Home ::
Title II – Teacher Excellence for All Children (TEACH) (cont.)
PART B—TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL QUALITY STATE GRANTS
Defines ‘high-need local educational agency’ as a local educational agency—that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or in which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and which, as compared to the average for the state as a whole, has a higher proportion of teachers who are not teaching in core academic subjects or at grade levels for which they are highly qualified; or that according to the local needs assessment in section 2222 exceeds the State average in three or more of the following:
(I) Proportion of first year teachers.
(II) Proportion of second and third year teachers.
(III) Teacher attrition rate.
(IV) Proportion of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary teaching credentials.
Defines “highly qualified paraprofessional” as someone who has at least two years experience in the classroom and post secondary education or demonstrated competence in a field or academic subject for which there is a significant shortage of qualified teachers.
Defines “out of field” as someone who is not highly qualified for the subject or grade teaching.
This section makes Title II funding ($3.4 billion) contingent upon each state demonstrating that it is taking steps to assess whether poor and minority students are being disproportionately taught by inexperienced, not highly qualified or out-of-field teachers, and to ensure that it is taking steps to address any disparities. The Secretary is authorized to withhold funds if states fail to make sustained and substantial progress in eliminating disparities. The state has to submit a teacher needs assessment to Secretary within one year of effective date of Act, to determine which school districts are most in need of highly qualified and experienced teachers with expertise in the subjects they teach. Assessment must be developed with input of teachers. This assessment must be made available to parents and the general public and will include an account of the number of first year teachers, the number of teachers with provisional or emergency teaching certification, the average teacher turnover rate, and the number of core academic subjects not being taught by highly-qualified teachers.
States must prepare a plan to address the needs identified in the teacher needs assessment within two years of enactment of this bill. The plan must describe how funds will be used and for what activities while establishing specific, annual goals for achieving an equitable distribution of teachers and for reducing teacher attrition.
State plan must include a description of how the state educational agency will upgrade the professional development in order to better meet the needs of teachers and principals working in school districts in which the following measures are higher than average (as compared to other school districts in the state):
(A) Rates of teacher attrition.
(B) Rates of out-of-field teaching.
(C) Proportions of novice teachers.
(D) Proportions of teachers teaching with emergency, provisional, or temporary credentials, or other teaching credentials that do not meet the requirements for full State certification.
Plan will also include description of how the state will encourage the development of effective strategies to deliver intensive professional development programs that are cost-effective and easily accessible, such as those that involve delivery through the use of technology, coaching, and peer networks.
State Use of Funds
The committee outline states that this section requires that 95% of funds made available to each state be used for sub grants to local school districts and 2.5% of funds will be used for sub grants to eligible partnerships. The remainder is reserved for state activities, targeted high-need districts and those with large numbers of schools in need of improvement or redesign, including assistance in establishing uniform reporting methods and technical assistance in developing or implementing activities at the local level. State activities include assistance in the following: training teachers in effectively using data -- including data from formative assessments -- to improve teaching and learning; training teachers in effectively teaching students with diverse learning needs including English Language Learners and students with disabilities; and delivering intensive ongoing professional development through technology, peer networks, and school based coaching; and other activities to improve teaching and learning.
We found additional language specifying that the state can use funds to:
Develop or assist local educational agencies in developing performance pay programs or programs that reward teachers who teach in schools that have acute learning needs as determined by the local needs assessment, if such activities have the demonstrated support of teachers in such local educational agencies and that such programs are not based primarily on student test scores.
Develop or assist local educational agencies in developing teacher advancement initiatives that promote multiple career paths for teachers (such as becoming a career teacher, mentor teacher, or master teacher).
Reform teacher and principal certification (including recertification) or licensing requirements—
(i) to ensure that—teachers have the necessary subject matter knowledge and teaching skills in the academic subjects that they teach to help students meet challenging student academic achievement standards; principals have the instructional leadership skills to help teachers teach and students learn; and teacher certification (including recertification) or licensing requirements are aligned with challenging State academic content standards; and
(ii) to include a performance-based assessment of the subject matter knowledge and teaching skills of new teachers that can be used to evaluate teacher preparation programs in the State.
