Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 28 (2016GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Last, B.

Final action

House/ filed 3/10/2016

Outcome

Failed / filed without passage

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• requires the State Board of Education to make rules to establish a professional learning grant program;
• provides requirements for the professional learning grant program; and
• makes technical changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

GRANTS FOR EDUCATOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Bradley G. Last
Senate Sponsor:
 Ann Millner
LONG TITLE
Committee Note:
The Education Interim Committee recommended this bill.
General Description:
This bill requires the State Board of Education to establish a professional learning grant
program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ defines terms;
▸ requires the State Board of Education to make rules to establish a professional
learning grant program;
▸ provides requirements for the professional learning grant program; and
▸ makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2017:
▸ to State Board of Education -- Minimum School Program -- Related to Basic School
Program as an ongoing appropriation:
• from the Education Fund, $30,000,000.
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53A-1-710
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2015, Chapter 446
53A-17a-162
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2015, Chapter 12
ENACTS:
53A-15-1701
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
53A-15-1702
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
53A-15-1704
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
RENUMBERS AND AMENDS:
53A-15-1703
, (Renumbered from 53A-3-701, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2015,
Chapter 415)
REPEALS:
53A-17a-124
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 346
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53A-1-710
 is amended to read:
53A-1-710.
Digital teaching and learning program task force -- Funding proposal
for a program -- Master plan -- Reporting requirements.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
(b) "Core subject areas" means the following subject areas:
(i) English language arts;
(ii) mathematics;
(iii) science; and
(iv) social studies.
(c) "[
High quality
] 
Effective
 professional learning" means the professional learning
standards described in Section [
53A-3-701
] 
53A-15-1703
.
(d) "LEA plan" means an LEA's plan to implement a digital teaching and learning
program that meets requirements set by the board.
(e) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means:
(i) a school district;
(ii) a charter school; or
(iii) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
(f) "Statewide assessment" means a test of student achievement in English language
arts, mathematics, or science, including a test administered in a computer adaptive format,
which is administered statewide under Part 6, Achievement Tests.
(g) "Utah Education and Telehealth Network" or "UETN" means the Utah Education
and Telehealth Network created in Section 
53B-17-105
.
(2) (a) The board shall establish a digital teaching and learning task force to develop a
funding proposal to present to the Legislature for digital teaching and learning in elementary
and secondary schools.
(b) The digital teaching and learning task force shall include representatives of:
(i) the board;
(ii) UETN;
(iii) LEAs; and
(iv) the Governor's Education Excellence Commission.
(3) (a) The board, in consultation with the digital teaching and learning task force
created in Subsection (2), shall create a funding proposal for a statewide digital teaching and
learning program designed to:
(i) improve student outcomes through the use of digital teaching and learning
technology; and
(ii) provide [
high quality
] 
effective
 professional learning for educators to improve
student outcomes through the use of digital teaching and learning technology.
(b) The board shall:
(i) identify outcome based metrics to measure student achievement related to a digital
teaching and learning program; and
(ii) develop minimum benchmark standards for student achievement and school level
outcomes to measure successful implementation of a digital teaching and learning program.
(4) As funding allows, the board shall develop a master plan for a statewide digital
teaching and learning program, including the following:
(a) a statement of purpose that describes the objectives or goals the board will
accomplish by implementing a digital teaching and learning program;
(b) a forecast for fundamental components needed to implement a digital teaching and
learning program, including a forecast for:
(i) student and teacher devices;
(ii) Wi-Fi and wireless compatible technology;
(iii) curriculum software;
(iv) assessment solutions;
(v) technical support;
(vi) change management of LEAs;
(vii) [
high quality
] 
effective
 professional learning;
(viii) Internet delivery and capacity; and
(ix) security and privacy of users;
(c) a determination of the requirements for:
(i) statewide technology infrastructure; and
(ii) local LEA technology infrastructure;
(d) standards for [
high quality
] 
effective
 professional learning related to implementing
and maintaining a digital teaching and learning program;
(e) a statewide technical support plan that will guide the implementation and
maintenance of a digital teaching and learning program, including standards and competency
requirements for technical support personnel;
(f) (i) a grant program for LEAs; or
(ii) a distribution formula to fund LEA digital teaching and learning programs;
(g) in consultation with UETN, an inventory of the state public education system's
current technology resources and other items and a plan to integrate those resources into a
digital teaching and learning program;
(h) an ongoing evaluation process that is overseen by the board;
(i) proposed rules that incorporate the principles of the master plan into the state's
public education system as a whole; and
(j) a plan to ensure long-term sustainability that:
(i) accounts for the financial impacts of a digital teaching and learning program; and
(ii) facilitates the redirection of LEA savings that arise from implementing a digital
teaching and learning program.
(5) UETN shall:
(a) in consultation with the board, conduct an inventory of the state public education
system's current technology resources and other items as determined by UETN, including
software;
(b) perform an engineering study to determine the technology infrastructure needs of
the public education system to implement a digital teaching and learning program, including
the infrastructure needed for the board, UETN, and LEAs; and
(c) as funding allows, provide infrastructure and technology support for school districts
and charter schools.
(6) On or before December 1, 2015, the board and UETN shall present the funding
proposal for a statewide digital teaching and learning program described in Subsection (3) to
the Education Interim Committee and the Executive Appropriations Committee, including:
(a) the board's progress on the development of a master plan described in Subsection
(4); and
(b) the progress of UETN on the inventory and study described in Subsection (5).
Section 2. Section 
53A-15-1701
 is enacted to read:
Part 17. Educator Professional Learning
 53A-15-1701.
Title.
This part is known as "Educator Professional Learning."
Section 3. Section 
53A-15-1702
 is enacted to read:
 53A-15-1702.
Definitions.
As used in this part:
(1) "Board" means the State Board of Education established in Section 
53A-1-101
.
(2) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means:
(a) a school district;
(b) a charter school; or
(c) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
(3) "Professional learning" means a comprehensive, sustained, and evidence-based
approach to improving teachers' and principals' effectiveness in raising student achievement.
Section 4. Section 
53A-15-1703
, which is renumbered from Section 53A-3-701 is
renumbered and amended to read:
[
53A-3-701
].
 53A-15-1703.
Professional learning standards.
[
(1) As used in this section, "professional learning" means a comprehensive, sustained,
and evidence-based approach to improving teachers' and principals' effectiveness in raising
student achievement.
]
[
(2)
] 
(1)
 A school district or charter school shall implement [
high quality
] 
effective
professional learning that meets the following standards:
(a) professional learning occurs within learning communities committed to continuous
improvement, individual and collective responsibility, and goal alignment;
(b) professional learning requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate, and
create support systems, for professional learning;
(c) professional learning requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources
for educator learning;
(d) professional learning uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and
system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning;
(e) professional learning integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to
achieve its intended outcomes;
(f) professional learning applies research on change and sustains support for
implementation of professional learning for long-term change;
(g) professional learning aligns its outcomes with:
(i) performance standards for teachers and school administrators as described in rules
of the [
State Board of Education
] 
board
; and
(ii) performance standards for students as described in the core standards for Utah
public schools adopted by the [
State Board of Education
] 
board
 pursuant to Section
53A-1-402.6
; and
(h) professional learning:
(i) incorporates the use of technology in the design, implementation, and evaluation of
[
high quality
] 
effective
 professional learning practices; and
(ii) includes targeted professional learning on the use of technology devices to enhance
the teaching and learning environment and the integration of technology in content delivery.
[
(3)
] 
(2)
 School districts and charter schools shall use money appropriated by the
Legislature for professional learning or federal grant money awarded for professional learning
to implement professional learning that meets the standards specified in Subsection [
(2)
] 
(1)
.
