A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to eliminate unnecessary reports and clarify current education program requirements.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. REPEAL DISADVANTAGED STUDENT SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING INITIATIVES REPORT
SECTION 1.(a)  Section 7.8(b) of S.L. 2005‑276 reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 7.8.(b)  Funds are appropriated in this act to evaluate the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funding Initiatives and Low‑Wealth Initiatives. The State Board of Education shall use these funds to:
(1)	Evaluate the strategies implemented by local school administrative units with Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funds and Low‑Wealth Funds and assess their impact on student performance; and
(2)	Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the technical assistance and support provided to local school administrative units by the Department of Public Instruction.
"
SECTION 1.(b)  Section 7.8(b) of S.L. 2007‑323 reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 7.8.(b)  Funds are appropriated in this act to evaluate the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funding Initiatives and Low Wealth Initiatives. The State Board of Education shall use these funds to:
(1)	Evaluate the strategies implemented by local school administrative units with Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Funds and Low Wealth Funds and assess their impact on student performance; and
(2)	Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the technical assistance and support provided to local school administrative units by the Department of Public Instruction.
"

PART II. ELIMINATE STATE BOARD REPORT ON PERSONAL EDUCATION PLANS
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑105.41(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	In order to implement Part 1A of Article 8 of this Chapter, local school administrative units shall identify students who are at risk for academic failure and who are not successfully progressing toward grade promotion and graduation, beginning in kindergarten. Identification shall occur as early as can reasonably be done and can be based on grades, observations, diagnostic and formative assessments, State assessments, and other factors, including reading on grade level, that impact student performance that teachers and administrators consider appropriate, without having to await the results of end‑of‑grade or end‑of‑course tests. No later than the end of the first quarter, or after a teacher has had up to nine weeks of instructional time with a student, a personal education plan for academic improvement with focused intervention and performance benchmarks shall be developed or updated for any student at risk of academic failure who is not performing at least at grade level, as identified by the State end‑of‑grade test and other factors noted above. Focused instructional supports and services, reading interventions, and accelerated activities should include evidence‑based practices that meet the needs of students and may include coaching, mentoring, tutoring, summer school, Saturday school, and extended days. Local school administrative units shall provide these activities free of charge to students. Local school administrative units shall also provide transportation free of charge to all students for whom transportation is necessary for participation in these activities.
Local school administrative units shall give notice of the personal education plan and a copy of the personal education plan to the student's parent or guardian. Parents should be included in the implementation and ongoing review of personal education plans. If a student's school report card provides all the information required in a personal education plan, then no further personal education plan is mandated for the student.
Local school administrative units shall certify that they have complied with this section annually to the State Board of Education.No cause of action for monetary damages shall arise from the failure to provide or implement a personal education plan under this section."

PART III. REPEAL REPORT ON TEACHER MENTORING
SECTION 3.  Section 7.8 of S.L. 2008‑107, as amended by Section 1(b) of S.L. 2009‑305, reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 7.8.  The State Board of Education shall allot funds for mentoring services to local school administrative units based on the highest number of employees in the preceding three school years who (i) are paid with State, federal, or local funds and (ii) are either teachers paid on the first or second steps of the teacher salary schedule or instructional support personnel paid on the first step of the instructional support personnel salary schedule.
Local school administrative units shall use these funds to provide mentoring support to eligible employees in accordance with a plan approved by the State Board of Education. The plan shall include information on how all mentors in the local school administrative unit will be adequately trained to provide mentoring support."

