By: Shapiro S.B. No. 570

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

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.