AN ACT CONCERNING THE TEACHER EDUCATION AND MENTORING PROGRAM.

This bill requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to establish and administer a teacher education and mentoring (TEAM) program for beginning teachers that is aligned with teaching principles approved by the State Board of Education. The program must include guided teacher support and coaching by teacher mentors and require beginning teachers to complete five learning modules to help them develop particular teaching skills. Local and regional school districts, regional educational service centers (RESCs), unions representing certified employees, and public colleges and universities must cooperate with the department in developing and administering the program, recruiting and training mentor teachers, and evaluating and assessing beginning teachers.

By law, teachers holding initial (first-level) certificates must successfully complete a beginning educator program in order to receive a provisional (second-level) certificate. Under current law, the beginning educator program is called the beginning educator support and training (BEST) program (see BACKGROUND). Under a 2008 act, the BEST program is scheduled for elimination as of July 1, 2009.

The TEAM Program replaces the BEST program as the beginning educator program required for provisional certification, but it is unclear what beginning educator program or requirements will be in effect for the school year beginning July 1, 2009.

The bill requires TEAM program participation (i. e. , successful completion of two years of mentorship and five modules) for the school year beginning July 1, 2010, for beginning teachers with subject areas or endorsements in elementary education, English and language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, special education, bilingual education, music, physical education, visual arts, world languages, and English as a second language. It requires other beginning teachers to successfully complete one year of mentorship and two modules.

The bill establishes a Teacher Education and Mentoring Program Fund as a separate nonlapsing fund within the General Fund and requires SDE to use the fund to operate the TEAM Program. It allocates to the fund any money derived from teacher certification fees that exceed the proceeds collected from fees in effect on June 30, 2009. (This implies an increase in teacher certification fees, but the bill does not include such a fee increase. ) It requires any balance of receipts over expenditures to remain in the fund.

The bill also appropriates $ 4,354,629 per year for FY 10 and FY 11 from the General Fund to the SDE for the program.

Finally, the bill requires SBE to adopt regulations by July 1, 2010 for transition to and implementation of the TEAM Program according to the bill and the December 29, 2008 report by the Beginning Educator Support and Training Program (BEST)/Mentor Assistance Program (MAP) Task Force.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage for the TEAM Program requirements and July 1, 2009 for the fund and the appropriations.

1. using statewide data and national research findings, develop goals for teacher induction, mentoring, professional development, and evaluation;

2. distribute state funding to school districts to help them implement district teacher education and mentoring plans;

3. manage and make available data systems for school districts to establish that teachers and mentors have satisfactorily met local and state standards;

4. monitor districts' program implementation, including through random district audits and observation by state personnel;

5. issue provisional certificates to teachers who complete the program;

6. with input from “stakeholder groups,” develop guidelines for creating and approving districts' teacher education and mentoring plans; and

7. oversee an outside evaluation of the program every three to five years.

The bill also requires SDE to collaborate with EASTCONN (the RESC for Eastern Connecticut), the RESC Alliance (an organization of all six RESCs), higher education institutions, and other stakeholders to:

1. develop learning modules for beginning teachers;

2. provide training and professional development for regional mentors working at the district level;

3. provide training and professional development for district teams and principals in how to design, manage, and administer teacher education and mentoring plans;

4. and provide technical assistance to districts according to their size and needs.

The bill requires SDE and public higher education institutions to work with RESCs to align the learning modules for beginning teachers with pre-service professional preparation programs approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE – see BACKGROUND). SDE and the institutions must also develop and deliver regional strategies to support mentor assistance programs and arrange or coordinate student teaching experiences that relate to state standards.

Finally, the bill requires SDE, with EASTCONN, to create a data system through which school districts may access resources and record-keeping tools to manage the TEAM Program at the local level. The system must include templates for (1) districts to write and update district plans and record teacher completion of learning modules and (2) teachers to record completion of module activities and submit written reflection papers or projects. The system must also include links to on-line programs or workshops that are part of the modules.

Under the bill, each school district must develop a three-year plan for its participation in the TEAM program that meets the bill's requirements (see below) and form a local coordinating committee or committees to guide its activities under the plan. The committee's composition must be based on the district's size. Each district must develop an annual budget based on its plan and submit it to SDE to receive state assistance for its TEAM Program activities.

1. recruit mentors from within and outside the district and assign them to work with the district's beginning teachers;

2. ensure coverage by substitute teachers to allow mentors and beginning teachers to participate in the TEAM Program;

3. communicate regularly with beginning teachers about training opportunities, workshops, and support groups;

4. coordinate the TEAM Program with the district's teacher evaluation and supervision program, but keep the two separate and complementary; and

5. through the local coordinating committee, verify that beginning teachers have completed the TEAM Program requirements for a provisional certificate and attest to that fact and that the teacher is eligible for the provisional certificate.