Develop teacher diversity workforce initiatives;
Carry out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes for state certification of teachers and principals, especially in areas of mathematics, science, and other shortage areas for highly qualified individuals with a baccalaureate or master’s degree, including mid-career professionals from other occupations, paraprofessionals, former military personnel, and recent college or university graduates with records of academic distinction who demonstrate the potential to become highly successful teachers or principals.
Fund projects and activities that promote reciprocity of teacher and principal certification or licensing between or among states, except that no reciprocity agreement developed under this paragraph or developed using funds provided under this part may lead to the weakening of any state teacher certification or licensing requirement.
Reform tenure systems, implement teacher testing for subject matter knowledge, and implement teacher testing for state certification or licensing, consistent with title II of the Higher Education Act of1965.
Local Needs Assessment:
The committee outline states that this section requires each school district to conduct and publish an account of its professional development and hiring needs. This section requires involvement of teachers, including that those who teach English language learners, Native American students, and special education students in the development of needs assessment. The assessment will give special attention to ascertaining which schools have the greatest needs by analyzing the number of teachers in their first three years, teacher attrition, the number of teachers with emergency credentials and the number of classes taught by teachers who are not highly-qualified. Local districts are also required to publicly report a comparison of teacher quality data for those schools within the district that are designed as Priority or High Priority Schools. The needs assessment must assess the subject matter knowledge and teaching skills of teachers and the instructional leadership and management skills of principals to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging State student academic achievement standards. Application will include how the school will integrate funds under this subpart with funds received under part E to train teachers to integrate technology into curricula and instruction to improve teaching, learning, and technology literacy and a description of how the local educational agency, teachers, principals, other relevant school personnel, and parents have collaborated in the planning of activities to be carried out under this subpart and in the preparation of the application.
SEC. 2223. LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.
(a) TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—school districts required to provide.
(b) TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.— activities CAN include:
(1) STATE-OF-THE-ART TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAMS
(A) is designed to provide support for,and improve the professional performance and advance the retention in the teaching field of, new teachers;
(B) provides new teachers a minimum of two years of extensive, high-quality, comprehensive induction into the field of teaching;
(C) includes—
(i) structured mentoring from highly-qualified master or mentor teachers who are certified, have teaching experience similar to the grade level or subject assignment of the new teacher, and are trained to mentor new teachers;
(ii) at least 90 minutes each week of common meeting time for a new teacher to discuss student work and teaching with veteran teaching colleagues;
(iii) a regular classroom observation in the new teacher’s classroom;
(iv) observation by the new teacher of the mentor teacher’s classroom;
(v) intensive professional development for new teachers that is based on scientifically valid research;
(vi) training in effective instructional services and classroom management strategies for general education teachers serving students with disabilities and English language learners;
(vii) structured and formal observation of teachers and feedback at least four times each school year by multiple evaluators, including master teachers and the principal, using valid and reliable benchmarks of teaching skills and standards that are developed with input from teachers;
(viii) paid release time for the mentor teacher for mentoring, or, in the case of a school district receiving a grant under section 2112, salary supplements in accordance with such section, for mentoring new teachers at a ratio of not less than one full-time mentor to every 12 new teachers;
(ix) a transition year to the classroom that includes a reduced workload for beginning teachers;
(x) a standards-based assessment of every beginning teacher to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each teacher and whether the teacher should move forward in the teaching profession, which assessment may include examination of practice and a measure of gains in student learning; and
(xi) training in the application of instructional practices that are based on scientifically valid research and in the use of data to inform instruction; and
(D) is evaluated regularly by the local educational agency to determine the impact of the induction program on teacher quality and student academic achievement.
(2) PEER MENTORING AND REVIEW PROGRAMS.—TO BE SUPPLIED
(3) HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Coordinated and intensive. Includes: providing teachers with developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research, assessing professional development needs of teachers and other instructional personnel, training and support for new teachers, providing intensive support to staff to improve instruction in literacy, math, science, and other curricular areas necessary to provide a well rounded education to students, high-quality professional development to principals to improve instructional leadership and school management skills; recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers, including specialists in core academic subjects, and principals; training in effective instructional services and classroom management strategies for mainstream teachers serving students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency, professional development to improve teacher and principal knowledge of effective instructional strategies, including improvement of student behavior in the classroom through methods employing positive reinforcement, appropriate training in classroom management, and culturally competent methods of classroom management that reduce the disproportionate percentage of African-American boys referred for disciplinary infractions; providing high-quality professional development for other instructional staff, such as paraprofessionals, librarians, and counselors, support to mentors working with new teachers, enabling teachers to engage in study groups and other collaborative activities and collegial interactions regarding instruction, paying for release time and substitute teachers in order to enable teachers to participate in the activities of the teacher center, creating libraries of professional materials and educational technology, online professional development resources, financial incentives for teachers to teach in core academic subjects in high-need schools in cases in which there exists a shortage of highly-qualified teachers within a school or local educational agency, assists in the recruitment of qualified professionals from other fields, including mathematics and science, and provide such professionals with alternative routes to teacher certification using a system of intensive screening designed to hire the most qualified applicants;reforms tenure systems; hires teachers to reduce class size to18 or fewer students in kindergarten through third grade in high-need local educational agencies, except that a local educational agency may pay (in whole or in part) a teacher’s salary pursuant to this subparagraph if that teacher’s salary was paid (in whole or in part) using funds under this title in school year 2006-07; provides induction or peer mentoring programs for school leaders in their first two or three years of service that emphasize school leadership practices and evaluate principals on their use of data to improve student and teacher performance; and provides specialized training for new principals leading schools with high populations of students with disabilities or English language learners
Also provides grants to eligible partnerships to:
(1) provide professional development activities in core academic subjects to ensure that—
(A) teachers and paraprofessionals have subject matter knowledge in the academic subjects that the teachers teach and for which the paraprofessionals provide support, including the use of technology to enhance student learning; and
(B) principals have the instructional leadership skills that will help such principals work most effectively with teachers to help students master core academic subjects; and
(2) developing and providing assistance to local educational agencies and individuals who are teachers or principals of schools served by such agencies, for sustained, high-quality professional development activities that—
(A) ensure that the individuals are able to use challenging State academic content standards and student academic achievement standards, and State assessments, to improve instructional practices and improve student academic achievement;
(B) may include intensive programs designed to prepare such individuals who will return to a school to provide instruction related to the professional development described in subparagraph (A) to other such individuals within such school; and
(C) may include activities of partnerships between one or more school districts, one or more schools served by such school districts, and one or more institutions of higher education for the purpose of improving teaching and learning at schools designated for school improvement and assistance and redesign under section 1116.
Improving Principal Quality in Urban and Rural Schools
The committee outline states that this section authorizes funding for rigorous training to aspiring principals in high-need urban and rural schools through a year long residency program as well as ongoing support after they become principals. Aspiring principals will specifically receive instruction in management and the use of data in designing school improvement plans. The grant recipients shall contribute matching funds equal to 200% of the grant and agree to an independent, external evaluation of the program.
SEC. 2241. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS.
(a) PARTNERSHIP GRANTS FOR PRINCIPALS ASSCHOOL LEADERS.—
The Secretary shall establish a national competitive grant program to award five-year grants states in partnership with other entities to—
(A) develop recommendations, on the basis of the best available scientifically valid research and State needs assessments, for improving the rigor of current state school leader and licensure processes in order to develop high quality school leader certification and licensure processes at the state level and implement pilot programs in high-need school districts or consortia of high-need school districts;
(B) develop and incorporate standards of instructional leadership into the state’s school leader certification and licensure processes; and
(C) carry out evaluations based on scientifically valid research to examine the effectiveness of new requirements for school leader certification or licensure in recruiting, training, and retaining effective school leaders who improve student achievement at schools that receive funding under Part A of title I.
