PRINTER'S NO. 758
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
798
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY MERCURI, SCHLEGEL CULVER AND PICKETT,
APRIL 3, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 3, 2023
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; providing
for access to advanced placement courses for all students;
establishing the Advanced Placement Teacher Training Program;
and imposing duties on the Department of Education and on
school entities.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1205.1(c.1)(3) of the act of March 10,
1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
is amended to read:
Section 1205.1. Continuing Professional Development.--* * *
(c.1) The continuing professional education plan shall
specify the professional education needs that will be met by
completion of each continuing professional education option and
how it relates to areas of assignment and certification or
potential administrative certification. The options may include,
but shall not be limited to:
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* * *
(3) Other programs, activities or learning experiences taken
for credit or hourly, to include:
(i) curriculum development and other program design and
delivery activities at the school entity or grade level as
determined by the school entity and approved by the board of
directors;
(ii) participation in professional conferences and
workshops;
(iii) education in the workplace, where the work relates to
the professional educator's area of assignment and is approved
by the board of directors;
(iv) review, redesign and restructuring of school programs,
organizations and functions as determined by the school entity
and approved by the board of directors;
(v) in-service programs that comply with guidelines
established by the department;
(vi) early childhood and child development activities for
professional educators whose area of assignment includes
kindergarten through third grade;
(vii) special education activities for professional
educators whose area of assignment includes students with
special needs;
(viii) 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;
(ix) other continuing professional education courses,
programs, activities or learning experiences sponsored by the
department; [or]
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(x) visits by educators to a manufacturing workplace for
orientation and demonstrations to give the professional educator
a greater understanding of job opportunities in manufacturing
for students[.]; or
(xi) providing opportunities for educators to serve as
advanced placement course coaches to support teachers in
delivering high-quality advanced placement course instruction.
* * *
Section 2. The act is amended by adding an article to read:
ARTICLE XVII-E
ACCESS TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT
COURSES FOR ALL STUDENTS
Section 1701-E. Scope of article.
This article relates to access to advanced placement courses
for all students.
Section 1702-E. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Advanced placement course." A program authorized by the
College Board that allows a student to study college-level
subjects while enrolled in a school and to receive advanced
placement and college credit for earning a qualified score on
the course-related advanced placement examination.
"Core academic areas." Mathematics, English language arts,
science, social science and computer science.
"Course access." Expenses related to offering an advanced
placement course.
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
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"Eligible school entity." A school entity that does not have
at least one advanced placement course in each of the core
academic areas, or will no longer have an advanced placement
course in each one of the core academic areas due to the
retirement, loss of a teacher or due to retraining needs for a
teacher who teaches an advanced placement course.
"Eligible teacher." A teacher who is certified in the
subject area of the advanced placement course that the teacher
will be teaching. In the case of a computer science course, the
term means an individual who has received professional
development to teach computer science even if the individual is
certified in a different subject area.
"Institution of higher education." The term includes any of
the following:
(1) A community college operating under Article XIX-A.
(2) A university within the State System of Higher
education under Article XX-A.
(3) A State-related institution as defined in section
1502-A.
(4) Any accredited nonprofit public, private or
independent college or university.
"Poverty level." The percentage of students in a school
entity eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
"Program." The Advanced Placement Teacher Training Program
established under section 1703-E(a).
"School entity." A school district, intermediate unit, area
career and technical school, regional charter school, charter
school or cyber charter school.
"Teacher training entity." An institution of higher
education, intermediate unit or organization endorsed by the
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College Board to train eligible teachers to teach advanced
placement courses.
"Virtual learning." An instructional program that uses
technology to provide curriculum and instruction to students
through the Internet or other electronic means.
Section 1703-E. Advanced Placement Teacher Training Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Advanced Placement Teacher Training
Program is established in the department to train teachers in an
eligible school entity to teach advanced placement courses in
the core academic areas.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the program is to provide
access to advanced placement courses in the core academic areas
for students by eligible teachers at all schools that do not
currently provide the courses.
(c) Teacher training and course access.--The following shall
apply:
(1) A school entity that has an advanced placement
course in one or more of the core academic areas but not in
all core academic areas shall be eligible to have a teacher
trained:
(i) in those core academic areas in which the school
entity does not currently have an advanced placement
course;
(ii) if a teacher may need to be retrained after the
initial three-year agreement under section 1704-E(5); or
(iii) in a school entity that wants to add
additional course sections to service additional
students.
(2) A school entity shall be eligible to use available
funds for course access costs that correspond to the subject
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in which the teacher was trained as part of the program.
