Educator Preparation Reform Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 969 To improve quality and accountability for educator preparation programs. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 1, 2019 Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. CASEY, and Mr. COONS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To improve quality and accountability for educator preparation programs. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Educator Preparation 4 Reform Act’’. 5 TITLE I—EDUCATOR QUALITY 6 ENHANCEMENT 7 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 8 Section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 9 U.S.C. 1021) is amended— 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 969 IS (1) by striking paragraph (22); 1 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), 2 (9), (10), (11), (12), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), 3 (19), (20), (21), and (23), as paragraphs (7), (8), 4 (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), 5 (19), (21), (23), (24), and (28), respectively; 6 (3) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol- 7 lowing: 8 ‘‘(6) EDUCATOR.—The term ‘educator’ means a 9 teacher, principal, specialized instructional support 10 personnel, or other staff member who provides or di- 11 rectly supports instruction, such as a school librar- 12 ian, or counselor.’’; 13 (4) by inserting after paragraph (8), as redesig- 14 nated by paragraph (2), the following: 15 ‘‘(9) EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING.—The 16 term ‘evidence of student learning’ means multiple 17 measures of student learning that shall include the 18 following: 19 ‘‘(A) Valid and reliable student assessment 20 data, which may include data— 21 ‘‘(i) based on— 22 ‘‘(I) student learning gains on 23 State student academic assessments 24 under section 1111(b)(2) of the Ele- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 969 IS mentary and Secondary Education 1 Act of 1965; or 2 ‘‘(II) student academic achieve- 3 ment assessments used at the na- 4 tional, State, or school district levels, 5 where available and appropriate for 6 the curriculum and students taught; 7 ‘‘(ii) from classroom-based formative 8 assessments; 9 ‘‘(iii) from classroom-based summative 10 assessments; and 11 ‘‘(iv) from objective performance- 12 based assessments. 13 ‘‘(B) Not less than one of the following ad- 14 ditional measures: 15 ‘‘(i) Student work, including measures 16 of performance criteria and evidence of 17 student growth. 18 ‘‘(ii) Teacher-generated information 19 about student goals and growth. 20 ‘‘(iii) Parental feedback about student 21 goals and growth. 22 ‘‘(iv) Student feedback about learning 23 and teaching supports. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 969 IS ‘‘(v) Assessments of affective engage- 1 ment and self-efficacy. 2 ‘‘(vi) Other appropriate measures as 3 determined by the State.’’; 4 (5) by striking paragraph (12), as redesignated 5 by paragraph (2), and inserting the following: 6 ‘‘(12) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN- 7 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 8 means a local educational agency— 9 ‘‘(A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 10 low-income children; 11 ‘‘(ii) for which not less than 20 percent of 12 the children served by the agency are low-in- 13 come children; 14 ‘‘(iii) that meets the eligibility require- 15 ments for funding under the Small, Rural 16 School Achievement Program under section 17 5211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu- 18 cation Act of 1965 or the Rural and Low-In- 19 come School Program under section 5221(b) of 20 such Act; or 21 ‘‘(iv) that has a percentage of low-income 22 children that is in the highest quartile among 23 such agencies in the State; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 969 IS ‘‘(B)(i) for which one or more schools 1 served by the agency is persistently low achiev- 2 ing; or 3 ‘‘(ii) for which one or more schools served 4 by the agency has a high teacher turnover 5 rate.’’; 6 (6) by striking paragraph (15), as redesignated 7 by paragraph (2), and inserting the following: 8 ‘‘(15) INDUCTION PROGRAM.—The term ‘induc- 9 tion program’ means a formalized program for new 10 teachers and principals during not less than the first 11 2 years of teaching or leading a school that is de- 12 signed to provide support for, improve the profes- 13 sional performance of, and advance the retention of 14 beginning teachers and principals. Such program 15 shall promote effective teaching and leadership skills 16 and shall include the following components: 17 ‘‘(A) High-quality mentoring. 18 ‘‘(B) Periodic, structured time for collabo- 19 ration and classroom observation opportunities 20 with teachers in the same department or field, 21 including mentor teachers, as well as time for 22 information-sharing among teachers, principals, 23 administrators, other appropriate educators, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 969 IS and participating faculty in the partner institu- 1 tion. 2 ‘‘(C) The application of empirically based 3 practice and scientifically valid research on in- 4 structional practices. 5 ‘‘(D) Opportunities for new teachers and 6 principals to draw directly on the expertise of 7 mentors, faculty, local educational agency per- 8 sonnel, and researchers to support the integra- 9 tion of empirically based practice and scientif- 10 ically valid research with practice. 11 ‘‘(E) The development of skills in instruc- 12 tional and behavioral interventions derived from 13 empirically based practice, and where applica- 14 ble, scientifically valid research. 15 ‘‘(F) Faculty who— 16 ‘‘(i) model the integration of research 17 and practice in the classroom; 18 ‘‘(ii) assist new teachers and prin- 19 cipals with the effective use and integra- 20 tion of technology in instruction; and 21 ‘‘(iii) demonstrate the content knowl- 22 edge and pedagogical skills necessary to be 23 effective in advancing student achievement. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 969 IS ‘‘(G) Interdisciplinary collaboration among 1 exemplary teachers, principals, faculty, re- 2 searchers, other educators, and other staff who 3 prepare new teachers and principals with re- 4 spect to the learning process and the assess- 5 ment of learning. 6 ‘‘(H) Assistance with the understanding of 7 data, particularly student achievement data, 8 and the application of such data in classroom 9 instruction. 10 ‘‘(I) Regular, structured observation and 11 evaluation of new teachers by multiple eval- 12 uators, using valid and reliable measures of 13 teaching and leadership skills. 14 ‘‘(J) The development of skills in improv- 15 ing the school culture and climate related to 16 school leadership and the role of the principal, 17 including to— 18 ‘‘(i) nurture teacher and staff develop- 19 ment to strengthen classroom practice; 20 ‘‘(ii) build and sustain a culture of 21 learning among adults and children; 22 ‘‘(iii) strengthen communications and 23 relationships with parents, caregivers, and 24 community stakeholders; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 969 IS ‘‘(iv) facilitate the sharing of knowl- 1 edge, insight, and best practices in the 2 community served by the school, preschool 3 program, or early childhood education pro- 4 gram; and 5 ‘‘(v) build relationships and commu- 6 nicate effectively with State and local edu- 7 cational agency officials.’’; 8 (7) by inserting after paragraph (19), as redes- 9 ignated by paragraph (2), the following: 10 ‘‘(20) PROFESSION READY.—The term ‘profes- 11 sion ready’— 12 ‘‘(A) when used with respect to a principal, 13 means a principal who— 14 ‘‘(i) has an advanced degree, or other 15 appropriate credential; 16 ‘‘(ii) has completed a principal prepa- 17 ration process and is fully certified and li- 18 censed by the State in which the principal 19 is employed; 20 ‘‘(iii) has demonstrated instructional 21 leadership, including the ability to collect, 22 analyze, and utilize data on evidence of 23 student learning and evidence of classroom 24 practice; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 969 IS ‘‘(iv) has demonstrated proficiency in 1 professionally recognized leadership stand- 2 ards, such as through— 3 ‘‘(I) a performance assessment; 4 ‘‘(II) completion of a residency 5 program; or 6 ‘‘(III) other measures of leader- 7 ship, as determined by the State; and 8 ‘‘(v) has demonstrated the ability to 9 work with students who are culturally and 10 linguistically diverse; 11 ‘‘(B) when used with respect to a teacher, 12 means a teacher who— 13 ‘‘(i) has completed a teacher prepara- 14 tion program and is fully certified and li- 15 censed to teach by the State in which the 16 teacher teaches; 17 ‘‘(ii) has demonstrated content knowl- 18 edge in the subject or subjects the teacher 19 teaches; 20 ‘‘(iii) has demonstrated the ability to 21 work with students who are culturally and 22 linguistically diverse; and 23 ‘‘(iv) has demonstrated teaching skills, 24 such as through— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 969 IS ‘‘(I) a teacher performance as- 1 sessment; or 2 ‘‘(II) other measures of teaching 3 skills, as determined by the State; and 4 ‘‘(C) when used with respect to any other 5 educator not described in subparagraph (A) or 6 (B), means an educator who has completed an 7 appropriate preparation program and is fully 8 certified or licensed by the State in which the 9 educator is employed.’’; 10 (8) by inserting after paragraph (21), as redes- 11 ignated by paragraph (2), the following: 12 ‘‘(22) RESIDENCY PROGRAM.