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TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-25-25 SO AS TO PROVIDE EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS WITHIN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION MAY SUBMIT SEPARATE AND DISTINCT EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS FOR ALTERNATIVE PREPARATION TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR APPROVAL, TO PROVIDE THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE NATIONALLY ACCREDITED BUT MUST MEET CERTAIN OTHER REQUIREMENTS, AND TO PROVIDE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNUALLY SHALL REPORT RELATED DATA TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; AND BY ADDING SECTION 59-26-120 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE CERTAIN EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS WITH CERTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING GRADUATES OF THOSE PROGRAMS, TO PROVIDE EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS MAY NOT SHARE IDENTIFIABLE EDUCATOR DATA WITH THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT, AND TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 25, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-25-25. (A) Educator preparation programs housed within an institution of higher education (IHE) may submit a separate and distinct educator preparation program for alternative preparation to the State Board of Education for approval. These alternative preparation programs are not required to be nationally accredited, but consistent with other alternative preparation programs, IHE-led alternative programs must include, but are not limited to, documented evidence of the following:
(1) budget and sources of revenue including fees paid by the candidates;
(2) organizational information including the names and qualifications of administrators, support staff, and faculty;
(3) entry requirements for candidates for each certification area program offered by the applicant;
(4) plans for curriculum offerings including delivery method and timeframe, field placements, field supervision plans, and assessments of success;
(5) partnerships with public schools for clinical experiences, if applicable, including signed memoranda of agreement with detailed responsibilities for the alternative route educator provider program and the school district;
(6) evidence of annual successful teaching experience by the candidates and progress toward obtaining a professional certificate;
(7) ongoing monitoring of candidates' performances in the classroom while in the alternative route program; and
(8) mentoring provided by the educator preparation program.
(B) The department annually shall report the total number of individuals employed in this State, by district, with certificates issued by IHE alternative programs to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly before March thirty-first of each year."
SECTION 2. Chapter 26, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-26-120. (A) The State Department of Education annually before December first shall provide each college of education and state-approved educator preparation program with information regarding its graduates. Information must be provided to a college of education or educator preparation program regarding each of its individual educator graduates and must include, but is not limited to:
(1) SCPASS and SC READY, or the succeeding assessment, scores aggregated by classroom, content, and/or grade, school, district, and learner demographic;
(2) student learning objective data aggregated by classroom, content, and/or grade, school, district, and learner demographic;
(3) results of ADEPT Evaluation by individual educator graduate;
(4) records of employee certification by individual educator graduate; and
(5) other information requested by the programs designed to enhance the ability of the college of education or educator preparation program to provide improved education services.
(B) A college of education or educator preparation program receiving individualized information regarding its graduates pursuant to subsection (A) shall:
(1) develop and use a unique system for identifying each individual educator graduate for whom it receives such individualized information;
(2) strictly maintain the confidentiality of all information that can be used to identify an individual educator graduate for whom it receives such information; and
(3) not share such information with a third party without the express written consent of the educator.
(C) Information provided to a college of education or educator preparation program pursuant to this section is not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
This web page was last updated on December 11, 2019 at 1:34 PM