(d) Limitation.-- No more than one teacher in a core academic
area of an eligible school entity shall be trained under the
program except if the school entity demonstrates the need for
additional educators using guidelines established by the school
entity under section 1704-E(6).
(e) Joint application.--More than one eligible school entity
may apply jointly to the program to train a teacher in an
advanced placement course instruction if the teacher will
provide instruction in more than one school entity through
classroom instruction, virtual learning or a blended learning
model.
(f) Publication.--A school entity that offers advanced
placement courses to students under the program shall publish on
the school's publicly accessible Internet website the advanced
placement courses offered and notify parents of the availability
and guidelines.
Section 1704-E. Application.
The application for an eligible school entity seeking funding
from the program must include the following:
(1) The core academic areas that currently have advanced
placement courses in the school entity.
(2) The core academic areas that do not have advanced
placement courses in the school entity.
(3) The following information:
(i) The names of the eligible teachers.
(ii) The school where the teachers are teaching.
(iii) The core academic areas with advanced
placement courses in which the teacher would provide
instruction.
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(iv) Whether the instruction will be in a classroom,
virtual learning or through a blended learning model.
(4) The names of the eligible teacher trainer that would
provide training to teach advanced placement courses.
(5) An agreement to offer the advanced placement courses
for students in grades nine through twelve for at least three
years.
(6) Guidelines that the school entity will use to
determine which students may be eligible to enroll in an
advanced placement course, subject to the following:
(i) In developing the guidelines, the school entity
shall utilize data and information on the academic
performance of students, which may include the academic
performance of students on the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude
Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test in consultation
with the College Board, shall eliminate barriers that
restrict access to advanced placement courses for student
populations that have been traditionally underserved and
shall make every effort to ensure that advanced placement
courses reflect the diversity of the student population.
(ii) The school entity may not unlawfully
discriminate on any basis in enrollment of students.
(7) Course access costs, if any, that correspond to the
teacher training.
(8) A statement agreeing to comply with the reporting
requirement under section 1705-E.
Section 1705-E. Report to department.
For each of the core academic areas for which an eligible
teacher's training was funded by the program a school entity
shall annually report to the department the following:
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(1) Number of students who took advanced placement
courses disaggregated by race and ethnicity.
(2) Grade levels in which advanced placement courses are
taught.
(3) Number of students who took advanced placement
examinations disaggregated by race and ethnicity.
(4) Number of students who scored a three or higher on
advanced placement examinations.
(5) Number of teachers who taught advanced placement
courses within the school entity.
Section 1706-E. Powers and duties of department.
(a) General rule.--The department shall provide guidance
necessary for the implementation of this article, including the
following:
(1) Certify teacher training entities, that are endorsed
by the College Board, that may provide training to teachers
to teach advanced placement courses in the core academic
areas. In certifying teacher training entities, the
department shall ensure that the training locations and times
are geographically accessible for teachers from eligible
school entities to attend or are administered in a manner
that is not in person.
(2) The department shall ensure that training provided
by teacher training entities provides eligible teachers with
the necessary content, knowledge and instructional skills to
prepare students for success in advanced placement courses
and examinations.
(b) Report.--Beginning at the end of the first year of the
program and annually thereafter, the department shall issue a
report to the General Assembly on the program that includes:
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(1) The number of teachers who received training and
retraining in advanced placement instruction in school
entities in each of the core academic areas.
(2) The number and percentage of high schools that offer
advanced placement programs in all core academic areas.
(3) The number and percentage of high schools that offer
advanced placement courses in each of the core academic
areas.
(4) The number and percentage of students who took
advanced placement courses at school entities in each of the
core academic areas disaggregated by race and ethnicity.
(5) The number and percentage of students who scored a
three or higher on an advanced placement examination at
school entities in each of the core academic areas.
(6) The names of the school entities and high schools
that do not offer advanced placement courses.
(7) The number of teachers who were trained outside the
core academic areas teaching other advanced placement
courses.
(8) Course access costs.
Section 1707-E. Funding for teacher training entities.
To the extent money is available for the program, the
department shall allocate money to certified teacher training
entities based on teacher attendance upon completion of the
training program.
Section 1708-E. Program funding.
(a) Funding.--Funding for the program shall be made from
available Federal funds, annual appropriations made by the
General Assembly to the department for the purpose of the
program or private sources.
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(b) Priorities.--In the event of insufficient funds for the
program in any fiscal year, the department shall prioritize
funding of eligible school entities based on the poverty level
of the school entity.
(c) Training funding range.--In consultation with the
College Board, the department shall develop a teacher training
funding range for teacher professional development and course
access costs based on the course.
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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