Plan and pilot program will include:
(I) induction or peer mentoring programs for school leaders in their first three years of service that emphasize school leadership practices and evaluate principals on their use of data to improve student and teacher performance; and
(II) specialized training for new principals leading schools with high populations of students with disabilities or English language learners.
Activities MAY include:
(I) experimental training programs for individuals within the teaching profession and from other fields to enable individuals to become effective school leaders;
(II) ongoing professional development programs with track records of demonstrated gains in student achievement for all school leaders; and
(III) innovative recruitment and selection programs, including new regulations for accrediting school leadership programs at institutions of higher education.
National Activities of Demonstrated Effectiveness (same as current law)
This section establishes three programs. The first creates a competitive five-year grant program for innovative teacher retention programs that will pair teachers with professionals in research or industry in order to develop new curriculum and research, travel and fellowship opportunities for teachers to share their work and knowledge. The second creates a competitive grant program to support activities that encourage teachers who seek advanced certification or credentialing. This includes grants to state, school districts or nationally recognized teacher certification or credentialing organizations in partnership with high-needs school district to:
(A) develop teacher standards that include measures tied to increased student academic achievement; and
(B) promote outreach, teacher recruitment, teacher subsidy, or teacher support programs, related to teacher certification or credentialing by nationally recognized teacher certification or credentialing organizations.
The third creates a competitive grant program to provide professional development for early childhood educators who work in communities that have high concentrations of children living in poverty.
Part C – Partnerships for Math and Science Teacher Quality Improvement (pg 109)
Encourages states to establish comprehensive, integrated system of training and advising mathematics and science teachers; focus on the education of mathematics and science teachers as a career-long process that continuously stimulates teachers’ intellectual growth and upgrades teachers’ knowledge and skills; bring mathematics and science teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools together with scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to increase the subject matter knowledge of mathematics and science teachers and improve such teachers’ teaching skills through the use of sophisticated laboratory equipment and work space, computing facilities, libraries, and other resources that institutions of higher education are better able to provide than the elementary schools and secondary schools; develop more rigorous mathematics and science curricula that are aligned with challenging state and local academic content standards and with the standards expected for post secondary study in engineering, mathematics, and science; improve and expand training of mathematics and science teachers, including training such teachers in the effective integration of technology into curricula and instruction; and replicate and apply effective model mathematics and science professional development programs on a broader scale.
SEC. 2302. GRANTS FOR PARTNERSHIPS FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.
(slightly amends current law)
Secretary authorized to issue three-year competitive grants. Requires consultation with National Science Foundation on the conduct of summer workshops and the dissemination of information on model programs. Can use grants for, among other things, mathematics and science summer workshops or institutes (at least two weeks long), including follow-up training, for elementary school and secondary school mathematics and science teachers, establishing distance learning programs for mathematics and science teachers using curricula that are innovative, content-based, and based on research that is current as of the date of the program involved; designing programs to prepare a mathematics or science teacher, including an exemplary teacher or the principal, at a school to provide professional development to other mathematics or science teachers at the school and to assist beginning and other teachers at the school.
Part D – Math Success for All
Mathematics Success
According to the committee outline, this Section combines the Math NOW and Math Skills program currently authorized through the COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) into a single grant program. Math Success for All provides grants to local educational agencies to provide targeted help to low-income students in kindergarten through secondary school who are struggling with mathematics and whose achievement is significantly below grade level. In addition, grants may be used to provide in service training for mathematics coaches who can assist elementary and secondary school teachers to utilize research-based mathematics instruction to develop and improve students’ mathematical abilities and knowledge, and assist teachers in assessing and improving student academic achievement.
