SECTION 1. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall commission and deliver a report to the Legislature on the state of K-12 education in the Commonwealth for students capable of achieving beyond-grade-level (in one or more content areas) and gifted and talented students. Said report shall be produced by qualified professionals in the field of gifted education. Said report shall seek to identify the level to which all such students’ academic and social and emotional development needs are currently addressed in the classrooms of the Commonwealth, and shall also identify separately the state of such education opportunities particular to those students from disadvantaged populations. Said report shall make recommendations to ensure all these students are likely to receive an education appropriate to their needs in the future and shall separately report on the ranges of grades spanning K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

SECTION 2. Section 1 of Chapter 69 of the General laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the phrase, “including a limited English proficient student as defined in section 1 of chapter 71A,” the following words:

“ including a student achieving or capable of achieving beyond the traditional age-based grade, including a gifted and talented student as defined by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),  P.L. 114-95 (Title VIII, Part A, Definition 27); (20 USC 7801(27)), from (Title 20-Education, Chapter 70-Strengthening and Improvement of Elementary and Secondary Schools, Subchapter VIII-General Provisions, Part A-Definitions, (27)),”

SECTION 3. Chapter 69 Section 1A of the General Laws, as appearing in the Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following text at the end of the second paragraph.

“ There shall be within the department an office of beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented education to assist the commissioner in overseeing and monitoring the development and implementation of appropriate beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented education and assist the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in meeting its obligations to gifted and talented students under chapter 69 section 1B regarding gifted and talented students. The office shall compile best practices relative to effective programs and techniques to assist beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented students in receiving an education meaningful for them and shall disseminate such information to school districts on an annual basis. The office shall be staffed with at least one full-time position responsible for education of beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented students. Said position shall be held by a person with qualifications, experience and demonstrated expertise in the field of gifted education policy.”

SECTION 4. Chapter 70 of the General Laws, as appearing in the Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following new section:

“Section 16. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall establish a professional development program which will provide to certain educators across the Commonwealth, twelve hours of professional development in the specific field of the education of gifted and talented students. Such professional development opportunities shall be required for any educators, including administrators, whose classrooms, schools, or districts contain one or more students identified, or could be identified as gifted and talented, as determined by a school district professional or any other professional working in the field of psychology, gifted education or who regularly provides services of educational assessments.”

SECTION 5. Chapter 71 Section 38G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting after the sentence, “In addition to any other requirements in this section, in order to receive a provisional or standard educator certificate, persons applying for such certification shall have completed such courses or training sessions as the board shall require in second language acquisition” the following words:

“In addition to any other requirements of this section, in order to receive a provisional or standard educator certificate, persons applying for such certification shall have completed such courses or training sessions as the board shall require in gifted and talented education. The board shall establish such requirements as recommended by generally accepted standards in the field of gifted and talented education.

In addition to any other requirements of this section, the board shall require, as a provision of an administrator's or an educator's initial certification, that all educators and administrators shall have training in strategies for effective education of beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented students.”

SECTION 6. Chapter 71 Section 38Q of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting the words:

“ In any school district with gifted students, the plan shall provide training for administrators and teachers in gifted education, and shall state how such training will support the needs of gifted and talented students.”

after the sentence, “In any school district with limited English proficient students, the plan shall provide training for teachers in second language acquisition techniques for the re-certification of teachers and administrators.”

SECTION 7. Chapter 71 Section 38Q1/2 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting after the sentence ending in “under Chapter 71B” the following words:

“The plan shall provide pathways of accommodations and interventions for beyond-grade-level and gifted and talented students through the specification of curriculum compacting and acceleration protocols for individual subjects or whole grade as appropriate for the student.”