The bill also requires districts to ensure that schools (1) administer the state's online needs assessment to establish beginning teachers' goals and priorities for their individualized mentoring plans; (2) review and approve teachers' plans; (3) organize mentoring opportunities by grade, department, or specialty; (4) make necessary time available for teachers to achieve their mentoring plan goals; (5) coordinate mentors' and teachers' activities and schedules to ensure proper implementation of the district plan; and (6) submit an annual report on mentor and teacher activities to the district's coordinating committee for review and approval.

The bill requires local and regional school districts to develop three-year plans that incorporate SDE's goals and instructional priorities along with local community and student needs. District plans must include:

1. district information including profiles of the community, district, students, faculty, mentors, and beginning teachers;

2. a statement of three-year objectives related to state goals for the TEAM program;

3. a general timeline for district coordinating teams to meet with the district's central office personnel, principals, mentors, or district facilitators;

4. the mentor selection and assignment process that is based on subject areas, levels, and needs;

5. the process for training and updating mentors in best practices and essential knowledge;

6. a timeline of district-wide mentoring days for observations, individual discussion, small group meetings, professional development, RESC training sessions, and beginning teachers' completion of module-related tasks;

7. the process for collecting, reviewing, and coordinating teachers' mentoring plans;

8. the process for resolving internal disputes over district recommendations to the state about which teachers have completed learning modules satisfactorily; and

9. the resources and budget for the planned activities.

Once a teacher completes the learning modules and successfully passes the district coordinating committee's final review, the school superintendent must submit to SBE the names of the teachers eligible for provisional certificates. The bill bars districts from considering a teacher's completion of the TEAM Program as a factor in any decision to continue the teacher's employment.

The bill requires each beginning teacher to develop a two-year individualized mentoring plan and complete learning modules in the following five areas: (1) classroom management and climate, (2) lesson planning and unit design, (3) delivering instruction, (4) assessing student learning, and (5) professional practice. Unless the education commissioner provides otherwise, teachers must complete two modules in the first year of the program and three in the second.

The bill requires beginning teachers to work with their mentors to develop planned activities to complete each module. The activities must be reflected in the beginning teacher needs assessment. The activities can be presented (1) by mentors in person, (2) in workshops, (3) through online courses, or (4) by completing a set of readings. For each module, teachers must apply the knowledge gained in a lesson, project, or demonstration of how the activity affected students' learning. Teachers must also submit a reflection paper for each module that summarizes, describes, or analyzes what they and their students learned throughout the module and how it contributed to the teacher's development. The paper or project must be signed by the mentor and sent to the district's coordinating committee for approval.

The bill requires local and regional boards of education to recruit mentors for their TEAM programs. SDE, higher education institutions, and RESCs must cooperate in the recruiting.

TEAM Program mentors must have a provisional or professional educator certificate and at least three years of teaching experience in Connecticut. Retired teachers who complete a RESC mentor training program may also serve as mentors. Each mentor is assigned two beginning teachers, although in certain circumstances, which the bill does not describe, they can have three. Mentors must provide 50 contact hours with each of their beginning teachers during the program, with an expectation of approximately 10 hours per module.

Mentors must receive a stipend of $ 500 annually for each beginning teacher assigned to them. The stipend must be included in their total earnings for retirement purposes. (Presumably, this requirement does not apply to mentors who are retired teachers. )

Until July 1, 2009, the BEST Program provides support for teachers during their first two years of teaching through (1) mentoring by more experienced teachers and (2) assessment of their teaching ability. The assessment includes classroom assessments and review of a portfolio the teacher submits at the end of his or her second year of teaching.

Until that date SDE, within available appropriations, is required to (1) administer the program; (2) provide training to mentor teachers and those who supervise, train, and assess new teachers; (3) pay stipends to teacher assessors; and (4) provide funds to local school districts for (a) substitute teachers to allow release of mentor teachers and assessors from regular classroom responsibilities and (b) professional development for mentors, assessors, and beginning teachers. SDE must operate the program according to regulations it adopts.

Under the BEST Program, (1) school districts must support their new teachers, including assigning experienced mentor teachers to help them; (2) districts must select mentor teachers and any assessors they employ according to standards in SDE's regulations and based primarily on mentor teachers' and assessors' classroom experience and recognized success as educators; and (3) the SBE must indemnify those serving as teacher mentors and assessors from damage claims arising from their activity in those capacities.

By law, the SBE charges the fees shown in Table 1 for issuing various teaching credentials. Teachers pay fees only on initial issuance. There are no annual or renewal fees.

NCATE is an independent coalition of teachers, teacher educators, content specialists, and local and state policy makers that accredits teacher education programs offered by schools, colleges, and state education departments.

*Certificate*	*Fee*
Initial Educator Certificate	$ 100
Provisional Educator Certificate	200
Professional Educator Certificate	300
Certificate for teaching adult education programs	50
Issuance of a subject area endorsement	50
Duplicate copy of certificate or endorsement	25