—The term ‘resi- 13 dency program’ means a school-based educator prep- 14 aration program in which a prospective teacher, 15 principal, or other educator— 16 ‘‘(A) for 1 academic year, works alongside 17 a mentor teacher, principal, or other educator 18 who is the educator of record; 19 ‘‘(B) receives concurrent instruction during 20 the year described in subparagraph (A) from 21 the partner institution, which courses may be 22 taught by local educational agency personnel or 23 residency program faculty, in— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 969 IS ‘‘(i) the teaching of the content area 1 in which the teacher will become certified 2 or licensed; 3 ‘‘(ii) pedagogical practices; and 4 ‘‘(iii) leadership, management, organi- 5 zational, and instructional skills necessary 6 to serve as a principal; 7 ‘‘(C) acquires effective teaching or leader- 8 ship skills; and 9 ‘‘(D) prior to completion of the program, 10 earns a master’s degree or other appropriate 11 advanced credential, attains full State teacher 12 or leader certification or licensure, and becomes 13 profession ready (if applicable).’’; and 14 (9) by inserting after paragraph (24), as redes- 15 ignated by paragraph (2), the following: 16 ‘‘(25) TEACHER PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT.— 17 The term ‘teacher performance assessment’ means a 18 pre-service assessment used to measure teacher per- 19 formance that is approved by the State and is— 20 ‘‘(A) based on professional teaching stand- 21 ards; 22 ‘‘(B) used to measure the effectiveness of 23 a teacher’s— 24 ‘‘(i) curriculum planning; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 969 IS ‘‘(ii) instruction of students, including 1 appropriate plans and modifications for 2 students who are limited English proficient 3 and students who are children with disabil- 4 ities; 5 ‘‘(iii) assessment of students, includ- 6 ing analysis of evidence of student learn- 7 ing; and 8 ‘‘(iv) ability to advance student learn- 9 ing; 10 ‘‘(C) validated based on professional as- 11 sessment standards; 12 ‘‘(D) reliably scored by trained evaluators, 13 with appropriate oversight of the process to en- 14 sure consistency; and 15 ‘‘(E) used to support continuous improve- 16 ment of educator practice. 17 ‘‘(26) TEACHER PREPARATION ENTITY.—The 18 term ‘teacher preparation entity’ means an institu- 19 tion of higher education, a nonprofit organization, or 20 an organization that is approved by the State to pre- 21 pare teachers to be effective in the classroom. 22 ‘‘(27) TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM.—The 23 term ‘teacher preparation program’ means a pro- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S969.IS S969 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 969 IS gram offered by a teacher preparation entity that 1 leads to a specific State teacher certification.’’. 2 SEC. 102. EDUCATOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT. 3 Section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 4 U.S.C. 1022) is amended— 5 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, principals, 6 and other educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’ each place the 7 term appears; 8 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 9 the semicolon; 10 (3) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 11 following: 12 ‘‘(4) recruit profession ready individuals, includ- 13 ing individuals from underrepresented populations 14 and individuals from other occupations, as teachers, 15 principals, and other educators; and’’; and 16 (4) by adding at the end the following: 17 ‘‘(5) meet the staffing needs of high-need local 18 educational agencies and high-need schools through 19 close partnerships with educator preparation pro- 20 grams within institutions of higher education.’’. 21 SEC. 103. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. 22 Section 202 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 23 U.S.C. 1022a) is amended— 24 (1) in subsection (b)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Apr 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 62 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]