PRINTER'S NO. 931
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
835
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY DINNIMAN, SCHWANK AND VULAKOVICH, MAY 14, 2015
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MAY 14, 2015
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in certification of teachers, further
providing for continuing professional development and for
program of continuing professional education.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1205.1 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
amended by adding a subsection to read:
Section 1205.1. Continuing Professional Development.--* * *
(g) As used in this section, the term "school entity" means
a school district, charter school, regional charter school,
cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area vocational-
technical school.
Section 2. Section 1205.2(c) and the definition of "school
entity" in subsection (o) of the act, amended July 13, 2005
(P.L.226, No.46) and July 11, 2006 (P.L.1092, No.114), are
amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to
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read:
Section 1205.2. Program of Continuing Professional
Education.--* * *
(c) [The] Subject to the restrictions in subsection (c.1),
the requirements of subsection (a) may be satisfied by a
professional educator, whether or not presently employed by a
school entity, by the successful completion of credits or hours
to include any of the following:
(1) Credits of collegiate studies related to an area of the
professional educator's assignment or certification at an
institution of higher education approved by the department.
(2) Credits of continuing professional education courses
related to an area of the professional educator's assignment or
certification conducted by providers approved by the department.
(3) Hours of other continuing professional education
programs, activities or learning experiences related to an area
of the professional educator's assignment or certification
conducted by providers approved by the department.
(4) Credits or hours completed in any collegiate studies,
continuing professional education courses or continuing
professional education programs, activities or learning
experiences included in the professional education plan of the
professional educator's school entity and conducted by:
(i) the department;
(ii) providers approved by the department;
(iii) the professional educator's school entity; or
(iv) providers approved as part of the professional
education plan of the professional educator's school entity.
(5) Credits or hours not included in clauses (1) through (4)
approved by the board of directors of the school entity.
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(6) Credits or hours required to obtain administrator
certification.
(7) Credits or hours in an area other than the area of the
professional educator's assignment or certification if the
professional educator may be transferred by the board of
directors to another assignment. The credits or hours must be
approved for the professional educator by the board of
directors.
(8) Successful completion of department training for service
as a Distinguished Educator if the professional educator
participates in and completes at least one assignment in the
Distinguished Educators Program.
(c.1) The credits or hours authorized under subsection (c)
or elsewhere that a professional educator may earn for meeting
the requirements of subsection (a), whether or not presently
employed by a school entity, are restricted as follows:
(1) Credits or hours for the successful completion of the
training and project-based evaluation established under 22 Pa.
Code § 4.51c (relating to project-based assessment) that are
approved to satisfy the requirements of subsection (a) shall be
restricted to satisfy one (1) credit or thirty (30) hours of the
one hundred eighty (180) hours of credits needed for a single
five-year compliance period.
(2) The requirements of subsection (a) may not be satisfied
by the successful completion of:
(i) Credits or hours that consist solely of grading,
scoring, correcting, assessing or evaluating a student's
participation in or response to a tool used to measure a
student's knowledge base, ability to learn or proficiency in any
subject area regardless of being approved or conducted by the
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Department of Education. A tool to measure a student may
include, but shall not be limited to:
(A) a presented question;
(B) an examination;
(C) a test;
(D) a standardized, performance, project-based or other
assessment;
(E) an interview; or
(F) a request for report or essay.
(ii) A second or subsequent completion of the training and
project-based evaluation established under 22 Pa. Code § 4.51c
that is approved to meet the requirements under subsection (a)
or for an additional project-based evaluation based on the
initial training regardless of whether the training and
evaluation of a project-based assessment or the additional
evaluation are completed within the professional educator's
five-year compliance period or a second or subsequent five-year
compliance period.
(3) The student whose participation, response or project-
based assessment is being graded, scored, corrected, assessed or
evaluated may but does not need to be a student of the
professional educator for this subsection to apply.
(4) This section shall not restrict a professional educator
from participating in a second or subsequent completion of a
training or project-based evaluation or an additional project-
based evaluation based on the initial training. The satisfaction
of continuing professional education credits with the
participation, however, is restricted by this subsection.
* * *
(o) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
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words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection:
* * *
"School entity" shall mean a school district, [an
intermediate unit, a joint school district, an area vocational-
technical school, a charter school, the Scotland School for
Veterans' Children and the Scranton School for the Deaf or any
of these acting jointly] charter school, regional charter
school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area
vocational-technical school.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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