|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to teacher retention demonstration projects under the |
|
awards for student achievement program in public schools. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 21.657(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) An eligible campus must use 25 percent of a grant award |
|
received under Section 21.655 to provide for: |
|
(1) incentive payments to campus employees other than |
|
classroom teachers, such as principals, assistant principals, |
|
teachers who are not eligible for an incentive payment under |
|
Section 21.656, counselors, speech therapists, instructional |
|
coaches, teacher's aides, nurses, librarians, members of the |
|
custodial staff, or other campus employees who have contributed to |
|
improved student achievement; |
|
(2) professional development for classroom teachers |
|
who: |
|
(A) do not receive an incentive payment under |
|
Section 21.656; and |
|
(B) would benefit from professional development |
|
to develop or enhance skills and behaviors described under Section |
|
21.656(b); |
|
(3) reimbursement or funding for a professional |
|
development activity that directly contributes to improved |
|
classroom instruction and student achievement; |
|
(4) signing bonuses for classroom teachers new to the |
|
campus who are teaching subjects that have been designated by the |
|
commissioner as historically experiencing a critical shortage of |
|
teachers; |
|
(5) a teacher mentoring program that meets the |
|
requirements of Section 21.458; |
|
(6) an activity that supports new teacher induction |
|
programs, including: |
|
(A) common planning time and collaboration; |
|
(B) a professional development activity; and |
|
(C) standards-based evaluations; |
|
(7) an activity that supports common planning time and |
|
curriculum development; |
|
(8) a program that has been proven to recruit and |
|
retain highly effective teachers, including a teacher retention |
|
demonstration project that employs innovative, research-based |
|
practices to identify and retain highly effective teachers, such |
|
as: |
|
(A) a teacher recruitment and selection strategy |
|
focused on attracting new and experienced teachers who have deep |
|
content knowledge and a commitment to long-term participation in |
|
the teaching profession; |
|
(B) an alternative certification program that |
|
prepares individuals who have deep content knowledge and |
|
outstanding academic or professional achievement for long-term |
|
participation in the teaching profession; |
|
(C) a campus governance model that engages |
|
teachers in leading campus management activities, including |
|
student assessment data analysis, professional development |
|
planning, instructional coaching, and resource allocation; |
|
(D) a differentiated compensation plan that |
|
addresses teaching shortages in specific subject areas, |
|
instructional weaknesses at underperforming campuses, limited |
|
advanced academic course offerings, or other critical needs |
|
identified by the district; or |
|
(E) another research-based strategy designed to |
|
improve teacher retention rates; |
|
(9) an activity that creates or furthers the goals of |
|
an incentive system designed to improve student achievement; |
|
(10) stipends for teachers who participate in an |
|
after-school or Saturday program that directly contributes to |
|
improved classroom instruction and student achievement; |
|
(11) stipends for teachers who are certified under |
|
Subchapter B in the main subject area in which they teach; |
|
(12) stipends for teachers who hold a postgraduate |
|
degree; |
|
(13) additional funding for feeder campuses that, |
|
because they are not assigned performance ratings under Chapter 39, |
|
do not qualify to participate in the program, such as campuses that |
|
serve kindergarten through grade two, to implement an activity |
|
described by this section; and |
|
(14) any other program that directly contributes to |
|
improved student achievement. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2007-2008 |
|
school year. |
|
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, 2007. |