H. B. 4678
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates
Mezzatesta and Michael)
[Introduced February 25, 2000; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to amend chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding
thereto a new article, designated article two-c, relating to
creating a commission to develop professional development
schools.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding
thereto a new article, designated article two-c, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 2C. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS COMMISSION.
§18-2C-1. Legislative findings.
The Legislature finds that the future of West Virginia's
public elementary and secondary schools depends on adequate
preparation of teacher education students before they enter the workplace. Such training may be received from practical experience
in schools prior to becoming a teacher. The Legislature further
finds that the training of public education teachers may be
significantly enhanced through the development, in cooperation with
higher education, of professional development schools. Such schools
may be modeled after programs implemented at West Virginia
University.
§18-2C-2. Legislative purposes.
For purposes of this article, "professional development
schools" are public elementary and secondary schools whose
faculties and administrators have a commitment to:
(a) Work with a higher education institution to prepare
teachers to enter the workforce.
(b) Provide continuous professional development for their own
faculty and administrators;
(c) Provide consistent and continuous focus on improving the
achievement of students in the schools; and
(d) Engage in research, inquiry and activities for the purpose
of advancing the teaching profession.
§18-2C-3. Professional development schools commission established;
duties of commission.
A professional development schools commission is hereby
created. The purpose of this commission shall be to advise the
Legislature and develop guidelines to:
(a) Provide significant incentives for public schools to
become professional development schools in partnership with higher
education teacher preparation programs;
(b) Provide significant incentives for teacher preparation
institutions to work closely with public schools in which
administrators and at least sixty percent of faculty will commit to
becoming a professional development school. Such schools will
become the only schools in which teacher education students will be
placed by the higher education institution.
(c) Provide incentives to public schools and higher education
to develop meaningful, early and intensive clinical placements for
teacher education students;
(d) Provide incentives to county school districts and teacher
preparation institutions to work together to determine market
demand for teachers and provide recruitment activities to fulfill
the project needs;
(e) Provide incentives for teacher preparation institutions
to raise entry standards for students in teacher education;
(f) Provide incentives for teacher preparation institutions
to examine their programs to assure that they are meeting the needs
of todays public schools and incentives to change these programs
where appropriate; and
(g) Develop a framework for determining when public schools
and higher education qualify for the above incentives.
Following legislative approval, the commission shall be
responsible for administering the professional development schools
program, supervised by the department of education and the arts.
§18-2C-4. Composition of commission.
The commission shall consist of: (1) An appointee from the
state board of education; (2) an appointee from the university of
West Virginia board of trustees; (3) an appointee from the state
college system board of directors; and (4) an appointee from the
Benedum center for education reform advisory board.
The following persons shall also be appointed to the
commission by the governor: (1) A president of a West Virginia
college; (2) a county superintendent of schools; (3) a member of a
county school board; (4) a principal of a public elementary or
secondary school; (5) a teacher from a public elementary or
secondary school; and (6) two members of the general public.
Each member of the commission shall be reimbursed for all
reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the
performance of his or her duties as a member of the commission. The
commission shall, from time to time, elect a chairperson from its
membership. The operations of the commission shall be administered
by the department of education and the arts.
§18-2C-5. Report of findings to the Legislature.
The commission shall submit its findings and recommendations
for the implementation of professional development schools to the Legislature by the thirty-first day of January, two thousand one.
§18-2C-6. Termination date.
The professional development schools commission shall
terminate on the first day of July, two thousand eleven, pursuant
to the provisions of article ten, chapter four of this code.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish a commission
to develop guidelines and procedures for professional development
schools.
§18-2C is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring
have been omitted.