Iowa-2013-HF2244-Introduced

H.F. 2244 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 272E.1 Community practitioner 1 preparation initiative —— purpose. 2 1. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to provide for 3 a community practitioner preparation initiative to recruit and 4 prepare persons for employment as highly skilled, committed 5 teachers in high-need schools or in hard-to-staff teaching 6 positions for substantial periods of time. 7 2. Recruitment. The initiative shall effectively recruit 8 and prepare parent and community leaders and para-educators 9 to become effective teachers in high-need schools or in 10 hard-to-staff teaching positions in schools serving a 11 substantial percentage of low-income students. Further, the 12 initiative shall increase the diversity of teachers including 13 but not limited to diversity based on race and ethnicity. 14 3. Rigorous preparation. The initiative shall ensure 15 educational rigor by effectively preparing candidates in 16 accredited bachelor’s degree programs in teaching, through 17 which graduates shall meet the requirements to secure an Iowa 18 teaching license. 19 4. Goal. The goal of the initiative is to add one thousand 20 teachers to low-income, high-need schools in the state by 2020. 21 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 272E.2 Definitions. 22 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise 23 requires: 24 1. “Cohort” means a group of teacher education candidates 25 who are enrolled in and share experiences in the same program 26 and are linked by their desire to become teachers in high-need 27 schools or in hard-to-staff teaching positions in this state 28 and by their need for the services and supports offered by the 29 initiative. 30 2. “Community organization” means a nonprofit organization 31 that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and 32 organize parents and community leaders into a constituency 33 that will hold the school and the school district accountable 34 for achieving high academic standards. In addition to 35 -1- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 1/ 12

H.F. 2244 organizations with a geographic focus, “community organization” 1 includes general parent organizations, organizations of special 2 education or bilingual education parents, and collective 3 bargaining units representing licensed employees of a school 4 district. 5 3. “Department” means the department of education. 6 4. “Developmental classes” means classes in basic skill 7 areas, including but not limited to mathematics and language 8 arts, that are prerequisite to, but not counted towards, degree 9 requirements of a practitioner preparation program. 10 5. “Director” means the director of the department of 11 education. 12 6. “Eligible postsecondary institution” means an institution 13 of higher learning governed by the state board of regents or 14 an accredited private institution as defined in section 261.9, 15 with a practitioner preparation program. 16 7. “Eligible school” means a public elementary, middle, 17 or secondary school in this state that serves a substantial 18 percentage of low-income students and that is either a 19 high-need school or has hard-to-staff teaching positions. 20 8. “Hard-to-staff teaching position” means employment as a 21 teacher assigned to teach a hard-to-staff subject as identified 22 by the department pursuant to section 261.110. 23 9. “High-need school” means a public school in this state 24 that has been placed on a list of high-need schools eligible 25 for state supplemental assistance pursuant to section 284.11, 26 and that is a school serving a substantial percentage of 27 low-income students. 28 10. “Initiative” means the community practitioner 29 preparation initiative established pursuant to this chapter. 30 11. “Para-educator” means a person who is certified to 31 assist a teacher in the performance of instructional tasks to 32 support and assist classroom instruction and related school 33 activities pursuant to section 272.12, but may also include 34 but not be limited to persons with a history of demonstrated 35 -2- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 2/ 12

H.F. 2244 accomplishments in school staff positions such as teacher 1 assistants, school-community liaisons, school clerks, and 2 security aides, in high-need schools. 3 12. “Parent and community leader” means an individual who 4 has or had a child enrolled in a high-need school and who has 5 a history of active involvement in the school or who has a 6 history of working to improve schools serving a substantial 7 percentage of low-income students, including membership in a 8 community organization. 9 13. “Practitioner preparation program” means the same as 10 defined in section 272.1, subsection 8. 11 14. “Program” means a community practitioner preparation 12 program established by a consortium pursuant to this chapter. 13 15. “School serving a substantial percentage of low-income 14 students” means a school that maintains any of the grades 15 pre-kindergarten through eight, in which at least thirty-five 16 percent of the students are eligible to receive free or 17 reduced-price meals or a school that maintains any of the 18 grades nine through twelve, in which at least twenty-five of 19 the students are eligible to receive free or reduced price 20 meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the 21 federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §§1751-1785. 22 16. “State board” means the state board of education. 23 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 272E.3 Initiative established —— 24 selection of grantees. 25 1. Initiative established. The community practitioner 26 preparation initiative is established in the department as a 27 grant competition to fund consortia to carry out community 28 practitioner preparation programs. 29 a. The state board shall adopt rules for the administration 30 of this chapter. 31 b. The department shall administer the initiative in 32 collaboration with the board of educational examiners. 33 c. The director shall develop guidelines and application 34 procedures for the initiative. 35 -3- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 3/ 12

H.F. 2244 2. Selection of grantees. The director shall award grants 1 to qualified consortia that reflect the distribution and 2 diversity of high-need schools and hard-to-staff teaching 3 positions throughout this state. In awarding grants, the 4 director shall select programs that successfully address 5 initiative criteria, that reflect a diversity of strategies in 6 terms of serving urban areas, serving rural areas, and engaging 7 and cooperating with eligible postsecondary institutions, and 8 that reflect a knowledge of the high-need schools environment 9 and the nature of hard-to-staff teaching positions on which a 10 program is focused. 11 3. Consortia selection requirements. The director shall 12 select consortia that meet all of the following requirements: 13 a. The consortium is composed of at least one eligible 14 postsecondary institution, at least one school district 15 or group of eligible schools, and one or more community 16 organizations. The consortium membership may also include a 17 community college, a collective bargaining unit representing 18 the licensed employees of a school district, or an area 19 education agency. 20 b. The eligible postsecondary institution participating in 21 the consortium has demonstrated success in preparing teachers 22 for schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income 23 students. 24 c. The consortium is focused on a clearly defined set of 25 eligible schools that will participate in the program. The 26 consortium shall articulate the program’s steps for preparing 27 teachers for the consortium’s participating schools and for 28 preparing teachers for one or more hard-to-staff teaching 29 positions in those schools. 30 d. A teacher education candidate in a program must hold a 31 high school diploma or its equivalent, must be a parent and 32 community leader or para-educator, must not have attended 33 college right after high school or must have experienced an 34 interruption in the candidate’s college education, and must not 35 -4- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 4/ 12

H.F. 2244 hold a bachelor’s degree. 1 e. The consortium shall employ effective procedures for 2 teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare highly 3 competent teachers. Program preparation shall include ongoing 4 direct experience in high-need schools and evaluation of this 5 experience. 6 f. The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts 7 of teacher education candidates on a schedule that enables 8 the candidates to work full time while participating in the 9 program and allows para-educators to continue in their current 10 positions of employment. In any fiscal year in which a 11 consortium receives a grant, the consortium shall guarantee 12 that support will be available to the cohort for the education 13 of the candidates in the cohort for that fiscal year. 14 g. An eligible postsecondary institution participating 15 in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the 16 same amount of funds in implementing the program that the 17 institution spends per student on similar educational programs. 18 A grant received by the consortium shall supplement and not 19 supplant this amount. 20 h. The director shall establish additional criteria for 21 review of proposed programs, including but not limited to 22 criteria that address the following issues: 23 (1) Previous experience of the eligible postsecondary 24 institution in preparing teacher education candidates for 25 high-need schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions and in 26 working with students with nontraditional backgrounds. 27 (2) The quality of the implementation plan for the program, 28 including strategies for overcoming institutional barriers to 29 the progress of nontraditional teacher education candidates. 30 (3) If a community college is a participant in the program, 31 the nature and extent of existing articulation agreements and 32 guarantees between the community college and the eligible 33 postsecondary institution. 34 (4) The number of teacher education candidates to be 35 -5- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 5/ 12

H.F. 2244 educated in the planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of 1 the consortium for adding cohorts in future program cycles. 2 (5) The experience of the community organization or 3 organizations in organizing parent and community leaders to 4 achieve school improvement and a strong relational school 5 culture. 6 (6) The qualifications of the person or persons designated 7 by the eligible postsecondary institution to be responsible for 8 cohort support and the development of a shared learning and 9 social environment among teacher education candidates. 10 (7) The consortium’s plan for collective consortium 11 decision-making involving all consortium members, including 12 mechanisms for teacher education candidate input. 13 (8) The consortium’s plan for the direct impact of the 14 program on the quality of education in the eligible schools. 15 (9) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of the 16 eligible schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions, and the 17 use in curriculum and instructional planning of principles for 18 effective education for adults. 19 (10) The availability of classes under the program in places 20 and times accessible to the teacher education candidates. 21 (11) Provision of a level of performance to be maintained 22 by teacher education candidates as a condition of continuing 23 in the program. 24 (12) The eligible postsecondary institution’s plan to 25 ensure that teacher education candidates take advantage 26 of existing financial aid resources in order to reduce the 27 candidates’ need to utilize grant funds and the teacher 28 shortage loan forgiveness program as provided in section 29 272E.4. 30 (13) The employment of a cohort coordinator and the 31 availability of supportive services, including but not limited 32 to counseling, tutoring, transportation, technology and 33 technology support, and child care. 34 (14) A plan for continued participation of graduates of 35 -6- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 6/ 12

