1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
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2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
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3|SENATE BILL 48 By: Stanley |
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5| |
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6| AS INTRODUCED |
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7| An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021, |
| Section 6-106.1, which relates to mentor teacher |
8| stipends; directing the allocation of funds to school |
| districts in certain amount for certain purpose; |
9| directing a mentor teacher to provide certain support |
| to certain teachers over certain time period; |
10| amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-182, as amended by |
| Section 3, Chapter 220, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. |
11| 2022, Section 6-182), which relates to definitions |
| under the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act; updating |
12| certain definition; modifying certain definition; |
| providing an effective date; and declaring an |
13| emergency. |
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14| |
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15|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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16| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-106.1, is |
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17|amended to read as follows: |
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18| Section 6-106.1. If funds are appropriated to the A. The State |
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19|Board of Education shall allocate funds to school districts for |
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20|Mentor Teacher Stipends, the funds shall be distributed by the Board |
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21|to the school districts to provide a stipend of not more than Five |
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22|Hundred Dollars ($500.00) in an amount equivalent to Two Thousand |
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23|Dollars ($2,000.00) per year for each mentor teacher as defined in |
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24|Section 6-182 of this title who provides three (3) years of |
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1|mentoring to newly certified teachers. In addition to the |
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2|distribution of the five-hundred-dollar stipend, each district shall |
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3|also receive the district's contribution amount necessary to meet |
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4|the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (F.I.C.A.) requirements. |
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5| B. A mentor teacher shall provide guidance, support, coaching, |
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6|and assistance to teachers who have earned certification pursuant to |
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7|Section 6-187 of this title and teachers seeking alternative |
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8|certification pursuant to Section 6-122.3 of this title in their |
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9|first year of teaching and for two (2) subsequent years. A mentor |
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10|teacher may be a current or retired classroom teacher. |
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11| SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-182, as |
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12|amended by Section 3, Chapter 220, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2022, |
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13|Section 6-182), is amended to read as follows: |
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14| Section 6-182. As used in the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act: |
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15| 1. "Board" means the State Board of Education; |
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16| 2. "Commission" means the Commission for Educational Quality |
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17|and Accountability; |
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18| 3. "State Regents" means the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher |
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19|Education; |
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20| 4. "Professional development program" means the program |
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21|mandated by the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act for the continuous |
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22|improvement and enrichment of the certified and licensed teachers of |
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23|this state; |
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1| 5. "Teacher education professional development committee" means |
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2|the committee created in Section 6-186 of this title for the |
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3|continuous improvement and enrichment of higher education faculty in |
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4|teacher education programs in institutions of higher education; |
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5| 6. "Department" means the State Department of Education; |
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6| 7. "Induction" means a program that provides support, |
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7|mentorship, and coaching to educators at the beginning of their |
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8|careers or as they transition to new roles within a school or |
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9|district. Induction programs work with inductees to assist in all |
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10|matters concerning classroom management and professional development |
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11|for that teacher. Induction programs may involve a committee of one |
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12|or more mentor teachers, the principal or an assistant principal of |
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13|the employing school, one or more administrators designated by the |
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14|school district board of education, a teacher educator in a college |
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15|or school of education of an institution of higher education, or an |
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16|educator in a department or school outside the institution's teacher |
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17|education unit; |
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18| 8. "Teacher" means a person defined as a teacher in Section |
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19|1-116 of this title; |
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20| 9. "Inductee" means any certified teacher who is employed in an |
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21|accredited school to serve as a teacher and the school district has |
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22|elected to place under the guidance and assistance of a mentor |
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23|teacher or induction committee. Inductees shall include those |
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24|individuals having completed the program of the college or school of |
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1|education of the accredited institution of higher education from |
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2|which the person has been graduated, and shall have having |
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3|successfully completed the competency examination in areas of |
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4|approval in which the inductee seeks certification, those |
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5|individuals eligible for the alternative placement teaching |
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6|certificate according pursuant to Section 6-122.3 of this title, and |
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7|those individuals issued an emergency or provisional certificate |
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8|according pursuant to Section 6-187 of this title. All teachers |
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9|working in a new role, including classroom teachers transitioning to |
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10|a new role, shall be considered inductees for purposes of induction |
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11|programs; |
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12| 10. "Certified teacher" means any teacher who has been issued a |
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13|certificate by the Board in accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher |
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14|Preparation Act and the rules of the Board; |
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15| 11. "Mentor teacher" means any teacher who has been appointed |
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16|to provide guidance, support, coaching, and assistance to an |
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17|inductee employed by the school district. A mentor teacher shall be |
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18|a current or former classroom teacher and have who has a minimum of |
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19|two (2) five (5) years of classroom teaching experience as a |
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20|certified teacher, has a master's degree or has received National |
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21|Board Certification, has received district evaluation ratings of |
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22|"superior" or "highly effective" pursuant to the Oklahoma Teacher |
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23|and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System, and has received mentor |
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1|training from the State Department of Education or the Commission |
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2|for Educational Quality and Accountability. |
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3| When possible, a mentor teacher shall have participated in |
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4|mentor teacher professional development and have expertise in the |
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5|teaching field of the inductee; |
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6| 12. "Higher education faculty" means any individual who is |
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7|employed in a teaching capacity in an institution of higher |
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8|education, approved or accredited by the Commission for the |
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9|preparation of education personnel; and |
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10| 13. "Competency examination" means the assessment required in |
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11|the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act for certification as a teacher |
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12|and shall consist of tests over professional education and subject |
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13|areas as defined by the Commission for Educational Quality and |
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14|Accountability. |
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15| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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16| SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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17|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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18|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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19|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
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21| 59-1-284 EB 12/19/2022 2:10:01 PM |
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