PART E—INNOVATION FOR TEACHER QUALITY
SUBPART 1—TRANSITIONS TO TEACHING
CHAPTER A—TROOPS-TO-TEACHERS PROGRAM
Troops to Teachers
According to the committee outline, this section reauthorizes the program to help eligible members of the Armed Forces become highly qualified teachers and to facilitate their employment in high-need schools. Amends current law to allow eligible members to teach in schools that meet alternative definition of high-need if there are no schools within 50 miles of member’s residence that meet underlying definition of high-need.
CHAPTER B—TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM (amends current law) as follows:
(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The entity shall use the funds to carry out a program that includes two or more of the following activities that are aligned with the entity’s plan under subsection (d)(2)(G):
(A) Providing performance pay, if it has the demonstrated support of teachers in such local educational agency and it is not based primarily on student test scores (new). Increases the amount from up to $5K per participant to up to $15K per participant.
National Writing Project (same as current law)
According to the committee outline, this section provides funding for training teachers to improve the teaching of writing and the use of writing as part of the learning process based on proven models. The section requires the National Writing Project to collaborate with institutions of higher education and other nonprofit educational providers in developing the teacher training programs.
PART F—ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
One of stated goals of program is to improve teacher professional development to ensure every teacher and administrator is technologically literate, including possessing the knowledge and skills to use technology across the curriculum, to use technology and curriculum redesign as key components of changing teaching and learning and improving student achievement, to use technology for data analysis to enable individualized instruction, and to use technology to improve student technology literacy.
State plans must include a description of how the State will (deleted “work to”) ensure that teachers, paraprofessionals, library and media personnel, and administrators in the State are technologically literate.
Adds new language establishing ‘‘(b) COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR SYSTEMIC SCHOOL REFORM THROUGH TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION. involving reform or redesign of curriculum, instruction, assessment, use of data, or other school or classroom practices through the use of technology, including to increase student learning opportunity, technology literacy, access, and engagement; improving educator quality, knowledge, and skills through on-going, sustainable, timely, and contextual professional development pursuant to section 2616(b)(1)(A); developing student technology literacy and other skills necessary for 21st century learning and success; on-going use of formative assessments and other timely data sources and data systems to more effectively identify individual student learning needs and guide personalized instruction and learning and appropriate interventions that address those personalized student learning needs; or engagement of agency and school leaders, as well as classroom educators.
Local activities for Systemic School Reform through Technology Integration:
(A) using at least 25 percent of funds to improve teacher quality and skills through support for—
(i) professional development activities described in subsection (b)(1)(A); and
(ii) the acquisition and implementation of technology tools, applications and other resources to be employed in the professional development activities described in clause (i);
(B) acquiring and effectively implementing technology tools, applications and other resources to—
(i) increase student learning opportunity or access, student engagement in learning, or student attendance or graduation rates;
(ii) improve student achievement in one or more of the core academic subject areas;
(iii) improve student technology literacy;
(iv) support on-going formative assessments, as appropriate, and use other timely data sources and data systems to more effectively identify individual students learning needs and guide personalized instruction, learning and appropriate interventions that address those personalized student learning needs;
(v) support individualized student learning, including through instructional software and digital content that supports the learning needs of each student, or through providing access to high-quality courses and instructors, including mathematics, science and foreign language courses especially in rural and high-poverty schools; and
(vi) such other activities as appropriate consistent with the goals and purposes of research-based and innovative systemic school reform, including to increase parental involvement through improved communication with teachers and access to student assignments and grades.
FORMULA GRANTS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY.—
Local activities:
(1) Use of at least 30 percent of such funds for professional development to improve teacher quality and skills through support for—
(A) training of teachers, paraprofessionals, library and media personnel, and administrators that—
(i) shall include the development, acquisition or delivery of —
(I) training that is on-going, sustainable, timely, and directly related to current teaching content areas;
(II) training in strategies and pedagogy in the core curriculum areas that involve use of technology and curriculum redesign as key components of changing teaching and learning and improving student achievement;
(III) training in the use of technology to ensure every educator is technologically literate, including possessing the knowledge and skills to use technology across the curriculum, to use technology and curriculum redesign as key components of innovating teaching and learning and improving student achievement, to use technology for data analysis to enable individualized instruction, and to use
technology to improve student technology literacy; and
(IV) training that includes ongoing communication and follow-up with instructors, facilitators, and peers; and
(ii) may include—
(I) use of instructional technology specialists, mentors or coaches to work directly with teachers, including through the preparing of one or more teachers as technology leaders or master teachers who are provided with the means to serve as experts and train other teachers in the effective use of technology; and
(II) use of technology such as distance learning and online virtual educator-to-educator peer communities as a means for delivering professional development; and
(B) the acquisition and implementation of technology tools, applications, and other resources to be employed in the professional development activities described in subparagraph (A).
PART G—JOHN GLENN ACADEMIES
The purpose of this part is to establish 15 John Glenn Academies, 1 in each of the 10 Federal regions designated by the Secretary of Education, with 5 more strategically located, as determined by the Secretary, to facilitate summer workshops for STEM education teachers and to provide intensive, year-long fellowships for 3,000 individuals to prepare them to meet State certification requirements for STEM education in grades 7 through 12. Funding is provided to provide fellowship recipients with a stipend of $30,000, living arrangements for the year, and classroom materials related to such a program. A school district that hires a John Glenn fellow who has successfully completed the John Glenn Academy Fellowship program supported under this subpart shall receive $10,000 in Federal funds to assist in the hiring of such fellow for a period of three academic years which may supplement the salary of the teacher, or may be used to purchase instructional tool such as lab equipment or chemicals, or other instructional aids for the courses to be taught by the Glenn Fellow at the school. The fellow must commit to teach in high-need school for at least 5 years. The number of academies established each year is based on amount of funds appropriated for this section.
(1) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The John Glenn Academies shall disseminate information to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, school administrators, school boards, Schools of Education, and STEM education teachers, including through the Internet and emerging technologies, information on—
(A) professional development opportunities for STEM education teachers;
(B) the skill set required for high-wage, highly skilled highly technical jobs gathered from business, industries, and other sources, to inform teaching methods and practices to prepare students to be prepared to acquire these positions;
(C) internships and summer positions in industry, business, institutions of higher education, the national laboratories for STEM education teachers to learn the practice and process of a particular STEM education discipline;
(D) the process of becoming National Board Certified;
(E) programs which provide instruction on teaching methods for underrepresented minorities, children with disabilities, and those
with special learning needs, including gifted and talented students;
(F) mentor programs, including those to train STEM education teachers to serve as mentors to pre-service teachers and those teachers in their first five years of their career;
(G) successful and proven professional development opportunities for teachers, curricular materials, and other activities to encourage teacher interest and involvement in professional development; and
(H) other information as determined by the administrators of the individual Glenn Academies or the Advisory Board.
(2) TRAINING.—The ongoing training of STEM education teachers in elementary and secondary schools.
(3) WORKSHOPS.—Summer workshops as described in subpart 1. Funds provided to provide teachers with travel expense reimbursement, a stipend, or classroom materials related to attending such a workshop. Workshops must last at least two weeks with follow-up training of at least three days.
(4) ADDITIONAL TRAINING.—The training of John Glenn fellows as described in subpart two.
(5) SUPPORT SERVICES.—Support services to teachers, administrators, and school board members as agreed upon by John Glenn Academies representatives and local school authorities.
(6) SKILL STANDARDS.—The advising of teachers, administrators, and school board members on current skill standards employed by private industry.
Title III – [Language Instruction for English Language Learners and Immigrant Students]
According to the committee outline, the draft amends Title III to emphasize need to provide English Language Learners and immigrant children with access to full curriculum in a comprehensive way. Increases set aside for national activities that focus on development and dissemination of best practices in the teaching of ELLs. Addresses Government Accountability Office recommendations by requiring the Secretary to improve the reliability of state data to distribute Title III formula funds. Increases trigger for formula from $650 million to $750 million.
