(1) There is created in the department of education the teacher residency expansion program to identify the best practices, effective strategies, and critical components of effective teacher residency programs, which practices, strategies, and components may be used by institutions of higher education, alternative teacher programs, and local education providers across the state to assist local education providers in hiring and retaining well-trained, effective teachers. A local education provider may also consider the identified practices, strategies, and components in designing and implementing an effective teacher induction program.
(2) The program is designed to accomplish the following goals:
Developing teacher candidates who are prepared to be successful in the classroomwhen they begin teaching, including being prepared to improve academic outcomes for all students in their classrooms;
Supporting local education providers, alternative teacher programs, and institutionsof higher education in collaborating to create a seamless, high-functioning, highly effective system of teacher preparation;
Addressing barriers to effective teacher preparation, which include insufficient support for effective field experiences for teaching candidates and insufficient support for new teachers when they transition to the classroom, due to a lack of communication, sharing of resources, and collaboration among local education providers, alternative teacher programs, institutions of higher education, and other teacher preparation program providers; and
Identifying the best practices, effective strategies, and critical components of effective teacher residency program models that can be used by local education providers across the state and that may inform state policy changes.
In implementing the program, the department shall provide to local education providers, alternative teacher programs, and institutions of higher education information concerning the outcomes of the pilot programs, the effectiveness of the methods and strategies implemented, and best practices and critical components identified to support expansion of teacher residency programs and how these strategies, practices, and components inform the design and implementation of teacher induction programs. The department shall provide the information using electronic methods, which may include posting information to the department website, e-mailing information, hosting electronic conversations among local education providers and institutions of higher education, and providing programming via the internet.
The state board may promulgate rules pursuant to the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, as necessary to implement the program.
Source: L. 2018: Entire article added, (HB 18-1189), ch. 323, p. 1933, § 1, effective May 30.