Sec 15-552. Alternative teacher development program; report; program termination

A. The state board of education shall establish an alternative teacher development program for the purpose of accelerating the process of identifying, training and placing highly qualified individuals into low income schools through the use of teaching intern certification and the identification of a qualified service provider.

B. The department of education shall develop application procedures, selection criteria and minimum performance standards for service providers that wish to participate in the program.

C. The state board of education shall award a matching grant to a service provider that meets all of the requirements of this section. The amount of the matching grant shall be equal to the matching monies raised by the service provider, not to exceed the total of monies appropriated to the alternative teacher development program. The service provider that receives the matching grant shall demonstrate that its alternative teacher development program serves public schools in this state and meets all of the following requirements:

1. Is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has been providing alternative teacher recruitment and placement in this state for a period of not less than ten years.

2. Serves only public schools that provide instruction to student populations in which a majority of the students are from low income households.

3. Requires that individuals seeking to participate in the alternative teacher development program offered by the service provider have attained a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.

4. Maintains a competitive application and selection process for individuals seeking to participate in the alternative teacher development program offered by the service provider.

5. Requires all individuals who participate in the alternative teacher development program to commit to serve as a teacher in a low income public school in this state for not less than two years.

6. Provides ongoing support, evaluations and professional development to teachers placed in a classroom through the alternative teacher development program.

D. The service provider selected to participate in the alternative teacher development program shall annually report at least the following information to the department of education:

1. The number of teachers placed in low income schools by the service provider.

2. The number of students served by teachers placed in low income schools by the service provider.

3. Demographic data concerning the aggregate composition of students in classrooms served by teachers placed by the service provider.

4. A listing of the school districts and schools in which teachers were placed by the service provider.

5. A total of all matching monies raised by the service provider.

E. The department of education shall submit an annual report by December 15 of each year concerning the alternative teacher development program to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives that includes an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. The department of education shall provide a copy of the report to the secretary of state. The report shall include a comparison of the annual academic achievement gain of students served by teachers participating in the alternative teacher development program and students served by beginning teachers in the same school.

F. The program established by this section ends on July 1, 2020.