Title IV – 21st Century Schools
Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities
According to the committee outline, the draft reauthorizes the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, which provides funding to states and school districts to prevent violence in and around schools and the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs by students to create a safe learning environment. Adds a focus on preventing bullying, harassment and gang activity. Encourages states and school districts to use positive behavioral supports. Requires states to direct a portion of state funds to help schools identified as not having a safe climate for academic achievement. Improves the accuracy and availability of data on the incidence of drug use and violence in schools and requires the Secretary to publish a handbook for school crime, offense and incident reporting. Authorizes as national uses of funds the Safe Schools/Healthy Students program and Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a National Resource Center for Positive Youth Development and School Success.
21st Century Community Learning Centers
According to the committee outline, the draft reauthorizes 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide after-school academic and other enrichment programs. Expands the purposes to include service learning, nutrition and nutrition education, and physical fitness and wellness programs. Clarifies that programs should be targeted to the specific needs of their communities. Supports state efforts to improve the quality and availability of after-school programs, including by developing quality standards. Enables states to increase technical assistance, especially to applicants and potential applicants with less administrative capacity. Supports improved professional development for after-school program staff and provides a priority for programs serving students attending High Priority and Priority Schools. Authorizes study to understand and promote skills students will need to succeed in the workplace and to participate actively in civic activities.
SEC. 4207. NEW DAY FOR LEARNING STUDY.
Allows the Secretary to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study focused on expanding the definition of what constitutes student success and identifying strategies for helping students acquire such skills.
Full Service Community Schools
According to the committee outline, the draft add a new Part which provides funds to states and districts to support Full Service Community Schools, which are public schools that collaborate with community based organizations to provide multi-disciplinary services to students, such as health, mental health, literacy, nutrition, family education and job training, and other programs have proven effective in reducing nonacademic barriers to learning.
Title V—Promoting Successful Education Reform and Innovative Programs
Subpart 23—Increasing the Effectiveness of Substitute Teaching
SEC. 5631. ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIENESS OF SUBSTITUTE TEACHING.
The Secretary is authorized to make three-year competitive demonstration grants to eligible school districts to use to:
(1) to train substitute teachers in—
(A) classroom management;
(B) effective teaching strategies that address a variety of student learning needs and styles;
(C) teacher professionalism; and
(D) educational laws and issues;
(2) to train principals and permanent teachers in effectively integrating substitute teachers in school operations, such as—
(A) proven practices in recruiting and retaining substitutes;
(B) proven practices in preparing students for substitutes;
(C) planning for the effective integration of substitutes in school operation; and
(D) use of permanent substitutes;
(3) to develop a resource kit for substitute teachers that contains—
(A) short whole-class critical thinking activities;
(B) independent student activities; and
(C) teacher-directed activities and lessons organized by subject matter; and
(4) to collect data on substitute teachers and proven practices for managing substitute teachers in the local educational agency, including information on the—
(A) demand for substitute teachers;
(B) qualifications of substitute teachers;
(C) number and percentage of substitute teachers that receive training prior to entering the classroom; and
(D) number of complaints registered against substitute teachers.
Subpart 24. Innovative, Integrated Curriculums Grant Program.
According to the committee outline, the draft provides funds to low income school districts to support integrated curricula in core academic subjects. Grantees must also provide professional development and effective use of data to ensure effective implementation of such curricula.
Title VI—Flexibility and Accountability
Part A – Accountability
Grants for State Assessments (amends current law)
According to the committee outline, the draft Increases funding for state assessment systems to support the development and implementation of college and work-ready standards and assessments, assessments developed by state consortia, the development and administration of formative, technology and performance based assessments and valid and reliable assessments and accommodations for English Language Learners and students with disabilities and professional development on the use of such assessments.
