[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2737 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2737
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the
preparation of career and technical education teachers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 24, 2018
Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, and Mrs. Capito)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the
preparation of career and technical education teachers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Creating Quality Technical Educators
Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS FOR THE PREPARATION OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL
EDUCATION TEACHERS.
Section 202 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a)
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) through (k) as
subsections (g) through (l), respectively;
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and career and
technical education teachers'' after ``early childhood
educators''; and
(B) in paragraph (6)(C), by striking ``subsection
(f) or (g)'' and inserting ``subsection (g) or (h)'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``a program for
the preparation of career and technical education
teachers under subsection (f),'' after ``subsection
(e),''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``subsection
(f)'' and inserting ``subsection (g)'';
(4) in subsection (d)(5)(B), by inserting ``career and
technical education,'' after ``special education,''; and
(5) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
``(f) Partnership Grants for the Preparation of Career and
Technical Education Teachers.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible partnership that receives a
grant under this section to carry out a program for the
preparation of career and technical education teachers shall
establish an effective secondary school career and technical
education teacher preparation program that shall be--
``(A) available to mid-career professionals or
recent graduates of an institution of higher education,
who have expertise in a program area in which a skilled
career and technical education teacher shortage has
been identified through a needs assessment described in
paragraph (2);
``(B) an opportunity for program participants to
obtain initial licensure based on State requirements
and the basic skills required for entry into the
education profession, and the option of earning a
bachelor's degree or a master's degree; and
``(C) an opportunity for program participants who
are current educators and who do not have subject
matter expertise in a career and technical education
field identified through the needs assessment under
paragraph (2) to receive technical skills training to
be able to effectively teach in a classroom setting the
career and technical skills identified in such
assessment based on industry standards.
``(2) Needs assessment.--Each of the partners in an
eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section
to carry out a program for the preparation of career and
technical education teachers shall conduct a needs assessment--
``(A) with respect to the preparation, ongoing
training, professional development, and retention of
career and technical education teachers in program
areas linked to the education and skill needs of the
local or regional economy;
``(B) that takes into account any State and local
career and technical education teacher shortages; and
``(C) that takes into account the current needs of
a State, local, or regional market, as well as trends
identified in section 102(b)(1)(B) of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act.
``(3) Participant eligibility, application, and
selection.--
``(A) Participant eligibility.--In order to be
eligible to participate in a career and technical
education teacher preparation program under this
subsection, an individual--
``(i) shall--
``(I) have at least a bachelor's
degree;
``(II) have an active industry-
recognized credential in a technical
profession if the eligible partnership
determines that the program leading to
the credential is of high quality, and
meets the State's minimum requirements
for career and technical education
teachers in the field, based either on
years of related work experience or a
number of specified hours in the field;
or
``(III) be a former member of the
Armed Forces with a Department of
Defense recognized active technical
credential; and
``(ii) may be a licensed teacher with a
need for technical skills training.
``(B) Application and selection.--
``(i) Application.--Each eligible
individual described in subparagraph (A) who
desires to participate in the career and
technical education teacher preparation program
under this subsection shall submit an
application to the eligible partnership.
``(ii) Selection.--
``(I) In general.--Each eligible
partnership shall select applicants for
participation in the career and
technical education teacher preparation
program based on the career and
technical education program needs of
any high-need local educational
agencies in the partnership.
``(II) Requirement for vacant
positions.--Any vacant career and
technical educator positions or
positions with a demonstrated
connection to the needs assessment
described in paragraph (2) within the
high-need local educational agency in
an eligible partnership that receives a
grant under this section to carry out a
program for the preparation of career
and technical education teachers shall
be filled with career and technical
education teacher preparation program
participants.
``(iii) Recruitment.--An eligible
partnership may develop and implement a teacher
recruitment program to invite eligible
individuals to participate in the career and
technical education program.
``(4) Required clinical experience components.--Each career
and technical education teacher preparation program carried out
under this subsection shall include the following program
components:
``(A) Training in pedagogy, including creating
inclusive and supportive classroom environments, lesson
planning (including designing applied learning
opportunities), student learning methods and effective
use of student data, and academic and career and
technical education content integration.
``(B) Training in using empirically based practice
and scientifically valid research in classroom
instruction.
``(C) Necessary preparation to obtain a teaching
license based on State licensing requirements in the
State in which the partnership operates, prior to
entering the classroom.
``(D) Literacy training for incorporating technical
texts into the classroom.
``(E) At least 1 year of clinical experience
concurrent with the pre-classroom training program.
``(F) Training to effectively teach technical
skills to industry standards in a classroom setting.
``(G) For licensed teachers, technical skills and
pedagogical training related to the career and
technical education program they are intending to
teach.