[
(4)
] 
(3)
 (a) In the fall of 2014, the [
State Board of Education
] 
board
, through the state
superintendent of public instruction, and in collaboration with an independent consultant
acquired through a competitive bid process, shall conduct a statewide survey of school districts
and charter schools to:
(i) determine the current state of professional learning for educators as aligned with the
standards specified in Subsection [
(2)
] 
(1)
;
(ii) determine the effectiveness of current professional learning practices; and
(iii) identify resources to implement professional learning as described in Subsection
[
(2)
] 
(1)
.
(b) The [
State Board of Education
] 
board
 shall select a consultant from bidders who
have demonstrated successful experience in conducting a statewide analysis of professional
learning.
(c) (i) Annually in the fall, beginning in 2015 through 2020, the [
State Board of
Education
] 
board
, through the state superintendent of public instruction, in conjunction with
school districts and charter schools, shall gather and use data to determine the impact of
professional learning efforts and resources.
(ii) Data used to determine the impact of professional learning efforts and resources
under Subsection [
(4)
] 
(3)
(c)(i) shall include:
(A) student achievement data;
(B) educator evaluation data; and
(C) survey data.
Section 5. Section 
53A-15-1704
 is enacted to read:
 53A-15-1704.
Professional learning grant program.
(1) In accordance with this section and Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative
Rulemaking Act, the board shall make rules to establish a qualifying professional learning
grant program.
(2) To request a professional learning grant, an LEA shall prepare a professional
learning plan that:
(a) outlines the LEA's professional learning goals and demonstrates how the LEA will
support the goals over time through:
(i) the use of a learning community described in Section 
53A-15-1703
; and
(ii) other methods;
(b) describes the LEA's targeted outcomes, based on the LEA's:
(i) analysis of student data; and
(ii) evaluation of educator knowledge and skills;
(c) integrates the professional learning standards described in Section 
53A-15-1703
;
(d) includes an evaluation method to optimize effectiveness that:
(i) measures student growth;
(ii) requires observation of educator practice; and
(iii) includes educator feedback;
(e) is developed in collaboration with teachers, principals, and other educators; and
(f) incorporates a strategy for compensation, where appropriate, of professional
learning participants.
(3) An LEA shall submit a professional learning plan described in Subsection (2) to the
board on or before July 1 immediately preceding the school year for which the LEA is seeking
funding.
(4) In accordance with Subsection (5), the board shall determine:
(a) procedures for approving an LEA professional learning plan;
(b) qualifying criteria for an LEA to receive a grant; and
(c) a distribution formula to award a grant that funds an LEA's approved professional
learning plan.
(5) The board shall award a grant to fund an LEA learning plan if the plan meets the
qualifying criteria described in Subsection (4)(b) and prioritizes the following objectives, as
applicable, based on student data:
(a) improved mathematics instruction, particularly for grades 4 through 8;
(b) reading intervention for secondary students;
(c) improved data collection and analysis;
(d) providing quality feedback on educator instruction;
(e) multi-tiered systems of support for a student who:
(i) is learning English;
(ii) needs accommodations as described in an individualized education program
prepared in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 
et seq.; or
(iii) requires accelerated learning strategies; and
(f) use of a learning community that:
(i) collaborates to focus on student learning;
(ii) identifies and prioritizes essential skills within curriculum;
(iii) improves formative assessment data analysis and reporting;
(iv) provides targeted interventions and timely extension opportunities; and
(v) supports school leaders to provide quality feedback on:
(A) classroom instruction;
(B) student learning; and
(C) learning community performance.
(6) On or before June 1 of the school year for which an LEA received a grant described
in this section, the LEA shall submit a report to the board that provides student and educator
data analyzed to show the effectiveness of the LEA's professional learning plan.
(7) On or before December 1 of each year, the board shall report to the Education
Interim Committee regarding:
(a) the results of the professional learning grant program, based on:
(i) student achievement data;
(ii) educator evaluation data; and
(iii) survey data; and
(b) statewide improvement in professional learning practices based on the professional
learning standards described in Section 
53A-15-1703
.