Grants for Enhanced Assessment Instruments
According to the committee outline, the draft establishes Advanced and Innovative Assessment Systems. Authorizes the Secretary, in collaboration with foundations, institutions of higher education, non-profit and for-profit assessment providers and businesses, to establish a pilot project for states or consortia of states to develop performance-based assessments that better measure the skills necessary for success in post secondary education and the workforce. Assessments will be designed to measure a higher level of learning, including critical thinking and problem solving skills, promote instruction in such advanced skills, reduce time spent on testing and provide more timely feedback to teachers to better inform instruction. Assessments must be peer-reviewed, meet all the technical quality requirements of the Act, be used for all students in the state and include scoring rubrics that will yield valid, reliable and comparable results across the state. Such assessments could be used as part of the State assessment system defined under Section 1111(b)(3) and as part of Adequate Yearly Progress determinations.
Funding
According to the committee outline, the draft requires states that have not yet developed valid and reliable assessments for students with disabilities and English language learners to use at least 33% of State Assessment Grants for this purpose. Half of the reserved funds shall go to developing assessments for each group of these students.
Title IX—General Provisions
The draft adds the following to the Definitions section:
DROPOUT RATE: the percentage of public secondary school students who left secondary school between the beginning of one school year and the beginning of the next school year without earning a regular high school diploma, excluding confirmed transfers, departures and deaths described in section 1124.
Adds the term ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: is used for purposes for which it is valuable and reliable; is consistent with relevant professional standards; is aligned to current State and content standards; is included in an ongoing and continuous assessment process; is integrated with instructional practice; provides information to guide teaching and learning and to identify appropriate interventions; provides teachers, students, and parents with ongoing, targeted information regarding strengths and weaknesses in order to improve student learning; and guides professional development and curriculum needs.
HIGHLY QUALIFIED: The draft amends current law to delete the option experienced teachers currently have of demonstrating competency via a highly objective uniform state standard of evaluation (HOUSSE). It also amends the law so that teachers in small school districts only have to demonstrate competency in at least one core academic subject the teacher teaches, with the requirement that these teachers must demonstrate competency in all core academic subjects the teacher teaches within three years of being hired by the district, if such school district demonstrates that it is providing each such teacher high-quality professional development that increases such teacher’s content knowledge in the additional subjects the teacher teaches, and a program of intensive supervision that consists of structured guidance and regular ongoing support to ensure that such teacher meets such applicable standard.
Adds new language to the definition as follows: when used with respect to a secondary school teacher who teaches science, means that the teacher holds at least a bachelor’s degree and has met the standard in clause (ii) of subparagraph (B) in a manner that is consistent with state requirements for certification in science and any of such subject’s subdivisions.
PERFORMANCE-BASED MEASURE: an assessment method designed to emulate real life contexts or conditions in which specific knowledge or skills are actually applied.
POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS: the systematic application of evidence-based behavioral strategies to improve outcomes of children and youth by restructuring teaching and learning environments to increase appropriate behaviors, prevent the development of problem behaviors, and reduce the occurrence of existing problem behaviors.
PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: research that—
(A) applies rigorous, systematic, and objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs;
(B) presents findings and makes claims that are appropriate to and supported by methods that have been employed; and
(C) includes, appropriate to the research being conducted—
(i) use of systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;
(ii) use of data analyses that are adequate to support the general findings;
(iii) reliance on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and generalizable findings;
(iv) strong claims of causal relationships only in research designs that eliminate plausible competing explanation for observed results, which may include but shall not be limited to random assignment experiments;
(v) presentation of studies and methods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or at a minimum, to offer the opportunity to build systematically on the findings of the research;
(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or critique by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review; and
(vii) consistency of findings across multiple studies or sites to support the generality of results and conclusions.
SCIENTIFICALLY VALID RESEARCH: includes applied research, basic research, and field-initiated research in which the rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in accordance with accepted principles of scientific research.
Web posted: 09/14/07
