OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 6598

AN ACT CONCERNING CONNECTICUT'S TEACHER SHORTAGE, PILOT EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING PROGRAMS, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING FOR TEACHERS AND TEACHER PREPARATION COURSES

SUMMARY:

This bill:

1. requires the Higher Education Department (DHE), within available appropriations, to establish a scholarship program for paraprofessionals employed by priority school districts who seek to become certified teachers in subject shortage areas;

2. requires the Education Department (SDE), within available appropriations, to establish a $ 3,000 bonus program for beginning certified teachers in priority school districts;

3. requires the SDE to establish, within available appropriations, a $ 5,000 bonus program for certified teachers who agree to teach in a school identified as needing improvement for at least three years or in subject shortage areas;

4. requires the education commissioner to adopt regulations setting eligibility criteria for waiving fees for teacher certification examinations SDE administers and requires him to waive fees for candidates who meet the criteria;

5. requires the boards of trustees for the Community-Technical Colleges (CTC), Connecticut State University System (CSU), and University of Connecticut (UConn) to develop transfer and articulation agreements concerning teacher preparation programs;

6. increases from two to three the number of early childhood learning pilot programs that the education commissioner must establish in priority or transitional school districts by requiring him to establish one at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU);

7. requires local and regional school boards of education to include information on second language acquisition in their in-service training programs for certified teachers, administrators, and pupil personnel in districts where English language learners are enrolled;

8. requires, as of July 1, 2005, that candidates in teacher preparation programs leading to professional certification complete, within the existing framework of instruction as of June 30, 2002, introductory coursework instruction on the characteristics of second language learners and second language acquisition; and

9. requires that, as of July 1, 2005, candidates in teacher preparation programs leading to professional certification to complete coursework in literacy that is based on scientifically-based reading research and includes a clinical component.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2003

PARAPROFESSIONAL PROGRAM

The bill requires DHE, in collaboration with the State Board of Academic Awards, to establish a scholarship program to prepare paraprofessionals who have been successful in the classroom for teaching careers. It defines a "paraprofessional" as a local or regional board of education employee who holds a position that does not require a State Board of Education certificate and is an instructional assistant for the local or regional board.

To qualify for the scholarship, the paraprofessional must be employed by a priority school district and be pursuing certification in a shortage area. The bill sets the (1) annual maximum scholarship amount per student at the lesser of the total tuition and fees or $ 3,000 and (2) maximum number of scholarships a student may receive at five. It requires (1) DHE to establish (a) program participation criteria and (b) repayment procedures for participants who do not teach in shortage areas or in priority school districts after completing the program and (2) priority school districts to select program participants based on the department's criteria and in consultation with colleges and universities. The bill requires the higher education commissioner to identify colleges and universities to provide the necessary teacher training for the program

BONUS PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS IN PRIORITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

The bill requires SDE to establish and fund a program to provide $ 3,000 salary bonuses to beginning certified teachers in priority school districts. Teachers are eligible for the bonuses the first year they teach in a priority district.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS

The bill requires the UConn, CTC, and CSU boards of trustees to develop transfer and articulation agreements concerning teacher preparation programs. The agreements must include provisions on course requirements and electives; course transfer policies and practices; admission requirements; and policies for student recruitment, information, and counseling. They must provide that CTC students will be considered for admission according to the same standards as university students.

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING PILOT PROGRAMS

The law requires the commissioner to establish early childhood learning pilot programs in priority or transitional school districts. Under current law, he must establish two programs-one in a municipality with 50,000 to 100,000 people and another in a municipality with more than 100,000 people. The bill requires him to establish a third program at ECSU. As is the case for existing programs, the ECSU program may include a laboratory school and a model day care program for 60 children ages three to five. By law, the commissioner must provide grants of $ 100,000 for each program.

BACKGROUND

Priority School Districts

State law designates the following as priority districts: (1) the eight towns with the largest populations, based on the last census; (2) in the first year of each biennium, the 11 towns with the highest numbers of children under temporary family assistance (cash welfare) plus the largest numbers of children scoring below the remedial level on the state mastery tests; and (3) in the first year of each biennium, the 11 towns that rank highest in number of children on cash welfare divided by grant mastery percentage. The grant mastery percentage is the number of mastery tests on which students in the district score below the remedial level divided by the total number of tests taken in the district (CGS § 10-266p).

Table 1 shows the districts for FY 2003-04.

Table 1: FY 2003-04 Priority School Districts

Schools in Need of Improvement

By law, the education commissioner must prepare a statewide education accountability plan that, consistent with federal law and regulations, identifies schools and school districts needing improvement. There are currently eight listed schools (Table two).

Table 2: FY 2003-04 Schools in Need of Improvement

Transitional School Districts

A transitional school district is a district that is not a priority district or, for purposes of school readiness grants, a former priority district, and that ranks from one to 21 among all districts on either (1) number of children on cash welfare plus the number of children scoring below the remedial level on mastery tests or (2) number of children on cash welfare divided by the grant mastery percentage (CGS § 10-263c). Table 3 shows the transitional districts for FY 2003-04.

Table 3: FY 2003-04 Transitional School Districts

Subject Shortage Areas

By law, the education commissioner must determine subject and geographic areas in which a teacher shortage exists (CGS § 10-8b). The subject shortage areas for the 2002-03 school year are:

1. bilingual education, pre-K to grade 12;

2. consumer home economics, pre-K to grade 12;

3. mathematics, grades 7 to 12;

4. school library media specialist, Pre-K to grade 12;

5. school psychologist;

6. spanish, grades 7 to 12;

7. comprehensive special education, pre-K to grade 12; and

8. speech and language pathology.

Related Bill

sHB 6427, reported favorably by the Education and Appropriation committees, requires the DHE, SDE, regional CTCs and four-year colleges and universities to design a so-called "2+2 program" to allow CTC students interested in teaching to be jointly accepted into a CTC and a teacher preparation program at a four-year institution.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference

Education Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference

Appropriations Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute