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H.B. 101

             1     

APPROPRIATION FOR TEACHER MENTORING

             2     
PROGRAMS

             3     
2001 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: Carol Spackman Moss

             6      This act modifies provisions related to the State System of Public Education by providing
             7      for fiscal year 2001-02 only, a $200,000 appropriation for teacher mentor pilot programs to
             8      assist beginning teachers. The act takes effect July 1, 2001.
             9      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             10      AMENDS:
             11          53A-9-103, as enacted by Chapter 2, Laws of Utah 1988
             12          53A-10-108, as last amended by Chapter 78, Laws of Utah 1990
             13          53A-10-111, as last amended by Chapter 78, Laws of Utah 1990
             14      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             15          Section 1. Section 53A-9-103 is amended to read:
             16           53A-9-103. Authorized components.
             17          Career ladders may include the following components:
             18          (1) A career ladder may have an extended contract year for teachers, providing for
             19      additional paid nonteaching days beyond the regular school year for curriculum development,
             20      inservice training, preparation, and related activities. School boards may approve individual
             21      exceptions to the extended year contract.
             22          (2) It may have, at the option of the local school board, an extended contract year for
             23      teachers, providing for additional paid workdays beyond the regular school year for teaching
             24      assignments in summer school, remedial, handicapped, specialized, vocational, gifted and talented,
             25      and adult education programs.
             26          (3) It may have a fair and consistent procedure for selecting teachers who will be given
             27      additional responsibilities. The selection procedure shall incorporate clearly stated job descriptions


             28      and qualifications for each level on the career ladder.
             29          (4) It may have a program of differentiated staffing that provides additional compensation
             30      and, as appropriate, additional extensions of the contract year, for those who assume additional
             31      instruction-related responsibilities such as:
             32          (a) assisting students and mentoring beginning teachers;
             33          (b) curriculum and lesson plan development;
             34          (c) helping established teachers improve their teaching skills;
             35          (d) volunteer training;
             36          (e) planning, facilities and productivity improvements; and
             37          (f) educational assignments directed at establishing positive relationships with the
             38      community, businesses, and parents.
             39          Administrative and extracurricular activities are not considered additional
             40      instruction-related activities under this Subsection (4).
             41          (5) It may have a well-defined program of evaluation and [guidance] mentoring for
             42      beginning teachers, designed to assist those teachers during provisional years of teaching to acquire
             43      and demonstrate the skills required of capable, successful teachers. Continuation in teaching from
             44      year to year shall be contingent upon satisfactory teaching performance.
             45          (6) It may have a clear and concise explanation of the evaluation system components,
             46      including the respective roles of parents, teachers, administrators, and the school board in the
             47      development of the evaluation system. The system shall provide for frequent, comprehensive
             48      evaluations of teachers with less than three years' teaching experience, and periodic evaluations
             49      of other teachers.
             50          (7) Advancement on the career ladder program is contingent upon effective teaching
             51      performance, evidence of which may include formal evaluation and assessment of student
             52      progress. Student progress shall play a significant role in teacher evaluation. Other criteria may
             53      include formal preparation and successful teaching experience.
             54          (8) It may include an assessment of implementation costs.
             55          (9) It may have a plan for periodic review of the career ladder including the makeup of the
             56      reviewing entity, procedures to be followed during review, and the time schedule for the review.
             57          Section 2. Section 53A-10-108 is amended to read:
             58           53A-10-108. Consulting educator for provisional educator.


             59          (1) The principal or immediate supervisor of a provisional educator shall assign a
             60      [consulting educator] mentor to the provisional educator.
             61          (2) If possible, the [consulting educator] mentor shall be a career educator who performs
             62      substantially the same duties as the provisional educator and has at least three years of educational
             63      experience.
             64          (3) The [consulting educator] mentor shall assist the provisional educator to become
             65      informed about the teaching profession and school system, but may not serve as an evaluator of
             66      the provisional teacher.
             67          Section 3. Section 53A-10-111 is amended to read:
             68           53A-10-111. Additional compensation for services.
             69          The district may compensate a person employed as a [consulting educator] mentor or
             70      participant in the evaluation for those services, in addition to the person's regular salary, if
             71      additional time is required in the evaluation process.
             72          Section 4. Appropriation.
             73          (1) (a) For fiscal year 2001-02 only, there is appropriated from the Uniform School Fund
             74      $200,000 to the State Board of Education to supplement the teacher mentor programs referred to
             75      in Sections 53A-9-103 and 53A-10-108 on a pilot basis.
             76          (b) Schools may use the appropriation:
             77          (i) to provide additional compensation to a mentor;

             78          (ii) to pay for a mentor's temporary replacement or substitute in the classroom while the
             79      mentor is consulting with, advising, or observing an assigned provisional educator; or
             80          (iii) for both purposes referred to in Subsections (1)(b)(i) and (1)(b)(ii).
             81          (2) (a) The board shall select schools for the pilot program by a grant process using
             82      selection criteria developed by the board under its rulemaking authority.
             83          (b) The board, through the state superintendent of public instruction, shall closely monitor
             84      the pilot program and evaluate its effectiveness in assisting provisional educators with their
             85      transition into the teaching profession.
             86          (3) For purposes of Subsections (1)(b) and (2)(b), "provisional educator" has the same
             87      definition as found in Section 53A-10-102 .
             88          Section 5. Effective date.
             89          This act takes effect on July 1, 2001.






Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-8-01 12:53 PM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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