82R29992 CAE-D
 
  By: Shapiro S.B. No. 4
 
  (Eissler)
 
  Substitute the following for S.B. No. 4:  No.
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to certification, continuing education, and appraisal of
  public school teachers.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 21.048, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  In proposing rules under Subsection (a), the board
  shall prescribe a comprehensive examination administered to a
  person applying for certification to teach early childhood through
  grade four or English as a second language in early childhood
  through grade four that includes components in reading, language
  arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.  The reading
  component must include material covering the science of reading.  
  The proposed rules must provide for scoring the examination based
  on a cumulative score in addition to an individual score for each
  component area listed in this subsection. The proposed rules must
  provide a minimum scoring standard that demonstrates satisfactory
  performance and content mastery for the cumulative score and each
  component area. The minimum scoring standard proposed by the board
  for the cumulative score must be greater than the total of the
  proposed minimum scoring standard for each component area.
         SECTION 2.  Section 21.054, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (b) to read as follows:
         (b)  The board shall implement an appraisal and
  accountability system for continuing education courses offered in
  this state and monitor the quality of all continuing education
  courses.
         SECTION 3.  Section 21.351, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 21.351.  RECOMMENDED APPRAISAL PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE
  CRITERIA. (a) The commissioner shall adopt a recommended
  appraisal process and criteria on which to appraise the performance
  of teachers.  The process adopted must provide for basing a
  significant portion of the appraisal on the teacher's student
  learning objectives and outcomes, which must include student
  performance on assessment instruments administered under Section
  39.023 and other student learning objectives and outcomes.  The
  performance of a teacher's students on assessment instruments
  required under Subchapter B, Chapter 39, may not be the primary
  indicator for determining teacher effectiveness.  The recommended
  appraisal process must provide a method for determining the
  effectiveness of teachers who do not teach a subject in which
  assessment instruments under Subchapter B, Chapter 39, are
  administered.  [The criteria must be based on observable,
  job-related behavior, including:
               [(1)     teachers' implementation of discipline
  management procedures; and
               [(2)  the performance of teachers' students.]
         (b)  The commissioner shall solicit and consider the advice
  of teachers, administrative leaders, education experts, and
  parents of students in developing the recommended appraisal process
  and performance criteria.
         (c)  Under the recommended appraisal process, an appraiser
  must be the teacher's supervisor or a person approved by the board
  of trustees and be monitored as necessary to ensure fairness,
  thoroughness, and accuracy of the system. An appraiser who is a
  classroom teacher may not appraise the performance of another
  classroom teacher who teaches at the same school campus at which the
  appraiser teaches, unless it is impractical because of the number
  of campuses or unless the appraiser is the chair of a department or
  grade level whose job description includes classroom observation
  responsibilities.
         (d)  The recommended appraisal process for teachers must
  provide that:
               (1)  a teacher be appraised at least once each school
  year;
               (2)  consistent and clear expectations regarding
  teacher performance be communicated to the teacher at least once
  each year;
               (3)  a self-evaluation be completed by the teacher and
  be considered by the appraiser before the teacher's appraisal is
  complete; and
               (4)  a teacher's overall performance, based on the
  appraisal, be assigned one of five ratings, as applicable, though a
  greater number of separate ratings may be used to detail
  performance under each [Under the recommended appraisal process,
  appraisal for teachers must be detailed by] category of
  professional skill and characteristic appraised as part of the
  appraisal of the teacher's overall performance [and must provide
  for separate ratings for each category].
         (e)  The recommended appraisal process for teachers must
  [shall] guarantee that a conference between the teacher and the
  appraiser will occur as soon as possible after the teacher's
  appraisal under this section is completed. The conference must
  [shall] be diagnostic and prescriptive with regard to remediation
  needed in overall performance and by category.
         (f)  The recommended appraisal process may provide a
  modified and less frequent appraisal process for a teacher if the
  most recent appraisal of the teacher rated the teacher at the
  highest level of proficiency in the system and did not identify any
  area of deficiency and the teacher agrees in writing to the modified
  appraisal process. A teacher who is appraised less frequently than
  annually must be appraised at least once during each period of three
  school years.
         (g)  Before the commissioner adopts the recommended
  appraisal process required by this section, the commissioner must
  develop, validate, and test proposals regarding the process.  The
  commissioner may initiate pilot projects to implement and test
  proposals, which may address different aspects of the process and
  different methods for determining teacher effectiveness.  The
  process adopted by the commissioner must include the measurement of
  the teacher's effectiveness. In determining the measurement of the
  teacher's effectiveness, the process adopted must be fair,
  transparent, timely, rigorous, and valid.
         SECTION 4.  Sections 21.352(a) and (c), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  In appraising teachers, each school district shall use:
               (1)  the appraisal process and performance criteria
  developed by the commissioner under Section 21.351; or
               (2)  an appraisal process and performance criteria:
                     (A)  developed by the district- and campus-level
  committees established under Section 11.251;
                     (B)  containing the items described by Sections
  21.351(a) and (d) [21.351(a)(1) and (2)]; and
                     (C)  adopted by the board of trustees.
         (c)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection,
  appraisal must be done at least once during each school year. A
  teacher may be appraised less frequently if the teacher agrees in
  writing and the teacher's most recent evaluation rated the teacher
  at the highest proficiency [as at least proficient, or the
  equivalent,] and did not identify any area of deficiency. A teacher
  who is appraised less frequently than annually must be appraised at
  least once during each period of three [five] school years. The
  district shall maintain a written copy of the evaluation of each
  teacher's performance in the teacher's personnel file. Each
  teacher is entitled to receive a written copy of the evaluation on
  its completion. After receiving a written copy of the evaluation, a
  teacher is entitled to a second appraisal by a different appraiser
  or to submit a written rebuttal to the evaluation to be attached to
  the evaluation in the teacher's personnel file. The evaluation and
  any rebuttal may be given to another school district at which the
  teacher has applied for employment at the request of that district.
         SECTION 5.  Subchapter H, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 21.358 to read as follows:
         Sec. 21.358.  QUALIFICATIONS OF APPRAISERS. The
  commissioner shall adopt rules regarding the minimum
  qualifications necessary for a person who conducts teacher
  appraisals. The rules must require that the appraiser be highly
  qualified to assess instructional quality and demonstrate
  instructional leadership.
         SECTION 6.  The commissioner of education shall adopt a
  recommended appraisal process that complies with Section 21.351,
  Education Code, as amended by this Act, in a manner that allows a
  school district to implement the recommended appraisal process
  adopted by the commissioner not later than September 1, 2015.
         SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.