PRINTER'S NO. 744
No. 706 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY PICCOLA, HELFRICK, CORMAN, THOMPSON, WENGER,
SLOCUM AND GERLACH, MARCH 13, 1997
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 13, 1997
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," further providing for continuing
6 professional development.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding sections
11 to read:
12 Section 1205.2. Continuing Professional Development.--Each
13 school entity shall submit to the Secretary of Education for
14 approval a continuing professional development plan in
15 accordance with this section. The plan shall be submitted with
16 the strategic plan of the school entity as provided in this act
17 and in 22 Pa. Code Ch. 5 (relating to curriculum). The Secretary
18 of Education shall establish a schedule for intermediate units
19 to file a professional development plan and shall specify the
1 form in which professional development plans are to be
2 submitted.
3 (1) A school entity shall develop a continuing professional
4 development plan which shall include options for professional
5 development including, but not limited to, activities such as
6 the following:
7 (i) Graduate level coursework.
8 (ii) Obtaining a professionally related Master's Degree.
9 (iii) Department of Education approved in-service courses.
10 (iv) Curriculum and instruction development work and other
11 program design and delivery activities.
12 (v) Participation in professional conferences, seminars and
13 workshops.
14 (vi) Review, redesign and restructuring of the school
15 entity, school programs, organization and functions as
16 determined by the school entity.
17 (vii) Supervised peer observations of or consultations with
18 other professional employes.
19 (viii) The manner in which professional employes in
20 placements in kindergarten through third grade classrooms shall
21 engage in professional development in the areas of early
22 childhood education and child development.
23 (2) The continuing professional development plan shall
24 define terms used including, but not limited to, the following:
25 (i) Professionally related graduate level coursework.
26 (ii) Professionally related Master's Degree as defined by
27 the Secretary of Education.
28 (iii) Curriculum and instruction development work and other
29 program design and delivery activities.
30 (iv) Professional conferences, seminars and workshops.
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1 (v) Review, redesign and restructuring of the school entity,
2 school programs, organization and functions as determined by the
3 school entity.
4 (vi) Supervised peer observations of or consultations with
5 other professional employes.
6 (3) A continuing professional development committee shall be
7 established by the board of a school entity for the purpose of
8 developing a continuing professional development plan. The
9 committee shall include teachers of the school entity selected
10 by the teachers of the school entity. The committee shall also
11 include administrators of the school entity, parents with
12 children attending a school in the district, a local business
13 leader and other individuals from the community appointed by the
14 board of a school entity. The plan shall identify the persons
15 who developed the plan and how the persons were selected.
16 (4) The continuing professional development plan submitted
17 to the Secretary of Education shall be recommended by the
18 continuing professional development committee and approved by
19 the board of directors of the school entity. Amendments to the
20 plan must be recommended by the continuing professional
21 development committee and approved by the board of directors of
22 the school entity.
23 (5) The continuing professional development plan shall
24 include a section which describes how the professional
25 development plan meets the educational and staff development
26 needs of the school entity, its professional employes, the
27 students and the community. Each school entity shall review its
28 plan to determine that it continues to reflect the needs of the
29 school entity, its professional employes, the students and the
30 community and amend the plan as necessary.
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1 (6) Credits and clock hours earned under the continuing
2 professional development plan and approved under section
3 1205.3(f)(1), (2), (3) and (4) shall be acceptable for renewable
4 certification.
5 Section 1205.3. Initial Certification and Renewable
6 Certification.--(a) An initial certificate shall be for the
7 term established under 22 Pa. Code Ch. 49 (relating to
8 certification of professional personnel). Holders of the
9 certificate may earn the next level of certification upon the
10 completion of the appropriate requirements established in 22 Pa.
11 Code Ch. 49. The provisions of subsection (b) shall apply when
12 the person attains the next level of certification. All
13 references to permanent certification in 22 Pa. Code Ch. 49
14 shall be null and void on the effective date of this section.
15 (b) All professional personnel or administrative employes
16 currently possessing any Instructional I or II, Educational
17 Specialist I or II, Supervisory, Vocational Administrative
18 Director, Administrative Certificate or Letter of Eligibility,
19 as of the effective date of this section, shall present to the
20 Secretary of Education evidence of satisfactory participation in
21 continuing professional development activities and experiences
22 every five (5) years beginning one (1) year after the effective
23 date of this section. This section will be satisfied by
24 completing any of the following or a combination thereof:
25 (1) For individuals who have completed a Master's Degree
26 from an accredited teacher education program, or have completed
27 a Master's Degree in the specific subject area of assignment
28 from an institution of higher education authorized to grant
29 degrees in this Commonwealth, this section shall be satisfied by
30 completing any of the following or a combination thereof:
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1 (i) Six (6) credits of collegiate studies in the areas of
2 assignment and certification.