Section 6. Section 
53A-17a-162
 is amended to read:
53A-17a-162.
 Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts Learning Program.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Endowed chair" means a person who holds an endowed position or administrator
of an endowed program for the purpose of arts and integrated arts instruction at an endowed
university.
(b) "Endowed university" means an institution of higher education in the state that:
(i) awards elementary education degrees in arts instruction;
(ii) has received a major philanthropic donation for the purpose of arts and integrated
arts instruction; and
(iii) has created an endowed position as a result of a donation described in Subsection
(1)(b)(ii).
(c) "Integrated arts advocate" means a person who:
(i) advocates for arts and integrated arts instruction in the state; and
(ii) coordinates with an endowed chair pursuant to the agreement creating the endowed
chair.
(d) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means:
(i) a school district;
(ii) a charter school; or
(iii) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
(2) The Legislature finds that a strategic placement of arts in elementary education can
impact the critical thinking of students in other core subject areas, including mathematics,
reading, and science.
(3) The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts Learning Program is created to
enhance the social, emotional, academic, and arts learning of students in kindergarten through
grade six by integrating arts teaching and learning into core subject areas and providing
professional development for positions that support elementary arts and integrated arts
education.
(4) From money appropriated for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts
Learning Program, and subject to Subsection (5), the State Board of Education shall, after
consulting with endowed chairs and the integrated arts advocate and receiving their
recommendations, administer a grant program to enable LEAs to:
(a) hire highly qualified arts specialists, art coordinators, and other positions that
support arts education and arts integration;
(b) provide up to $10,000 in one-time funds for each new school arts specialist
described under Subsection (4)(a) to purchase supplies and equipment; and
(c) engage in other activities that improve the quantity and quality of integrated arts
education.
(5) (a) An LEA that receives a grant under Subsection (4) shall provide matching funds
of no less than 20% of the grant amount, including no less than 20% of the grant amount for
actual salary and benefit costs per full-time equivalent position funded under Subsection (4)(a).
(b) An LEA may not:
(i) include administrative, facility, or capital costs to provide the matching funds
required under Subsection (5)(a); or
(ii) use funds from the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts Learning Program to
supplant funds for existing programs.
(6) An LEA that receives a grant under this section shall partner with an endowed chair
to provide professional development in integrated elementary arts education.
(7) From money appropriated for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts
Learning Program, the State Board of Education shall administer a grant program to fund
activities within arts and the integrated arts programs at an endowed university in the college
where the endowed chair resides to:
(a) provide [
high quality
] 
effective
 professional development in elementary integrated
arts education in accordance with the professional learning standards in Section [
53A-3-701
]
53A-15-1703
 to LEAs that receive a grant under Subsection (4);
(b) design and conduct research on:
(i) elementary integrated arts education and instruction;
(ii) implementation and evaluation of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts
Learning Program; and
(iii) effectiveness of the professional development under Subsection (7)(a); and
(c) provide the public with integrated elementary arts education resources.
(8) The State Board of Education shall:
(a) make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative
Rulemaking Act, to administer the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts Learning
Program; and
(b) after consultation with endowed chairs and the integrated arts advocate, submit an
annual written report to the Education Interim Committee describing the program's impact on
students in kindergarten through grade six.
Section 7. 
Repealer.
This bill repeals:
Section 
53A-17a-124
,
Quality Teaching Block Grant Program -- State
contributions.
Section 8. 
Appropriation.
Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for
the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2017, the following sums of money
are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts
previously appropriated, out of the funds or accounts indicated. These sums of money are in
addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2017.
To State Board of Education Minimum School Program -- Related to
Basic School Program
From Education Fund
$30,000,000
Schedule of Programs:
Professional Learning Grant Program $30,000,000
The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education use the appropriation for the
professional learning grant program described in Section 
53A-15-1704
.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel