HB1271: School boards, local; required training for certain members.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1271

Offered January 21, 2014
A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:5 of the Code of Virginia, relating to school board member training.
Patron-- Davis

Unanimous consent to introduce

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 22.1-253.13:5 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 22.1-253.13:5. Standard 5. Quality of classroom instruction and educational leadership.

A. Each member of the Board of Education shall participate in high-quality professional development programs on personnel, curriculum and current issues in education as part of his service on the Board.

B. Consistent with the finding that leadership is essential for the advancement of public education in the Commonwealth, teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluations shall be consistent with the performance standards included in the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents. Evaluations shall include student academic progress as a significant component and an overall summative rating. Teacher evaluations shall include regular observation and evidence that instruction is aligned with the school's curriculum. Evaluations shall include identification of areas of individual strengths and weaknesses and recommendations for appropriate professional activities.

C. The Board of Education shall provide guidance on high-quality professional development for (i) teachers, principals, supervisors, division superintendents, and other school staff; (ii) principals, supervisors, and division superintendents in the evaluation and documentation of teacher and principal performance based on student academic progress and the skills and knowledge of such instructional or administrative personnel; (iii) school board members on personnel, curriculum and current issues in education; and (iv) programs in Braille for teachers of the blind and visually impaired, in cooperation with the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired.

The Board shall also provide technical assistance on high-quality professional development to local school boards designed to ensure that all instructional personnel are proficient in the use of educational technology consistent with its comprehensive plan for educational technology.

D. Each newly elected or appointed member of a local school board in a school division that contains one or more schools denied accreditation or accredited with warning for three consecutive years shall participate, within one year of his election or appointment, in at least 15 hours of high-quality professional development training at the state, local, or national level on governance, including ethics; personnel policies and practices; the evaluation of personnel, curriculum, and instruction; use of data in planning and decision making; school finance and budgeting, including the school division's most recent financial audit, financial statements, and budget; any audit conducted by the Department of Education relating to school improvement; and current issues in education as part of their service on the local board. School board members who have completed one or more years of continuous service in such school divisions shall participate in 12 hours of such training. Board members with a break in service shall be considered new board members for training purposes.

Each local school board member in a school division that does not contain any schools denied accreditation or accredited with warning for three consecutive years shall require (i) its members to participate annually in nine hours of high-quality professional development activities training at the state, local, or national levels level on governance, including, but not limited to, personnel policies and practices; the evaluation of personnel, curriculum, and instruction; use of data in planning and decision making; and school financing and budgeting; and current issues in education as part of their service on the local board and (ii) the. Each division superintendent to shall participate annually in high-quality professional development activities training at the local, state, or national levels level, including the Standards of Quality, Board of Education regulations, and the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents.

Each provider of training shall certify its compliance with the training requirements of this subsection, including a description of the curricula, to the Board of Education.

E. Each local school board shall provide a program of high-quality professional development (i) in the use and documentation of performance standards and evaluation criteria based on student academic progress and skills for teachers, principals, and superintendents to clarify roles and performance expectations and to facilitate the successful implementation of instructional programs that promote student achievement at the school and classroom levels; (ii) as part of the license renewal process, to assist teachers and principals in acquiring the skills needed to work with gifted students, students with disabilities, and students who have been identified as having limited English proficiency and to increase student achievement and expand the knowledge and skills students require to meet the standards for academic performance set by the Board of Education; (iii) in educational technology for all instructional personnel which is designed to facilitate integration of computer skills and related technology into the curricula; and (iv) for principals and supervisors designed to increase proficiency in instructional leadership and management, including training in the evaluation and documentation of teacher and principal performance based on student academic progress and the skills and knowledge of such instructional or administrative personnel.

In addition, each local school board shall also provide teachers and principals with high-quality professional development programs each year in (a) instructional content; (b) the preparation of tests and other assessment measures; (c) methods for assessing the progress of individual students, including Standards of Learning assessment materials or other criterion-referenced tests that match locally developed objectives; (d) instruction and remediation techniques in English, mathematics, science, and history and social science; (e) interpreting test data for instructional purposes; (f) technology applications to implement the Standards of Learning; and (g) effective classroom management.

F. Schools and school divisions shall include as an integral component of their comprehensive plans required by § 22.1-253.13:6, high-quality professional development programs that support the recruitment, employment, and retention of qualified teachers and principals. Each school board shall require all instructional personnel to participate each year in these professional development programs.

G. Each local school board shall annually review its professional development program for quality, effectiveness, participation by instructional personnel, and relevancy to the instructional needs of teachers and the academic achievement needs of the students in the school division.