By Swinford H.B. No. 1372 74R5007 CAS-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certification of and professional development for 1-3 administrators of public school campuses. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 13, Education Code, is 1-6 amended by adding Section 13.355 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 13.355. CERTIFICATION OF CAMPUS ADMINISTRATORS. (a) 1-8 The State Board of Education shall provide for specific 1-9 certification of campus administrators and establish standards a 1-10 person must satisfy for certification as a campus administrator. 1-11 (b) To be employed by a school district as a campus 1-12 administrator, a person other than a person serving as a campus 1-13 administrator on or before September 1, 1998, must hold a 1-14 certificate issued under this section. 1-15 (c) A university, regional education service center, school 1-16 district, or other entity may offer a certification program 1-17 approved by the State Board of Education. 1-18 (d) To be approved, a certification program must: 1-19 (1) be primarily field based; 1-20 (2) provide for a rigorous selection and assessment 1-21 process; 1-22 (3) include an internship that complies with 1-23 Subsection (g); 1-24 (4) focus on proficiency rather than on the amount of 2-1 time spent participating in program activities; and 2-2 (5) include an assessment process that guarantees 2-3 proficiency in the areas specified. 2-4 (e) In addition to the requirements for approval under 2-5 Subsection (d), a certification program must provide for the 2-6 selection of candidates on the basis of a rigorous, multilevel 2-7 screening process. At the first level, an applicant's 2-8 undergraduate grade point average, personal and professional 2-9 references, writing ability, resume, and criminal history 2-10 background must be examined. At the second level, an applicant 2-11 must be required to participate in activities designed to 2-12 comprehensively assess the applicant's administrative leadership 2-13 potential, including simulation exercises, self-assessment, and 2-14 panel interviews. 2-15 (f) An applicant who completes the first two levels of 2-16 screening must, before being accepted as a candidate for 2-17 certification, participate in a comprehensive skills, knowledge, 2-18 and attitudes assessment process that is at least as stringent as 2-19 the assessment process of the National Association of Secondary 2-20 School Principals. The process must include assessment in areas 2-21 required by the State Board of Education and of knowledge and 2-22 skills as prescribed by the National Policy Board for Educational 2-23 Administration. The profile that results from the assessment 2-24 process and the screening process under Subsection (e) shall be 2-25 used to establish a baseline of the candidate's skills, knowledge, 2-26 and attitudes, develop a certification plan for the candidate, and 2-27 ensure the candidate's proficiency in the skills and knowledge 3-1 required for campus administration. 3-2 (g) Each candidate for certification must serve an 3-3 internship under the direction of a proven, successful campus 3-4 administrator who serves as a mentor to the candidate. Each mentor 3-5 shall be carefully selected from among campus administrators who 3-6 are recognized as successful leaders in innovative school reform 3-7 that has led to improved student performance. A mentor's 3-8 leadership must be verified by students, parents, campus staff, and 3-9 members of the business community. An orientation process shall be 3-10 provided to each mentor. The length of the internship shall be 3-11 determined on the basis of the assessment process under Subsection 3-12 (f) but may not be less than one year. 3-13 (h) Throughout the internship, each applicant must 3-14 participate in seminars and special programs and projects as 3-15 prescribed by the certification plan. 3-16 (i) A candidate and the state shall share the cost of the 3-17 candidate's certification, except that a school district may pay 3-18 not more than one-third of the cost. State funds for a candidate's 3-19 certification shall be paid to the entity providing the program, 3-20 and that entity must use the state funds on the certification 3-21 program. 3-22 (j) Each certification program shall maintain financial 3-23 records in accordance with State Board of Education rules in a 3-24 manner that indicates the use of program funds. 3-25 (k) The State Board of Education shall monitor each approved 3-26 program to ensure the quality of the program and the use of funds 3-27 in compliance with this section and board rules. 4-1 (l) The requirements for certification under this section 4-2 are in addition to the examination required under Section 13.032. 4-3 (m) Colleges and universities shall encourage faculty 4-4 members to participate in a certification program on a public 4-5 school campus. 4-6 (n) Unless renewed, a certificate issued under this section 4-7 expires on the fifth anniversary of the date on which the 4-8 certificate was issued or most recently renewed. The decision to 4-9 renew the certificate shall be based on local evaluations of the 4-10 overall performance of the campus administrator, demonstrated 4-11 improvement in student performance on the administrator's campus, 4-12 and other criteria determined by the State Board of Education. 4-13 (o) The State Board of Education may adopt reasonable fees 4-14 for issuing or renewing a certificate under this section. 4-15 SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 13, Education Code, is 4-16 amended by adding Section 13.356 to read as follows: 4-17 Sec. 13.356. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR CAMPUS 4-18 ADMINISTRATORS. (a) Each school district, in collaboration with 4-19 regional education service centers, colleges and universities, and 4-20 businesses, may develop and implement a comprehensive program to 4-21 assess the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of campus 4-22 administrators and provide appropriate professional development 4-23 activities to lead to proficiency in each area assessed. Campus 4-24 administrators shall participate in developing and implementing a 4-25 program under this section. 4-26 (b) An assessment profile resulting from the assessments 4-27 under this section may be used only to prepare an individualized 5-1 professional development plan that specifies professional 5-2 development activities for each campus administrator assessed. 5-3 (c) An assessment profile must be based on multiple 5-4 assessments, including self-assessment, supervisor assessment, peer 5-5 assessment, simulations, and field-based performance. The 5-6 standards used for assessment must include the standards for 5-7 administrators approved by the State Board of Education and the 5-8 knowledge and skills base developed by the National Policy Board 5-9 for Educational Administration. 5-10 (d) The professional development activities in an 5-11 individualized professional development plan may include seminars, 5-12 specific programs or projects, field-based exercises, internships, 5-13 and other appropriate activities designed to build skill and 5-14 knowledge towards proficiency in campus administration. Each plan 5-15 must include procedures for measuring proficiency. The measurement 5-16 must be based predominantly on performance rather than on the 5-17 amount of time spent in a program or number of courses taken. 5-18 (e) A school district, regional education service center, 5-19 college, university, or other appropriate entity may collaborate in 5-20 establishing an assessment center. The organization and activities 5-21 of each assessment center must be approved by the State Board of 5-22 Education. An assessment center may be located in a facility of 5-23 any entity participating in the collaboration. 5-24 (f) The State Board of Education shall present a 5-25 "Distinguished Campus Administrator" endorsement to each campus 5-26 administrator who successfully completes an assessment process and 5-27 individualized professional development plan under this section and 6-1 demonstrates proficiency under the standards prescribed by 6-2 Subsection (c). The commissioner of education and the State Board 6-3 of Education shall encourage school districts to use the 6-4 "Distinguished Campus Administrator" endorsement as a criterion of 6-5 employment of a campus administrator. To maintain the endorsement, 6-6 a campus administrator must repeat and complete an assessment 6-7 process and individualized professional development plan not later 6-8 than the fifth anniversary of the date on which the administrator 6-9 completed a previous plan. 6-10 (g) The cost of an assessment center and training program 6-11 shall be shared equally by the state, the school district employing 6-12 the administrator, and the regional education service center in 6-13 whose region the school district is located. A portion of the 6-14 amount annually appropriated for professional staff development 6-15 must be used for training programs designed to address skill 6-16 deficiencies identified during the assessment process. 6-17 (h) Not later than December 1, 1999, the commissioner of 6-18 education shall present to the legislature a report on each school 6-19 district, specifying the number of campus administrators who have 6-20 completed the assessment process under this section, are involved 6-21 in professional development plan activities, have demonstrated 6-22 proficiency in all areas, or have failed to participate in the 6-23 activities. Not later than the beginning of the 1999-2000 school 6-24 year, each person employed as a campus administrator during the 6-25 1995-1996 school year and still employed in that capacity shall be 6-26 involved in professional development activities. This subsection 6-27 expires December 1, 1999. 7-1 SECTION 3. Section 13.352(b), Education Code, is repealed. 7-2 SECTION 4. Beginning with the fall semester 1995 or the 7-3 1995-1996 school year, as applicable, a college, university, 7-4 regional education service center, school district, or other 7-5 appropriate entity may offer a program under Section 13.355, 7-6 Education Code, as added by this Act, for certification of 7-7 administrators of public school campuses. 7-8 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 7-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 7-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 7-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 7-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 7-13 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 7-14 passage, and it is so enacted.