PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1089, 2129, 4332 PRINTER'S NO. 4418
No. 923 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, D. EVANS, FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GRUCELA, JOSEPHS, W. KELLER, KORTZ, LEACH, McILHATTAN, MELIO, MURT, MYERS, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYTON, PRESTON, READSHAW, SOLOBAY, STURLA, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, WALKO, YOUNGBLOOD, LONGIETTI AND CALTAGIRONE, MARCH 29, 2007
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
AN ACT 1 Establishing and providing for the implementation and 2 administration of the Beginning Educator Support and Training 3 (BEST) Program; and providing for powers and duties of the 4 Department of Education. 5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 6 hereby enacts as follows: 7 Section 1. Short title. 8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Beginning 9 Educator Support and Training (BEST) Program. 10 Section 2. Declaration of policy. 11 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: 12 (1) The beginning years of a teacher's career are a 13 critical time in which intensive professional development and 14 training must occur. 15 (2) The public invests heavily in the preparation of 16 prospective teachers and more than half of all new teachers 17 leave some Pennsylvania school districts after one or two
1 years in the classroom. 2 (3) Intensive professional development and training are 3 necessary to build on the preparation that precedes initial 4 certification, to transform academic preparation into 5 practical success in the classroom, to retain greater numbers 6 of capable beginning educators and to remove novices who show 7 little promise as teachers. 8 Section 3. Definitions. 9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 11 context clearly indicates otherwise: 12 "Beginning educator." A first-year teacher with a valid 13 Pennsylvania Instructional I certificate or Educational 14 Specialist I certificate or who is a long-term substitute, 45 15 days or more, employed in an eligible school district. 16 "Department." The Department of Education of the 17 Commonwealth. 18 "Eligible school district." A school district with a high 19 turnover rate for beginning educators in a two-year period and 20 that is economically disadvantaged as determined by the 21 Secretary of Education. 22 "Performance-based assessment." An assessment that evaluates 23 beginning educators in relation to student learning and teaching 24 behaviors that is content-specific and reveals information about 25 the logic and coherence of the teachers' curriculum, the 26 appropriateness of their instructional decisions for students, 27 the range of pedagogical strategies they use effectively, the 28 quality of their assignments, their skill in assessing student 29 learning and their ability to reflect on their own teaching and 30 make changes based on evidence of student learning. 20070H0923B4418 - 2 -
1 "Program." The Beginning Educator Support and Training 2 (BEST) Program established by this act. 3 "Program quality." Excellence with respect to program 4 factors, including, but not limited to, all of the following: 5 (1) Program goals. 6 (2) Design resources. 7 (3) Management, evaluation and improvement of the 8 program. 9 (4) Working conditions. 10 (5) Support, training and assessment services to each 11 beginning educator. 12 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth. 13 Section 3.1. Establishment. 14 (a) Program established.--There is hereby established the 15 Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) Program, to be 16 administered by the department. The department shall provide the 17 program to all school districts identified as having high 18 teacher turnover rates for first-year and second-year teachers 19 and that are economically disadvantaged as determined by the 20 secretary AND THAT ARE SELECTED FOR PARTICIPATION BY THE <-- 21 DEPARTMENT. Participation in the program shall be mandatory for 22 beginning educators employed in eligible school districts that 23 apply for funding under section 5 AND THAT ARE SELECTED FOR <-- 24 PARTICIPATION BY THE DEPARTMENT. The department shall adopt and 25 implement criteria and standards for participation in the 26 program, including criteria regarding the eligibility of 27 educators and standards of local program quality and intensity 28 for schools, school districts, colleges, universities and other 29 educational and professional organizations involved in the 30 program. The criteria and standards shall be consistent with the 20070H0923B4418 - 3 -
1 purposes of the program. 2 (b) Program description.--The program shall support locally 3 designed, high-quality induction programs that provide 4 individualized support and performance-based assessment for all 5 participating beginning educators. The department shall develop 6 and implement policies to govern the support, training and 7 assessment of beginning educators. 8 (c) Continuing professional education.--For a beginning 9 educator who holds an Instructional I or Educational Specialist 10 I certificate who is subject to the requirements of section 11 1205.2 of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as 12 the Public School Code of 1949, participation in the program 13 may, at the teacher's discretion, serve as credit towards hours 14 of continuing professional education programs, activities or 15 learning experiences. 16 Section 4. Administration. 17 The department shall implement and administer the program for 18 eligible school districts pursuant to this act. In administering 19 the program, the department shall provide for or contract for 20 all of the following: 21 (1) Establishment of requirements for reviewing and 22 approving local teacher induction programs. 23 (2) Development and administration of a system for 24 ensuring local teacher induction program quality and 25 effectiveness in producing excellent program outcomes. 26 (3) Ensuring that an eligible school district has a 27 local induction plan in place for each participating 28 beginning educator and that the program provides intensive, 29 mentor-based individualized support and assistance to each 30 participating beginning educator that includes a performance- 20070H0923B4418 - 4 -
1 based assessment. 2 (4) Conducting and tracking research related to best 3 practices for teacher induction programs and professional 4 development materials and strategies for personnel involved 5 in implementing induction programs. 6 Section 5. Funding. 7 (a) General rule.--An TO THE EXTENT FUNDS ARE APPROPRIATED <-- 8 FOR THIS PROGRAM, AN eligible school district or consortium of 9 eligible school districts may apply to the department for 10 funding to establish a local teacher induction program pursuant 11 to this act. From amounts appropriated for the purposes of this 12 act, the department shall allocate AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED <-- 13 $1,500 for each beginning educator participating in the program 14 at eligible school districts. To be eligible to receive funding, 15 an eligible school district shall meet all the criteria and 16 standards required by the department. 17 (b) Participation limitation.--State funding for 18 participation in the program by educators who hold a first-level 19 certificate is limited to two years or until the teacher has 20 satisfied requirements for successful completion of the local 21 teacher induction program, whichever occurs first. 22 (c) Funding limitation.--No more than 10% of the total sum 23 appropriated annually shall be granted to any single eligible 24 school district. 25 Section 6. Report. 26 The department shall evaluate the effectiveness of the 27 program two years following full implementation and report the 28 findings to the General Assembly. An interim report shall be 29 provided to the General Assembly no later than July 1, 2008 <-- 30 2010, if full funding has not been provided prior to that date. <-- 20070H0923B4418 - 5 -
1 Section 7. Effective date. 2 This act shall take effect July 1, 2009, or immediately, 3 whichever is later. C20L24BIL/20070H0923B4418 - 6 -