SENATE DOCKET, NO. 916        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 207

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act to improve and coordinate teacher professional development in the Commonwealth..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Whereas, Qualified Teachers are the most important component in a quality education; and

Whereas, Continuing Professional Development has been demonstrated to be the most effective manner by which professionals improve and keep current in their fields of practice; and

Whereas, the manner, form, and quality of Teacher and School Leader Professional Development varies widely among the various public school districts across the Commonwealth; and

Whereas, in order to support the most effective forms of Teacher and School Leader Professional Development, the state must first inventory and perform standards-based evaluations all forms of Teacher and School Leader Professional Development being offered in every district throughout the Commonwealth ; therefore 

The General Court deems it to be essential that a strategy be developed expeditiously to inventory and evaluate all teacher skill and professional development and school leadership programs being offered throughout the Commonwealth, and that this act take immediate effect.

 Section 1. The Department of Education is hereby authorized, subject to appropriation, to contract for a comprehensive review of professional development activities and evaluation procedures for public school educators throughout the Commonwealth. 

Section 2. The review shall include an audit of all professional development programs funded and/or provided by federal, state, local, district, and private sources. 

a)         The review shall include all programs adopted, implemented, and filed with the commissioner of education in fulfillment of the requirements of section 38Q of Chapter 71;

b)         The review shall also include all professional development programs offered by public institutions, which do not have to be registered with the Commissioner, under the requirements of DOE regulations 603 CMR 44.00 and section 38Q of Chapter 71.

Section 3. Based on the information gathered in the review process, the department shall work with its contractor and educational administrators and teachers to develop a plan for coordinated statewide professional development, including the promotion of replicable models that have demonstrated record of success in promoting student achievement and success as well as a plan for the elimination of duplicative or unsuccessful programs.

Section 4. The department shall also make recommendations for the maintenance of a registry at the department of education and on its department World Wide Web site of all such professional development services and providers, public and private, including a qualitative evaluation of each service and provider. 

Section 5. Report and Recommendations. The Department shall file a report with the chairs of the Joint Committee on Education and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means not later than 8 months subsequent the required appropriation, and may make such interim reports as it deems appropriate. Said report shall include any legislative recommendations to improve and coordinate professional development efforts in the Commonwealth.

Section 6.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.