SB 957 — AN ACT CONCERNING COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

General Assembly RaisedSubstitute Bill No.

957 January Session, 2019 LCOAN No.ACT CONCERNING THE INCLUSION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM, PROGRAMS OF TEACHER PREPARATION AND ALTERNATE ROUTE TO CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS AND THE CREATION OF AN ADJUNCT COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR PERMIT AND A COMPUTER SCIENCE ENDORSEMENT.

4792 Referred to Committee on EDUCATION Introduced by:

(ED) AN ACT CONCERNING THE INCLUSION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM, PROGRAMS OF TEACHER PREPARATION AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS.

health and safety, including, but not limited to, human growth and development, nutrition, first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in accordance with the provisions of section 10- 16qq, disease prevention and cancer awareness, including, but not limited to, age and developmentally appropriate instruction in performing self-examinations for the purposes of screening for breast cancer and testicular cancer, community and consumer health, physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, including instruction relating to opioid use and related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe LCO \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00957-R01 of 5 SB.docx Substitute Bill No.

4792957 1 of 4 Raised Bill No.957 physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, including instruction relating to opioid use and related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe use of social media, as defined in section 9-601, and may include the dangers of gang membership, and accident prevention;

SubsectionSection (a)10-155d of section 10-220a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):

LCO(a) No.The Office of Higher Education shall encourage and support experimentation and research in the preparation of teachers for public elementary and secondary schools.

4792To 2help offulfill 4the Raisedpurposes Billof No.957this (a)section, Eachthe localOffice or regional board of educationHigher Education shall provideappoint an in-advisory serviceLCO training{\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-009572 programof for5 itsR02-SB.docx teachers,} administratorsSubstitute andBill pupilNo. personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional educator certificate.

Such957 programcouncil shallcomposed provide such teachers, administrators and pupil personnel with information on (1) the nature and the relationship of alcoholqualified andprofessionals drugs,which as defined in subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, to health and personality development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, (2) health and mental health risk reduction education that includes, but need not be limited to, the prevention of risk-taking behavior by children and the relationship of such behavior to substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-infection and AIDS, as defined in section 19a-581, violence, teen dating violence, domestic violence and child abuse, (3) school violence prevention, conflict resolution, the prevention of and response to youth suicide and the identification and prevention of and response to bullying, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10-222d, except that those boards of education that implement any evidence-based model approach that is approved by the Department of Education and is consistent with subsection (c) of section 10-145a, sections 10-222d, 10-222g and 10-222h, subsection (g) of section 10-233c and sections 1 and 3 of public act 08-160, shall notrender beassistance required to provide in-service training on the identification and preventionadvice of and response to bullying, (4) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures, (5) the requirementsoffice. and obligations of a mandated reporter, [and] (6) the detection and recognition of, and evidence-based structured literacy interventions for, students with dyslexia, as defined in section 10-3d, and (7) computer science, including, but not limited to, computer programming.

EachIn localcarrying orout regionalits boardactivities pursuant to this section, the office shall consult with the State Board of educationEducation mayand allowsuch anyother paraprofessionalagencies oras noncertifiedit employeedeems appropriate to participate,assure oncoordination aof voluntaryall basis,activities inof anythe in-servicestate trainingrelating programto providedthe pursuantpreparation toof thisteachers section.for public elementary and secondary schools.

(b) The Office of Higher Education, with the approval of the Commissioner of Education, shall expand, within available appropriations, participation in its summer alternate route to certification program and its weekend and evening alternate route to certification program.

The office shall expand the weekend and evening program for participants seeking certification in a subject shortage area pursuant to section 10-8b.

The office, in collaboration with the Department of Education, shall develop (1) a regional alternate route to certification program targeted to the subject shortage areas, [and] (2) an alternate route to certification program for former teachers whose certificates have expired and who are interested in resuming their teaching careers, and (3) an alternate route to certification program targeted for computer science teachers.

(c) The Office of Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop alternate route to certification programs for (1) school administrators and superintendents, [and] (2) early childhood education teachers, and (3) computer science teachers.

The programs shall include mentored apprenticeships and criteria for admission to the programs.

Sec.

4.

(NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) The State Board of Education, upon the request of a local or regional board of education or a regional educational service center, may issue an adjunct computer science instructor permit to any applicant with specialized training, experience or expertise in computer science.

Such permit shall authorize a person to hold a part-time position as a teacher of computer science.

Such applicant shall (1) hold a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00953 of 5 R02-SB.docx } Substitute Bill No.

957 Regents for Higher Education or Office of Higher Education or regionally accredited, (2) have a minimum of three years of work experience in computer science, or one year of work experience and two years of specialized schooling related to computer science, and (3) achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area assessment.

(b) During the period of employment as a computer science instructor, any person holding an adjunct computer science instructor permit shall be under the supervision of the superintendent of schools or of a principal, administrator or supervisor designated by such superintendent who shall regularly observe, guide and evaluate the performance of assigned duties by such holder of an adjunct computer science instructor permit.

(c) Each adjunct computer science instructor permit shall be valid for three years and may be renewed by the Commissioner of Education for good cause upon the request of the superintendent of schools for the district employing such person or the regional educational service center employing such person.

(d) Any board of education or regional educational service center employing a person who holds an adjunct computer science instructor permit issued under this section shall provide a program to assist each such person.

Such program, developed in consultation with the Department of Education, shall include academic and classroom support service components.

(e) No person holding an adjunct computer science instructor permit shall fill a position that will result in the displacement of any person holding a teaching certificate under section 10-145b of the general statutes who is already employed at such school.

(f) Any person holding an adjunct computer science instructor permit pursuant to this section shall not be deemed to be eligible for membership in the teachers' retirement system solely by reason of such LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2019SB-00954 of 5 R02-SB.docx } Substitute Bill No.

957 permit, provided any such person who holds a regular teacher's certificate issued by the State Board of Education shall not be excluded from membership in said system.

Sec.

5.

Subsection (e) of section 10-145d of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):

(e) [The] Not later than July 1, 2020, the State Board of Education shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to provide standards for the certification of computer science teachers.

Such regulations shall create a computer science endorsement and make provision for certification requirements to be met by either (1) completion of prescribed courses of study, or (2) such other experience as the state board shall deem appropriate.

LCOSection No.1 July 1, 2019 10-16b(a) Sec.

4792 3 of 4 Raised Bill No.

957 Section 1 July 1, 2019 10-16b(a) Sec.

3 July 1, 2019 10-220a(a)10-155d StatementSec. of Purpose:

To4 includeJuly computer1, science2019 instructionNew insection theSec. public school curriculum, programs of teacher preparation and in-service training programs for teachers.

[Proposed5 deletionsJuly are1, enclosed2019 in10-145d(e) brackets.ED Joint Favorable Subst.