``(5) Required pre-service components.--Each career and
technical education teacher preparation program carried out
under this subsection shall require--
``(A) program participants, after completing pre-
classroom training and who have at least State
recognized provisional licensure to teach, to be paired
with a mentor teacher with expertise in teaching the
same or similar content for a period of not less than 2
years within the same school or school district, if
available, and, if not available, the program shall
specify how the program participant will be mentored;
and
``(B) continuing professional development
coursework for such program participants over the
course of 3 years to ensure that such teachers--
``(i) are able to understand and implement
research-based teaching practices in classroom
instruction;
``(ii) have knowledge of student learning
methods;
``(iii) are data literate to continuously,
effectively, and ethically access, interpret,
act on, and communicate multiple types of data
from State, local, classroom, and other sources
to improve outcomes for students in a manner
appropriate to educators' professional roles
and responsibilities;
``(iv) possess skills to analyze student
academic and technical achievement data and
other measures of student learning, and use
such data and measures to improve classroom
instruction;
``(v) possess the skills to develop,
implement, and utilize interim and formative
assessments to improve classroom instruction;
``(vi) possess teaching skills and an
understanding of effective instructional
strategies across the technical and all
applicable academic content areas that enable
such teachers to--
``(I) meet the specific learning
needs of all students, including
students with disabilities, students
who are limited English proficient,
students who are gifted and talented,
and students with low literacy levels;
and
``(II) differentiate instruction
for such students;
``(vii) possess strategies for
incorporating content from noncareer and
technical education courses and standards for
college and career into career and technical
education courses;
``(viii) are able to effectively
participate as a member of an individualized
education program team, as defined in section
614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act; and
``(ix) are able to successfully employ
effective strategies for literacy instruction
in technical coursework.
``(6) Agreement to serve.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided in
subparagraph (B), each career and technical education
teacher preparation program carried out under this
subsection shall require program participants to serve
as a full-time career and technical education teacher
in a high-need local educational agency that is a part
of the eligible partnership for a total of not less
than 3 academic years immediately after successfully
completing the pre-classroom training program
component.
``(B) Serving local educational agencies outside of
the partnership.--If there are no full-time career and
technical education teacher positions in a high-need
local educational agency that is a part of the eligible
partnership, a program participant may fulfill the
service requirement under subparagraph (A) through
serving as a full-time career and technical education
teacher in a high-need local educational agency with an
identified career and technical education teacher
shortage that is not a part of the eligible
partnership.
``(C) Certification of employment.--A program
participant under this subsection shall provide the
eligible partnership with certification of the
employment that is required under this paragraph.
``(7) Stipends or salaries; applications; repayments.--
``(A) Stipends or salaries.--A career and technical
education teacher preparation program under this
subsection shall provide a one-year living stipend or
salary to program participants during the pre-classroom
training program component.
``(B) Applications for stipends or salaries.--Each
career and technical education teacher preparation
program participant desiring a stipend or salary during
the pre-classroom training program component shall
submit an application to the eligible partnership at
such time, and containing such information and
assurances, as the eligible partnership may require.
``(C) Repayments.--
``(i) In general.--A grantee carrying out a
career and technical education teacher
preparation program under this subsection shall
require a recipient of a stipend or salary
under subparagraph (A) who does not complete,
or who notifies the partnership that the
recipient intends not to complete, the service
obligation required by paragraph (6) to repay
such stipend or salary to the eligible
partnership, together with interest, at a rate
specified by the partnership in the agreement,
and in accordance with such other terms and
conditions specified by the eligible
partnership, as necessary.
``(ii) Other terms and conditions.--Any
other terms and conditions specified by the
eligible partnership may include reasonable
provisions for pro-rata repayment of the
stipend or salary described in subparagraph (A)
or for deferral of a program participant's
service obligation required by paragraph (6),
on grounds of health, incapacitation, inability
to secure employment as a full-time career and
technical education teacher, being called to
active duty in the Armed Forces of the United
States, or other extraordinary circumstances.
``(iii) Use of repayments.--An eligible
partnership shall use any repayment received
under this subparagraph to carry out additional
activities that are consistent with the
purposes of this subsection.
``(8) Reports; parents right-to-know; development of
performance measures.--
``(A) Annual report.--An eligible partnership that
receives a grant under this section to carry out a
program for the preparation of career and technical
education teachers shall submit to the Secretary and
make publicly available, at such time and in such
manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report
that includes--
``(i) data on the eligible partnership's
progress on the performance measures described
in section 204(a); and
``(ii) a description of the challenges the
eligible partnership has faced in implementing
the grant and how the eligible partnership has
addressed or plans to address such challenges.
``(B) Publicly available.--Each eligible
partnership that receives a grant under this section to
carry out a program for the preparation of career and
technical education teachers shall complete and make
publicly available, not later than 90 days after the
grant period for such eligible partnership ends, an
evaluation based on the evaluation plan described in
section 204(a).
``(C) Parents right-to-know.--At the beginning of
each school year, a high-need local educational agency
that receives funds under this subsection shall--
``(i) notify the parents of each student
attending any school receiving funds under this
subsection that the parents may request, and
the agency will provide the parents on request
(and in a timely manner), the information
described in section 1111(h)(6)(A) of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;
and
``(ii) provide to each such parent the
information and notice described in section
1111(h)(6)(B) of such Act.
``(D) Development of performance measures.--The
Secretary shall develop performance measures prior to
awarding grants under this section, with input and
consultation of schools of education, school
administrators, teachers, professional non profit
technical and career organizations, and the opportunity
for a 60-day public comment period. The Secretary shall
ensure that such measures are made available to
potential applicants prior to seeking applications for
such grants.''.
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