PART IV. BOARD OF GOVERNORS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES
SECTION 4.  G.S. 116‑11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 116‑11.  Powers and duties generally.
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PART V. CLARIFY TEACHER LICENSE AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 5.  G.S. 115C‑296 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑296.  Board sets licensure requirements; reports; lateral entry and mentor programs.
…
(b)	It is the policy of the State of North Carolina to maintain the highest quality teacher education programs and school administrator programs in order to enhance the competence of professional personnel licensed in North Carolina. To the end that teacher preparation programs are upgraded to reflect a more rigorous course of study, the State Board of Education, as lead agency in coordination and cooperation with the University Board of Governors, the Board of Community Colleges and such other public and private agencies as are necessary, shall continue to refine the several licensure requirements, standards for approval of institutions of teacher education, standards for institution‑based innovative and experimental programs, standards for implementing consortium‑based teacher education, and standards for improved efficiencies in the administration of the approved programs.
(1)	Licensure standards. – 
a.	The licensure program shall provide for initial licensure after completion of preservice training, continuing licensure after three years of teaching experience, and license renewal every five years thereafter, until the retirement of the teacher. The last license renewal received prior to retirement shall remain in effect for five years after retirement. The licensure program shall also provide for lifetime licensure after 50 years of teaching.
b.	The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall evaluate and develop enhanced requirements for continuing licensure. The new requirements shall reflect more rigorous standards for continuing licensure and shall be aligned with quality professional development programs that reflect State priorities for improving student achievement.
c.	The State Board of Education, in consultation with local boards of education and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall reevaluate and enhance the requirements for renewal of teacher licenses. The State Board shall consider modifications in the license renewal achievement and make it a mechanism for teachers to renew continually their knowledge and professional skills.
(2)	Teacher education programs. – 
a.	The State Board of Education, as lead agency in coordination with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and any other public and private agencies as necessary, shall continue to raise standards for entry into teacher education programs.
b.	To further ensure that teacher preparation programs remain current and reflect a rigorous course of study that is aligned to State and national standards, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall do all of the following to ensure that students are prepared to teach in elementary schools:
1.	Provide students with adequate coursework in the teaching of reading and mathematics.
2.	Assess students prior to licensure to determine that they possess the requisite knowledge in scientifically based reading and mathematics instruction that is aligned with the State Board's expectations.
3.	Continue to provide students with preparation in applying formative and summative assessments within the school and classroom setting through technology‑based assessment systems available in North Carolina schools that measure and predict expected student improvement.
4.	Prepare students to integrate arts education across the curriculum.
c.	The State Board of Education, in consultation with local boards of education and the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, shall evaluate and modify, as necessary, the academic requirements of teacher preparation programs for students preparing to teach science in middle and high schools to ensure that there is adequate preparation in issues related to science laboratory safety.
d.	The standards for approval of institutions of teacher education shall require that teacher education programs for all students include demonstrated competencies in (i) the identification and education of children with disabilities and (ii) positive management of student behavior and effective communication techniques for defusing and deescalating disruptive or dangerous behavior.
e.	The State Board of Education shall incorporate the criteria developed in accordance with G.S. 116‑74.21 for assessing proposals under the School Administrator Training Program into its school administrator program approval standards.

(b1)	The State Board of Education shall require teacher education programs, master's degree programs in education, and master's degree programs in school administration to submit annual performance reports. The performance reports shall provide the State Board of Education with a focused review of the programs and the current process of accrediting these programs in order to ensure that the programs produce graduates that are well prepared to teach.
(1)	Report contents. – The performance report for each teacher education program and master's degree program in education and school administration in North Carolina shall follow a common format and include at least the following elements:
a.	Quality of students entering the schools of education, including the average grade point average and average score on preprofessional skills tests that assess reading, writing, math and other competencies.
b.	Graduation rates.
c.	Time‑to‑graduation rates.
d.	Average scores of graduates on professional and content area examination for the purpose of licensure.
e.	Percentage of graduates receiving initial licenses.
f.	Percentage of graduates hired as teachers.
g.	Percentage of graduates remaining in teaching for four years.
h.	Graduate satisfaction based on a common survey.
i.	Employer satisfaction based on a common survey.
j.	Effectiveness of teacher education program graduates.

(2)	Submission of annual performance reports. – Performance reports shall be provided annually to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, the State Board of Education, and the boards of trustees of the independent colleges. The State Board of Education shall review the schools of education performance reports and the performance reports for masters degree programs in education and school administration each year the performance reports are submitted.
(3)	Educator preparation program report card. – The State Board shall create a higher education educator preparation program report card reflecting the information collected in the annual performance reports for each North Carolina institution offering teacher education programs and master of education programs. The report cards shall, at a minimum, summarize information reported on all of the performance indicators for the performance reports required by subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(4)	Annual State Board of Education report. – The educator preparation program report cards shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on an annual basis by October 1.
(5)	State Board of Education action based on performance. – The State Board of Education shall reward and sanction approved teacher education programs and master of education programs and revoke approval of those programs based on the performance reports and other criteria established by the State Board of Education.
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PART VI. REPEAL CHILD NUTRITION STATE STANDARDS AND REPORT
SECTION 6.  Section 2 of S.L. 2005‑457 is repealed.

PART VII. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 7.  This act is effective when it becomes law. Section 5 of this act applies beginning with the 2013‑2014 school year.