GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2013

H                                                                                                                                                   2

HOUSE BILL 718

Committee Substitute Favorable 5/8/13

Short Title:        Study Issues in Education.	(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

April 11, 2013

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT directing the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee to study issues related to providing duty-free instructional planning time during regular student contact hours to all classroom teachers, strategies for providing north carolina with great leaders for great schools, and THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS; and directing the department of public instruction to study the use of certain safety measures in schools, including the installation of silent panic alarm systems for use in life-threatening and emergency situations.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall study the issues related to providing duty-free instructional planning time during regular student contact hours to all classroom teachers.

SECTION 1.(b)  The Committee shall report its findings, together with any recommended legislation, to the 2014 Regular Session of the 2013 General Assembly when it reconvenes in 2014.

SECTION 2.(a)  The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall study strategies for providing North Carolina with great leaders for great schools. The Committee shall study and make recommendations on implementation of the following initiatives:

(1)        Recruitment of the highest-performing leaders for the school leadership administrator role.

(2)        Greater flexibility and autonomy for principals over school-based decisions, including personnel decisions.

(3)        A compensation plan that will attract and retain principals and assistant principals to the lowest-achieving schools and will reward outstanding leadership at those schools.

(4)        Specialized State professional development for principals and assistant principals that is focused exclusively on turning around the lowest-achieving schools.

(5)        Strategies for assisting less-than-proficient principals and assistant principals in improving their work performance and, if necessary, removing them from their positions.

SECTION 2.(b)  In the course of the study, the Committee shall consider, at a minimum, the following:

(1)        Principal preparation programs.

(2)        Principal professional development programs.

(3)        Licensure and certification of principals and assistant principals.

(4)        Recruitment of principals.

(5)        Statewide leadership standards for school leadership.

(6)        Principal mentoring.

(7)        Data use and evaluation by school leaders.

(8)        Analysis of State policies to promote effective talent management.

(9)        Areas of high priority.

(10)      Support options for principals in need of assistance with job performance.

SECTION 2.(c)  The Committee shall report its findings, together with any recommended legislation, to the 2014 Regular Session of the 2013 General Assembly when it reconvenes in 2014.

SECTION 3.(a)  The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall study the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the short- and long-term educational, economic, and regulatory impact of those changes on our teachers, administrators, schools, parents, communities, and State. In doing so, the Committee shall consider at least all of the following:

(1)        The estimated cost of implementing the CCSS in K-12 Mathematics and K-12 English Language Arts since approval by the State Board of Education in June 2010, including costs associated with at least all of the following:

a.         The purchase of instructional materials that are aligned with the CCSS.

b.         Professional development and training provided to school personnel.

c.         The changes to schools' and local administrative units' technological infrastructure (including computer hardware, software, bandwidth, security, etc.) necessitated by adoption of CCSS and assessments.

d.         Outreach and personnel expenses committed by the Department of Public Instruction for CCSS-related activities.

(2)        Projected cost of fully implementing common core assessments in English and Mathematics upon adoption of common assessments and all related assessment instruments.

(3)        A detailed summary of the federal funds used to assist North Carolina's adoption of the CCSS and common assessments.

(4)        Research that determines whether CCSS's definition of "college readiness" is consistent with the requirements needed to enter four-year constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina system.

(5)        Studies that demonstrate that CCSS uses appropriate, research-based curriculum sequences in Mathematics and English Language Arts.

(6)        The details of North Carolina's participation in the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).

(7)        Time line for the adoption of CCSS assessments.

(8)        Programs and support services created or adapted to assist schools in implementing CCSS.

(9)        Practices employed to assist at-risk students, including children with disabilities, low-income students, and English language learners.

(10)      Changes to instructional methods and teaching philosophies stimulated by CCSS adoption.

(11)      Perspectives of classroom teachers and school-based administrators that assess the transition from State standards to the CCSS.

(12)      Perspectives of classroom teachers and school-based administrators that detail the ongoing process of teaching CCSS, including impacts on working conditions and classroom instruction and prospects for its success.

(13)      Perspectives of public school students, parents, and members of the community regarding the impact of the CCSS.

(14)      CCSS-related correspondence between the Department of Public Instruction and any elected member of the General Assembly between January 2009 and June 2010.

(15)      Correspondence between the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Public Instruction related to CCSS between June 2010 and the date of inquiry.

(16)      Operation of the Common Core Certification Program in North Carolina.

(17)      Plans and prospects for adopting common standards in other subjects, including all of the following:

a.         Arts Education.

b.         English as a Second Language.

c.         Healthful Living.

d.         Information and Technology Skills.

e.         World Languages.

f.          Science.

g.         Social Studies.

h.         Career and Technical Education.

(18)      Public school student data collection, dissemination, and access policies and practices employed in North Carolina since adoption of the CCSS.

(19)      CCSS preparation and training provided by teacher education programs and schools of education in North Carolina.

(20)      Impact of CCSS adoption on charter schools, alternative schools, specialty and regional schools, online schools, early college programs, and other nontraditional public school settings.

(21)      Impact of CCSS adoption on International Baccalaureate programs, Advanced Placement courses, the Occupational Course of Study, and other alternative courses of study.

(22)      Comparisons of CCSS adoption and performance disaggregated by student groups (e.g. sex, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, grade), school types and sizes, community types, percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and other commonly accepted categories.

(23)      CCSS adoption in North Carolina compared to other states and jurisdictions.

(24)      Evidence that the use of a common or national curriculum in other countries directly leads to high academic achievement.

(25)      Fiscal, educational, and legal consequences of State withdrawal from CCSS and/or the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium.

SECTION 3.(b)  Report. - The Committee shall report its findings, together with any recommended legislation, to the 2015 General Assembly upon its convening.

SECTION 4.(a)  The Department of Public Instruction shall study and develop recommendations on whether the use of certain safety measures, including silent panic alarm systems, are necessary in each school in North Carolina to increase the safety of students and to adequately respond to life-threatening and emergency situations in the public schools. In developing its recommendations, the Department shall consider at least all of the following issues:

(1)        The feasibility and cost of installing silent panic alarm systems or other safety monitoring equipment in each school.

(2)        Development of standardized training for school personnel and safety protocols for implementation throughout the State.

(3)        Collaboration with local law enforcement agencies and other appropriate State agencies to ensure the effectiveness of safety measures.

(4)        The effectiveness and costs of programs in other states that employ a variety of safety measures in schools, including states that provide for the installation of silent panic alarm systems.

SECTION 4.(b)  The Department of Public Instruction shall report its findings and recommendations from the study to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on or before January 1, 2014.

SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law.