3 (ii) Six (6) credits of Department of Education approved in-
4 service courses in the areas of assignment and certification.
5 (iii) One hundred eighty (180) clock hours of Department of
6 Education approved continuing professional development
7 activities and experiences in the areas of assignment and
8 certification which may include: curriculum and instruction
9 development work, program design and delivery activities,
10 professional conferences, seminars and workshops and review,
11 redesign and restructuring of the school entity school programs,
12 organization and functions as determined by the school entity.
13 (2) For individuals who have not completed a Master's Degree
14 from an accredited teacher education program, or who have not
15 completed a Master's Degree in the specific subject area of
16 assignment from an institution of higher education authorized to
17 grant degrees in this Commonwealth, this section shall be
18 satisfied by completing any of the following or a combination
19 thereof:
20 (i) Nine (9) credits of collegiate studies in the areas of
21 assignment and certification.
22 (ii) Nine (9) credits of Department of Education approved
23 in-service courses in the areas of assignment and certification.
24 (iii) Two hundred fifty (250) clock hours of Department of
25 Education approved continuing professional development
26 activities and experiences in the areas of assignment and
27 certification which may include: curriculum and instruction
28 development work, program design and delivery activities,
29 professional conferences, seminars and workshops and review,
30 redesign and restructuring of the school entity school programs,
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1 organization and functions as determined by the school entity.
2 The chief school administrator of every school entity shall
3 certify annually to the Secretary of Education the names of
4 professional and administrative employes who have satisfied the
5 requirements of this act at such time and in such form as the
6 Secretary of Education may require. The board of directors of
7 the school entity shall approve this certification prior to
8 sending the names of the employes to the Secretary of Education.
9 The Secretary of Education shall establish a procedure for the
10 Department of Education to verify completion of the requirements
11 of this act.
12 (c) The certificates or letters of eligibility of
13 professional or administrative employes who fail to complete the
14 requirements under this section shall be rendered inactive until
15 all requirements are met. The Secretary of Education shall also
16 establish a procedure for the reactivation of certificates that
17 have been rendered inactive.
18 (d) The Secretary of Education shall establish a procedure
19 for granting to the holder of the certificate or letter of
20 eligibility an extension to fulfill the requirements of this
21 section due to extenuating circumstances for the holder of the
22 certificate. Extenuating circumstances shall include, but not be
23 limited to, leaves of absence related to a disability or
24 pregnancy and to parental leave.
25 (e) School districts that employ professional personnel or
26 commissioned officers with inactive certificates or commissions
27 are subject to penalties provided for under section 2518 of this
28 act.
29 (f) All collegiate credits and in-service courses in the
30 areas of assignment and certification and all other activities
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1 and experiences approved to meet requirements for continuing
2 professional development and renewable certification shall meet
3 the following standards as determined by the Department of
4 Education:
5 (1) Collegiate credits, in-service courses and all other
6 activities and experiences shall have significant intellectual
7 and practical content, the primary objective of which is to
8 improve the participants' professional competence.
9 (2) Collegiate credits, in-service courses and all other
10 activities and experiences shall be organized and led by persons
11 qualified with the practical or academic experience necessary to
12 conduct the activity or experience effectively.
13 (3) Any organization offering continuing professional
14 development activities, experiences or in-service courses shall
15 meet the standards in paragraphs (1) and (2).
16 (4) The professional activities and experiences shall be
17 consistent with the professional development plan of the school
18 entity in section 1205.2(1)(i) through (vi) and shall be
19 certifiable credits or clock hours.
20 (i) If any portion of the activity, experience, in-service
21 course or collegiate credits is to be paid by the school entity,
22 then the board of directors of the school entity shall approve
23 the activity, experience, in-service course or collegiate
24 credits for certifiable credits or hours.
25 (ii) If the activity, experience, in-service course or
26 collegiate credits is to be paid by the individual participant,
27 without any school entity expenditure, then the continuing
28 professional development committee shall approve the activity,
29 experience or course for certifiable credits or clock hours.
30 (g) A school entity may provide joint or cooperative
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1 professional development activities with another school entity
2 or an institution of higher education.
3 (h) As used in this section, the term "school entity" shall
4 mean a school district, joint school district, intermediate unit
5 or area vocational-technical school.
6 Section 2. Sections 1205, 1205.1, 1210, 1213 and 1255(b) of
7 the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public
8 School Code of 1949, are repealed insofar as they are
9 inconsistent with this act.
10 Section 3. The provisions of this act shall not supersede or
11 preempt any provisions of a collective bargaining agreement,
12 negotiated by a school entity and the employee organization,
13 that is in effect on the effective date of this act.
14 Section 4. This act shall take effect June 30, 1997.
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