H.F. 2244 the program in a program of support for at least two years, 1 including mentoring and group meetings. 2 (15) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation of 3 candidates’ teaching skills that ensures that graduates 4 of the program are as prepared for teaching as other 5 individuals completing the eligible postsecondary institution’s 6 practitioner preparation program for the license sought. 7 (16) A plan for internal evaluation that provides reports at 8 least yearly on the progress of candidates towards graduation 9 and the impact of the program on high-need schools and their 10 communities. 11 (17) Contributions from schools, school districts, and 12 other consortium members to the program, including stipends for 13 candidates during their student teaching. 14 (18) Consortium commitment for sustaining the program 15 over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced requirements for 16 external funding, in subsequent program cycles. 17 (19) The inclusion in the planned program of strategies 18 derived from community organizations that will help candidates 19 develop tools for working with parents and other community 20 members. 21 4. Independent program evaluation. Subject to an 22 appropriation of sufficient funds by the general assembly, the 23 department shall contract for an independent evaluation of 24 program implementation by each of its participating consortia 25 and of the impact of each program, including the extent of 26 candidate persistence in program enrollment, acceptance as 27 an education major in an eligible postsecondary institution, 28 completion of a bachelor’s degree in teaching, obtaining a 29 teaching position in a high-need school or similar school, 30 subsequent effectiveness as a teacher, and persistence 31 in teaching in a high-need school or similar school. The 32 evaluation shall assess the initiative’s overall effectiveness 33 and shall identify particular program strategies that are 34 especially effective. The results of the initial evaluation 35 -7- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 7/ 12

H.F. 2244 shall be submitted in a report to the general assembly by 1 January 1, 2019, with subsequent reports developed and 2 submitted by January 1 at least every fifth year thereafter. 3 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 272E.4 Expenditures under the 4 initiative. 5 1. A teacher education candidate admitted to a cohort shall 6 be eligible for grant moneys for tuition, books, and fees in 7 excess of the candidate’s grants-in-aid. A teacher education 8 candidate who completes the program shall be eligible for loan 9 forgiveness under section 261.112. 10 2. If funds are appropriated by the general assembly 11 for purposes of implementing this chapter, the department 12 shall award grants under the initiative in such a way as to 13 provide the required support for a cohort of teacher education 14 candidates. Program budgets must show expenditures and needed 15 funds for the entire period that teacher education candidates 16 are expected to be enrolled in the program. 17 3. No funds under the initiative may be used to supplant 18 state or federal educational assistance that a teacher 19 education candidate is qualified to receive. 20 4. If necessary, a program budget may include the costs of 21 child care and other indirect expenses such as transportation, 22 tutoring, technology, and technology support, necessary 23 to permit teacher education candidates to maintain their 24 class schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of 25 a consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be 26 provided by the community organization or organizations, by any 27 other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors. 28 5. An eligible postsecondary institution member of a 29 consortium may expend grant funds to cover the additional costs 30 of offering classes in community settings and for tutoring 31 services. 32 6. A community organization member of a consortium may 33 receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of 34 recruitment, community orientation, or counseling of potential 35 -8- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 8/ 12

H.F. 2244 candidates, for providing space in the community, or for 1 working with school personnel to facilitate individual work 2 experiences and support of teacher education candidates. 3 7. A school district or a collective bargaining unit 4 representing the licensed employees of the school district 5 which is a member of a consortium, or both, may receive a 6 portion of the grant money for expenses of supporting the work 7 experiences of teacher education candidates and providing 8 mentors for graduates of the program. A school district member 9 of a consortium may also use grant moneys or other applicable 10 moneys received under chapter 257 to pay participants in 11 programs under the initiative for student teaching required by 12 a practitioner preparation program. 13 8. One or more members of the consortium may expend funds to 14 cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator. 15 9. Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for 16 required developmental classes for teacher education candidates 17 beginning a program. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill provides for the establishment of a community 22 practitioner preparation initiative within the department 23 of education, which the department shall administer in 24 collaboration with the board of educational examiners. The 25 initiative is a grant competition, the purpose of which is to 26 fund consortia to recruit and prepare persons for employment 27 as highly skilled, committed teachers in high-need schools or 28 in hard-to-staff teaching positions for substantial periods of 29 time. 30 Persons targeted for recruitment include parent and 31 community leaders and para-educators, including but not limited 32 to persons with a history of demonstrated accomplishments in 33 school staff positions in high-need schools. The initiative 34 shall increase the diversity of teachers. The goal of the 35 -9- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 9/ 12

H.F. 2244 initiative is to add 1,000 teachers to low-income, high-need 1 schools in the state by 2020. 2 The bill includes a number of definitions. Under the bill, 3 “cohort” means a group of teacher education candidates linked 4 by their desire to become teachers in high-need schools and 5 hard-to-staff teaching positions and by their need for the 6 services and supports, such as developmental classes, offered 7 by the initiative. “Community organization” means a nonprofit 8 organization that includes general parent organizations, 9 organizations of special education or bilingual education 10 parents, and collective bargaining units representing licensed 11 employees of a school district. “Eligible postsecondary 12 institution” includes regents universities and accredited 13 private institutions with practitioner preparation programs. 14 “Eligible school” means a public elementary, middle, or 15 secondary school in this state that serves a substantial 16 percentage of low-income students and that is either a 17 high-need school or has hard-to-staff teaching positions. A 18 “high-need school” is a public school that has been placed by 19 the department on a list of high-need schools eligible for 20 state supplemental assistance pursuant to Code section 284.11, 21 and serves a substantial percentage of low-income students. 22 The department also maintains a list of hard-to-staff subject 23 areas pursuant to Code section 261.110. 24 The director of the department is directed to award grants to 25 qualified consortia that reflect the distribution and diversity 26 of high-need schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions 27 throughout the state and to select programs that successfully 28 address initiative criteria, that reflect a diversity of 29 strategies in terms of serving urban areas, serving rural 30 areas, and engaging and cooperating with eligible postsecondary 31 institutions, and that reflect a knowledge of the high-need 32 schools environment and the nature of hard-to-staff teaching 33 positions on which a program is focused. 34 A consortium must be composed of at least one eligible 35 -10- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 10/ 12

H.F. 2244 postsecondary institution, at least one school district 1 or group of eligible schools, and one or more community 2 organizations. The consortium membership may also include a 3 community college, a collective bargaining unit representing 4 the licensed employees of a school district, or an area 5 education agency. The eligible postsecondary institution 6 must demonstrate success in preparing teachers for elementary 7 or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of 8 low-income students. 9 A candidate recruited for the program must hold a high school 10 diploma or its equivalent, must be a parent and community 11 leader or para-educator, must not have attended college right 12 after high school or must have experienced an interruption 13 in the candidate’s college education, and must not hold a 14 bachelor’s degree. The consortium shall offer the program to 15 cohorts of candidates on a schedule that enables candidates to 16 work full time while participating in the program and allows 17 para-educators to continue in their current positions of 18 employment. 19 An eligible postsecondary institution participating in the 20 consortium shall document and agree to expend the same amount 21 of funds in implementing the program that the institution 22 spends per student on similar educational programs. In 23 reviewing programs, the director must consider the eligible 24 postsecondary institution’s plan to ensure that candidates take 25 advantage of existing financial aid resources to reduce the 26 candidates’ need to utilize the teacher shortage forgivable 27 loan program. 28 The bill establishes a lengthy list of additional criteria 29 for use in reviewing consortium proposals, including but 30 not limited to the employment of a cohort coordinator and 31 the availability of supportive services, including but not 32 limited to counseling, tutoring, transportation, technology 33 and technology support, and child care; contributions from 34 schools, school districts, and other consortium members to the 35 -11- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 11/ 12

H.F. 2244 program, including stipends for candidates during their student 1 teaching; and consortium commitment for sustaining the program 2 over time. 3 A candidate admitted to a cohort shall be eligible for 4 grant moneys for tuition, books, and fees in excess of the 5 candidate’s grants-in-aid. A candidate who completes the 6 program shall be eligible for loan forgiveness under Code 7 section 261.112. If necessary, a program budget shall 8 include the costs of child care and other indirect expenses 9 such as transportation, tutoring, technology, and technology 10 support, necessary to permit candidates to maintain their 11 class schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of 12 a consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be 13 provided by the community organization or organizations, by any 14 other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors. 15 A school district or a collective bargaining unit 16 representing the licensed employees of the school district 17 which is a member of a consortium, or both, may receive a 18 portion of the grant money for expenses of supporting the work 19 experiences of candidates and providing mentors for graduates. 20 A school district may also use these or other applicable moneys 21 received under Code chapter 257 to pay participants for student 22 teaching required by a practitioner preparation program. 23 Subject to an appropriation of sufficient funds by the 24 general assembly, the bill requires the department to contract 25 for an independent program evaluation every five years, with 26 the results of the initial evaluation to be reported to the 27 general assembly by January 1, 2019. 28 -12- LSB 5781HH (5) 85 kh/nh 12/ 12