05 LC 33
0596-ECS
Senate
Bill 34
By:
Senators Moody of the 56th, Weber of the 40th, Johnson of the 1st, Williams of
the 19th, Thomas of the 54th and others
AS
PASSED SENATE
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to provide for legislative
findings; to provide for the establishment of the "Georgia Master Teacher
Program"; to provide for the establishment of criteria for Master Teacher
Certification; to provide for the establishment of rules and regulations by the
Professional Standards Commission; to provide for the establishment of the
"Academic Coach Program"; to provide for the establishment of rules and
regulations by the State Board of Education; to provide for the employment of an
academic coach by a public school in accordance with a school improvement plan;
to provide for monetary and other incentives for academic coaches; to provide
for the establishment of a Master Teacher and Academic Coach Implementation
Committee; to provide for the composition, duties, and duration of the
committee; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to
provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the
"Quality Basic Education Act," is amended by inserting a new Code section after
Code Section 20-2-204 to be designated Code Section 20-2-205 to read as
follows:
"20-2-205.
(a)
The General Assembly finds that excellent public school teachers deserve
recognition for the extraordinary learning opportunity they provide to Georgia
students.
(b)
The Professional Standards Commission is authorized and directed to establish
the 'Georgia Master Teacher Program' to provide recognition to certificated
public school teachers who exhibit excellence in the classroom.
(c)
The Professional Standards Commission shall establish criteria for a Master
Teacher Certification. Such criteria shall include, at a minimum, evidence of
student achievement, which must include student progress. A public school
teacher with three or more years of teaching experience in Georgia may submit an
application to the Professional Standards Commission for a Master Teacher
Certification. The Professional Standards Commission shall review each
application and determine whether a teacher meets the criteria for a Master
Teacher Certification. If the Professional Standards Commission finds that a
teacher´s application meets the criteria, the teacher will be given a
Master Teacher Certification, and that teacher will be known as and may be
called a Master Teacher for a term to be determined pursuant to rules and
regulations of the Professional Standards Commission, but in no event longer
than seven years. The Professional Standards Commission is authorized to
develop rules and regulations governing the Master Teacher
Certification.
(d)
This Code section shall be repealed on June 30,
2009."
SECTION
2.
Said
article is further amended by inserting new Code sections after Code Section
20-2-212.4 to be designated Code Sections 20-2-212.5 and 20-2-212.6 to read as
follows:
"20-2-212.5.
(a)
The General Assembly finds that many teachers wish to spend their entire career
teaching in a classroom setting. However, the current salary structure offers
few financial incentives for public school teachers to continue in the classroom
throughout their careers. The General Assembly finds that new opportunities for
career advancement must be developed to encourage excellent public school
teachers to continue teaching students and to contribute to the development of
other teachers.
(b)
The State Board of Education is authorized and directed to establish the
'Academic Coach Program' to provide certificated public school teachers who
exhibit excellence in the classroom with salary supplements or bonuses in
exchange for mentoring other public school teachers. The state board is
authorized to develop rules and regulations for such program, including
requiring reports, data, or other measures of accountability.
(c)
A local school system desiring the expertise and competency of an academic coach
in one or more of its schools shall develop a school improvement plan for each
such school which identifies the academic strengths and the areas which need
improvement in each such school and which identifies areas where the expertise
and competency of an academic coach could lead to improved academic performance
of its students. A local school system desiring an academic coach in one or
more of its schools shall submit such plan or plans on behalf of the school or
schools in its district to the Department of Education which will certify that
the plan or plans includes identified deficiencies in school performance that an
academic coach can address. Once such certification is obtained, the school
system may employ an academic coach or coaches according to the terms of the
school improvement plan to be a classroom teacher for one or more segments per
day or to perform other duties commensurate with the school improvement
plan.
(d)
Prior to working as an academic coach in a school, an academic coach must
receive a Master Teacher Certification from the Professional Standards
Commission, as provided for in Code Section 20-2-205, and participate in
professional learning relative to performing duties as an academic coach and to
the teaching and learning needs identified in the school improvement plan as
described in subsection (c) of this Code section.
(e)
As part of its review of a school improvement plan, the school council at each
school is authorized to request and receive data from the school relative to the
school´s utilization of an academic coach and whether such use of an
academic coach has led to increased academic performance.
(f)
The state board is authorized, subject to appropriations by the General
Assembly, to:
(1)
Provide funds to local school systems that release academic coaches from the
regular classroom for one or more segments per day;
(2)
Compensate academic coaches with salary supplements if they serve schools that
have received an unacceptable rating for a period of two or more consecutive
years; and
(3)
Compensate academic coaches and other teachers or personnel participating or
involved in the program with bonuses based on demonstrated school-wide gains in
student achievement.
Nothing
shall prohibit local boards of education from providing additional salary
supplements and bonuses to any teacher serving as an academic
coach.
(g)
This Code section shall be repealed on June 30, 2009.
20-2-212.6.
The
Governor shall appoint a Master Teacher and Academic Coach Implementation
Committee to advise the Professional Standards Commission and the State Board of
Education on the development of such rules governing the Georgia Master Teacher
Program, in accordance with Code Section 20-2-205, and the Academic Coach
Program, in accordance with this Code section. Such committee shall include at
a minimum, two Department of Education staff members, two State Board of
Education members, two Professional Standards Commission staff members, two
Professional Standards Commission members, four teachers, one local school
superintendent, one principal, one local school board member, two parents of
public school students, the director of the Office of Student Achievement or his
or her designee, one staff member from Georgia´s Leadership Institute for
School Improvement, the chair of the Senate Education Committee or his or her
designee, the chair of the House Committee on Education or his or her designee,
and the director of the Office of Planning and Budget. The implementation
committee shall hold public hearings across the state for the purpose of
receiving input from parents, teachers, and other educators. In addition to
developing recommendations for rules governing the designation of Master
Teachers, the implementation committee shall develop recommendations for
guidelines designed to provide information to principals on hiring and utilizing
the services of an academic coach. The Master Teacher and Academic Coach
Implementation Committee shall make its recommendations to the Professional
Standards Commission and the State Board of Education no later than December 31,
2005. The implementation committee shall be disbanded on December 31, 2005.
This Code section shall be repealed on December 31,
2005."
SECTION
3.
This
Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its
becoming law without such approval.
SECTION
4.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.