning teacher; | ||
(B) requiring each teacher who is assigned as a | ||
mentor to: | ||
(i) have at least three complete years of | ||
teaching experience with a superior record of assisting students, | ||
as a whole, in achieving improvement in student performance; | ||
(ii) teach the same subject or grade level, | ||
as applicable, as the beginning teacher the mentor teacher is | ||
mentoring; | ||
(iii) teach in the same school as the | ||
beginning teacher the mentor teacher is mentoring, to the extent | ||
practicable; and | ||
(iv) complete a research-based mentoring | ||
and induction training program approved by the commissioner and | ||
provided by the district; | ||
(C) providing for release time from classroom | ||
instruction duties for the mentor teacher, as applicable, and the | ||
beginning teacher the mentor teacher is mentoring in order to meet, | ||
conduct observations, and engage in other activities focused on | ||
enhancing the student achievement of the beginning teacher's | ||
students; | ||
(D) providing, to the extent practicable, for | ||
common planning time for the mentor teacher and the beginning | ||
teacher the mentor teacher is mentoring; | ||
(E) limiting the assignment to two beginning | ||
teachers for each mentor teacher who is a classroom teacher; and | ||
(F) providing for stipends for mentor teachers; | ||
(3) performance standards aligned with the criteria | ||
for the recommended appraisal process adopted by the commissioner | ||
under Section 21.351; | ||
(4) ongoing professional development requirements, | ||
including required training for: | ||
(A) participating program administrators | ||
regarding successful implementation and administration of the | ||
program; and | ||
(B) participating school administrators, mentor | ||
teachers, and beginning teachers; | ||
(5) standards-based formative assessments; and | ||
(6) provisions for partnership and collaboration, | ||
including consistent and regular collaboration between | ||
participating districts and appropriate educator preparation | ||
programs. | ||
(b) The commissioner shall adopt guidelines for funding the | ||
program, including requiring a participating school district to | ||
provide matching funds in an amount determined by the commissioner. | ||
Sec. 21.654. LOCAL PLANS. (a) A district-level committee | ||
for a school district that intends to participate in the program, | ||
such as the district-level planning and decision-making committee | ||
established under Subchapter F, Chapter 11, shall, beginning | ||
January 1, 2012, develop a local beginning teacher induction and | ||
mentoring plan for the district. The local plan may provide for | ||
participation in the program by all campuses in the district or only | ||
those campuses selected by the district-level committee. A local | ||
plan that does not provide for participation in the program by all | ||
campuses in the district must include an analysis and timeline for | ||
future district-wide implementation. | ||
(b) A majority of classroom teachers assigned to a campus | ||
that is proposed for selection to participate in the program must | ||
approve participation to be included in the local plan. | ||
(c) A school district must submit a local plan to the agency | ||
for approval. The plan must be submitted together with evidence of | ||
significant teacher involvement in the development of the plan. | ||
(d) The agency may approve only a local plan that meets | ||
program guidelines adopted under Section 21.653. | ||
(e) The agency may approve a local plan for implementation | ||
beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. | ||
Sec. 21.6541. PROGRAM EVALUATION. (a) The commissioner | ||
shall: | ||
(1) provide for the periodic evaluation of the program | ||
during the school year by surveying program participants and by any | ||
other means determined by the commissioner; and | ||
(2) not later than December 1, 2014, prepare and | ||
deliver to each member of the legislature a report describing the | ||
results of the program conducted under this subchapter, including | ||
the results of the evaluations conducted in accordance with | ||
Subdivision (1). | ||
(b) This section expires January 1, 2015. | ||
Sec. 21.655. COMPONENTS OF BEGINNING TEACHER INDUCTION AND | ||
MENTORING PROGRAM. Any beginning teacher induction and mentoring | ||
program adopted by a district may include the following components: | ||
(1) research-based program standards; | ||
(2) mentoring standards to ensure high-quality | ||
mentoring; | ||
(3) performance standards aligned with the criteria | ||
for the recommended appraisal process adopted by the commissioner | ||
under Section 21.351; | ||
(4) ongoing professional development requirements; | ||
(5) standards-based formative assessments; and | ||
(6) provisions for partnership and collaboration, | ||
including consistent and regular collaboration between the | ||
district and educator preparation programs. | ||
Sec. 21.656. RULES. The commissioner shall adopt rules as | ||
necessary to administer this subchapter. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 21.458, Education Code, is repealed. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |