Sec. 10-220a. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) In-service training. Professional development. Institutes for educators. Cooperating and beginning teacher programs, regulat
Sec. 10-220a. *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) In-service training. Professional development. Institutes for educators. Cooperating
and beginning teacher programs, regulations. (a) Each local or regional board of
education shall provide an in-service training program for its teachers, administrators
and pupil personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional
educator certificate. Such program shall provide such teachers, administrators and pupil
personnel with information on (1) the nature and the relationship of drugs, as defined
in subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, and alcohol to health and personality development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, (2) health and mental health risk
reduction education which 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, child abuse and youth suicide, (3) the growth and development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented children
and children who may require special education, including, but not limited to, children
with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, and methods for
identifying, planning for and working effectively with special needs children in a regular
classroom, (4) school violence prevention and conflict resolution, (5) cardiopulmonary
resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures, (6) computer and other information technology as applied to student learning and classroom instruction, communications and data management, (7) the teaching of the language arts, reading and reading
readiness for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, and (8) second language
acquisition in districts required to provide a program of bilingual education pursuant
to section 10-17f. The State Board of Education, within available appropriations and
utilizing available materials, shall assist and encourage local and regional boards of
education to include: (A) Holocaust education and awareness; (B) the historical events
surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (C) African-American history; (D) Puerto
Rican history; (E) Native American history; (F) personal financial management; and
(G) topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or regional boards of
education as part of in-service training programs pursuant to this subsection.
(b) Not later than a date prescribed by the commissioner, each local and regional
board of education shall develop, with the advice and assistance of the teachers and
administrators employed by such boards, including representatives of the exclusive
bargaining representative of such teachers and administrators chosen pursuant to section
10-153b, and such other resources as the board deems appropriate, a comprehensive
professional development plan, to be implemented not later than the school year 1994-1995. Such plan shall be directly related to the educational goals prepared by the local
or regional board of education pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-220, and shall
provide for the ongoing and systematic assessment and improvement of both teacher
evaluation and professional development of the professional staff members of each
such board, including personnel management and evaluation training or experience for
administrators, shall be related to regular and special student needs and may include
provisions concerning career incentives and parent involvement. The State Board of
Education shall develop guidelines to assist local and regional boards of education in
determining the objectives of the plans and in coordinating staff development activities
with student needs and school programs.
(c) The Department of Education, in cooperation with one or more regional educational service centers, is authorized to provide institutes annually for Connecticut educators. Such institutes shall serve as model programs of professional development and
shall be taught by exemplary Connecticut teachers and administrators and by other
qualified individuals as selected by the Department of Education. The Department of
Education shall charge fees for attending such institutes provided such fees shall be
based on the actual cost of such institutes.
(d) The Department of Education may fund, within available appropriations, in
cooperation with one or more regional educational service centers: (1) A cooperating
teacher program to train Connecticut public school teachers and certified teachers at
private special education facilities approved by the Commissioner of Education and at
other facilities designated by the commissioner, who participate in the supervision,
training and evaluation of student teachers; (2) institutes to provide continuing education
for Connecticut public school educators, assessors and cooperating teachers and teacher
mentors, including institutes to provide continuing education for Connecticut public
school educators offered in cooperation with the Connecticut Humanities Council; and
(3) a beginning teacher support and assessment program to train Connecticut public
school teachers and other qualified persons approved by the Commissioner of Education
and certified teachers at such private special education and other designated facilities
who serve as mentors or assessors for beginning teachers and who supervise, train and
assist or assess beginning teachers in their initial years in teaching and to pay stipends
to assessors. Funds available under this subsection shall be paid directly to school districts for the provision of substitute teachers when cooperating teachers, teacher mentors,
beginning teachers and assessors are released from regular classroom responsibilities
and for the provision of professional development activities for cooperating and student
teachers, teacher mentors, assessors and beginning teachers. The cooperating teacher
and beginning teacher support and assessment programs shall operate in accordance
with regulations adopted by the State Board of Education in accordance with chapter
54, except in cases of placement in other countries pursuant to written cooperative
agreements between Connecticut institutions of higher education and institutions of
higher education in other countries. A Connecticut institution may enter such an
agreement only if the State Board of Education and Board of Governors of Higher
Education have jointly approved the institution's teacher preparation program to enter
into such agreements. Student teachers shall be placed with trained cooperating teachers.
Beginning teachers shall participate in a beginning teacher support and assessment program as made available by the board. School districts shall be responsible for providing
support to beginning teachers which shall include, but not be limited to, the placement
of beginning teachers with trained teacher mentors who may be full or part-time teachers
in the same or a different building than the beginning teacher and provision of trained
assessors to conduct assessments of beginning teachers. Cooperating teachers, teacher
mentors and assessors may serve concurrently in more than one capacity and may be
assigned more than one student teacher or beginning teacher in each such capacity.
The assessment of each beginning teacher shall be based upon, but not limited to, data
obtained from observations conducted by assessors using an assessment instrument. A
beginning teacher shall be assessed by educators with teaching experience in the same
general subject area as such beginning teacher. Cooperating teachers and teacher mentors who are Connecticut public school teachers and assessors who are employed by
school districts shall be selected by local and regional boards of education. Cooperating
teachers and teacher mentors and assessors at such private special education and other
designated facilities shall be selected by the authority responsible for the operation of
such facilities. If a board of education is unable to identify a sufficient number of individuals to serve in such positions, the commissioner may select qualified persons who are
not employed by the board of education to serve in such positions. Such regulations
shall require primary consideration of teachers' classroom experience and recognized
success as educators. The provisions of sections 10-153a to 10-153n, inclusive, shall
not be applicable to the selection, placement and compensation of persons participating
in the cooperating teacher and beginning teacher support and assessment programs pursuant to the provisions of this section and to the hours and duties of such persons. The
State Board of Education shall protect and save harmless, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-235, any cooperating teacher, teacher mentor or assessor while serving in such capacity.
(P.A. 73-632, S. 4, 5; P.A. 75-211, S. 2; P.A. 78-218, S. 144; P.A. 82-75, S. 1, 2; P.A. 84-314, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-377, S.
6, 13; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 86-1, S. 10, 58; P.A. 87-352, S. 1, 2; 87-499, S. 13, 29, 34; P.A. 88-96, S. 1, 2; 88-273, S. 5, 6,
9; 88-360, S. 24, 63; P.A. 89-137, S. 10, 14; 89-168, S. 4; P.A. 90-324, S. 10, 11, 13; 90-325, S. 7, 32; P.A. 91-220, S. 7,
8; 91-264, S. 1, 2; 91-303, S. 19, 22; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 9, 22; P.A. 93-23; 93-353, S. 29, 52; P.A. 94-221, S. 5;
P.A. 95-101, S. 2; 95-182, S. 7, 11; 95-259, S. 21, 32; P.A. 96-244, S. 53, 63; P.A. 97-45, S. 2; 97-61, S. 2; P.A. 98-243,
S. 20, 25; P.A. 00-220, S. 10, 43; P.A. 03-76, S. 16; 03-174, S. 3; 03-211, S. 6; P.A 04-227, S. 1; P.A. 06-192, S. 2.)
*Note: On and after July 1, 2009, this section, as amended by section 1 of public act
08-107 and section 6 of public act 08-160, is to read as follows:
"Sec. 10-220a. In-service training. Professional development. Institutes for
educators. Cooperating teacher program, regulations. (a) Each local or regional
board of education shall provide an in-service training program for its teachers, administrators and pupil personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional educator certificate. Such program shall provide such teachers, administrators
and pupil personnel with information on (1) the nature and the relationship of drugs, as
defined in subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, and alcohol to health and personality
development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, (2) health and mental health
risk reduction education which 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, child abuse and youth suicide, (3) the growth and
development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented
children and children who may require special education, including, but not limited
to, children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, and
methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special needs children in a regular classroom, (4) school violence prevention, conflict resolution and
prevention of bullying, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10-222d, except that those
boards of education that implement an evidence-based model approach, consistent with
subsection (d) of section 10-145a, subsection (a) of section 10-220a, 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 not be required to provide in-service training on prevention of bullying, (5) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures, (6)
computer and other information technology as applied to student learning and classroom
instruction, communications and data management, (7) the teaching of the language
arts, reading and reading readiness for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive,
and (8) second language acquisition in districts required to provide a program of bilingual education pursuant to section 10-17f. The State Board of Education, within available appropriations and utilizing available materials, shall assist and encourage local
and regional boards of education to include: (A) Holocaust education and awareness;
(B) the historical events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (C) African-American
history; (D) Puerto Rican history; (E) Native American history; (F) personal financial
management; and (G) topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or
regional boards of education as part of in-service training programs pursuant to this
subsection.
(b) Not later than a date prescribed by the commissioner, each local and regional
board of education shall develop, with the advice and assistance of the teachers and
administrators employed by such boards, including representatives of the exclusive
bargaining representative of such teachers and administrators chosen pursuant to section
10-153b, and such other resources as the board deems appropriate, a comprehensive
professional development plan, to be implemented not later than the school year 1994-1995. Such plan shall be directly related to the educational goals prepared by the local
or regional board of education pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-220, and shall
provide for the ongoing and systematic assessment and improvement of both teacher
evaluation and professional development of the professional staff members of each
such board, including personnel management and evaluation training or experience for
administrators, shall be related to regular and special student needs and may include
provisions concerning career incentives and parent involvement. The State Board of
Education shall develop guidelines to assist local and regional boards of education in
determining the objectives of the plans and in coordinating staff development activities
with student needs and school programs.
(c) The Department of Education, in cooperation with one or more regional educational service centers, is authorized to provide institutes annually for Connecticut educators. Such institutes shall serve as model programs of professional development and
shall be taught by exemplary Connecticut teachers and administrators and by other
qualified individuals as selected by the Department of Education. The Department of
Education shall charge fees for attending such institutes provided such fees shall be
based on the actual cost of such institutes.
(d) The Department of Education may fund, within available appropriations, in
cooperation with one or more regional educational service centers: (1) A cooperating
teacher program to train Connecticut public school teachers and certified teachers at
private special education facilities approved by the Commissioner of Education and at
other facilities designated by the commissioner, who participate in the supervision,
training and evaluation of student teachers; and (2) institutes to provide continuing
education for Connecticut public school educators and cooperating teachers, including
institutes to provide continuing education for Connecticut public school educators offered in cooperation with the Connecticut Humanities Council. Funds available under
this subsection shall be paid directly to school districts for the provision of substitute
teachers when cooperating teachers are released from regular classroom responsibilities
and for the provision of professional development activities for cooperating and student
teachers. The cooperating teacher program shall operate in accordance with regulations
adopted by the State Board of Education in accordance with chapter 54, except in cases
of placement in other countries pursuant to written cooperative agreements between
Connecticut institutions of higher education and institutions of higher education in other
countries. A Connecticut institution may enter such an agreement only if the State Board
of Education and Board of Governors of Higher Education have jointly approved the
institution's teacher preparation program to enter into such agreements. Student teachers
shall be placed with trained cooperating teachers. Cooperating teachers who are Connecticut public school teachers shall be selected by local and regional boards of education. Cooperating teachers at such private special education and other designated facilities shall be selected by the authority responsible for the operation of such facilities. If
a board of education is unable to identify a sufficient number of individuals to serve in
such positions, the commissioner may select qualified persons who are not employed
by the board of education to serve in such positions. Such regulations shall require
primary consideration of teachers' classroom experience and recognized success as
educators. The provisions of sections 10-153a to 10-153n, inclusive, shall not be applicable to the selection, placement and compensation of persons participating in the cooperating teacher program pursuant to the provisions of this section and to the hours and
duties of such persons. The State Board of Education shall protect and save harmless,
in accordance with the provisions of section 10-235, any cooperating teacher while
serving in such capacity."
(P.A. 73-632, S. 4, 5; P.A. 75-211, S. 2; P.A. 78-218, S. 144; P.A. 82-75, S. 1, 2; P.A. 84-314, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-377, S.
6, 13; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 86-1, S. 10, 58; P.A. 87-352, S. 1, 2; 87-499, S. 13, 29, 34; P.A. 88-96, S. 1, 2; 88-273, S. 5, 6,
9; 88-360, S. 24, 63; P.A. 89-137, S. 10, 14; 89-168, S. 4; P.A. 90-324, S. 10, 11, 13; 90-325, S. 7, 32; P.A. 91-220, S. 7,
8; 91-264, S. 1, 2; 91-303, S. 19, 22; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 9, 22; P.A. 93-23; 93-353, S. 29, 52; P.A. 94-221, S. 5;
P.A. 95-101, S. 2; 95-182, S. 7, 11; 95-259, S. 21, 32; P.A. 96-244, S. 53, 63; P.A. 97-45, S. 2; 97-61, S. 2; P.A. 98-243,
S. 20, 25; P.A. 00-220, S. 10, 43; P.A. 03-76, S. 16; 03-174, S. 3; 03-211, S. 6; P.A 04-227, S. 1; P.A. 06-192, S. 2; P.A.
08-107, S. 1; 08-160, S. 6.)
*Note: Sections 1 and 3 of public act 08-160 are special in nature and therefore have not been codified but remain in
full force and effect according to their terms.
History: P.A. 75-211 included instruction re alcohol and its effects in in-service training programs and health education
programs; P.A. 78-218 specified applicability of provisions to local and regional boards in Subsecs. (a) and (b), deleted
phrase "of every school district" and deleted September 1, 1974, deadline for establishment of programs in said Subsecs.
and deleted Subsec. (c) re policy statements on procedures to deal with drug sales or use; P.A. 82-75 deleted Subsec. (b)
which had required development of an ongoing program on drug and alcohol abuse repealed, but see Secs. 10-16b and 10-19; P.A. 84-314 added new Subsecs. (b) and (c) re development of plans to provide for the ongoing and systematic
professional development of the professional staff members of boards of education and annual institutes to be held by the
state department of education; P.A. 85-377 substituted commissioner of education for state board; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 86-1 added Subsec. (d) re cooperating teacher program and institutes and beginning teacher program; P.A. 87-352 included
certified teachers at approved private special education facilities in the cooperating teacher and teacher mentor programs
and made a technical change in Subsec. (d); P.A. 87-499 in Subsec. (c) provided that the institutes be provided in cooperation
with one or more regional educational service centers and amended Subsec. (d) to provide that funding be in cooperation
with one or more regional educational service centers and that the programs pay stipends that institutes be for teacher
mentors in Subdiv. (2) and made technical changes; P.A. 88-96 added a reference to the Connecticut Humanities Council
in Subsec. (d); P.A. 88-273 in Subsec. (d) added "who are Connecticut public school teachers" and provided that after July
1, 1989, the cooperating teacher and beginning teacher programs operate in accordance with regulations, that for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1989, selection of teachers be made pursuant to Subsec. (e) added by the same act rather than based
on state guidelines, that all provisions concerning teacher negotiation law, Secs. 10-153a to 10-153n, inclusive, not apply
to certain aspects of participation in the program and that the state board of education protect and save harmless certain
persons and added Subsec. (e) re cooperating teacher and teacher mentor selection, placement and compensation for the
fiscal years up to and including the fiscal year ending June 30, 1989; P.A. 88-360 in Subsec. (d)(2) added that the institutes
be for Connecticut public school teachers, in Subsec. (d)(3) added that the beginning teacher program be for "other qualified
persons approved by the commissioner of education" and that it be for persons who serve as assessors for beginning teachers
and provided for the selection of qualified persons by the commissioner of education and made a technical change; P.A.
89-137 in Subsec. (d) provided that the Connecticut Humanities Council cooperate in offering continuing education institutes and not in offering the cooperating teacher program and the beginning teacher support and assessment program,
substituted "educators" for "teachers" as persons for whom continuing education institutes are to be provided and provided
that funds available under the subsection be paid directly to school districts for specified purposes; P.A. 89-168 changed
the name from "standard" certificate to "professional educator" certificate and added a new Subdiv. (2) which includes
information on health and mental issues affecting children, including child abuse and youth suicide as component of
in-service training program; P.A. 90-324 in Subsec. (a) substituted "pupil personnel" for "guidance personnel", added
"educator" after "initial" and "provisional" and required the commissioner of education rather than the state board of
education to approve the program and in Subsec. (b) added administrators and their bargaining representatives as persons
who may advise boards of education on the development of five-year plans and added that such plans may include provisions
concerning career incentives and parent involvement in Subdiv. (1) and added new Subdiv. (2) re comprehensive professional development plans; P.A. 90-325 added Subsec. (a)(3) re providing of information as to the growth and development
of exceptional children, in Subsec. (d) provided that certain private special education facilities be approved by the commissioner of education, rather than the state board of education, that teachers at facilities designated by the commissioner be
able to participate in the cooperating teacher and beginning teacher support and assessment programs and added that the
institutes in Subdiv. (2) be for assessors and that funds available under the subsection are for professional development
activities for assessors, deleted Subsec. (e) re cooperating teachers and teacher mentors and made technical changes; P.A.
91-220 replaced requirement that program be approved by the commissioner with requirement that it be submitted to the
commissioner in Subsec. (a); P.A. 91-264 in Subsec. (c) added language concerning the charging of fees; P.A. 91-303 in
Subsec. (b)(2) added provision for submission of a plan on and after April 1, 1994, and provided for revision of plans every
five years rather than every three years; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7 amended Subsec. (d) to remove provision for stipends
for teachers who train student teachers and for mentors, added specific requirements pertaining to beginning teacher support
and assessment programs and added provision regarding different requirements than those specified in regulations for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1992; P.A. 93-23 amended Subsec. (a) to add risk reduction education language; P.A. 93-353
amended Subsec. (b)(2) to delete requirement that the plan be developed by April 1, 1991, and substituted "a date prescribed
by the commissioner" and that the plan be a three-year plan and that it be submitted to the commissioner of education,
changed the date for implementation of the plan and removed language on the development and submission of another
plan by April 1, 1994, added requirement that the plan be directly related to the educational goals prepared by the local or
regional board and removed requirement that the local or regional board review and revise its plan every five years and
submit it to the commissioner, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-221 added Subsec. (a)(4) re school violence prevention and
conflict resolution; P.A. 95-101 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision concerning Holocaust education and awareness;
P.A. 95-182 amended Subsec. (b) to remove former Subdiv. (1) re development of five-year professional development
plans, deleting Subdiv. (2) designator, effective June 28, 1995; P.A. 95-259 added Subsec. (a)(5) re cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, effective July 6, 1995; P.A. 96-244 added Subsec. (a)(6) re computer and other information technology,
effective June 6, 1996; P.A. 97-45 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision concerning the Great Famine in Ireland; P.A. 97-61 amended Subsec. (a) to expand the list of topics for in-service training programs by adding African-American history,
Puerto Rican history, Native American history, personal financial management and topics approved by the State Board of
Education at the request of local or regional boards of education; P.A. 98-243 added Subsec. (a)(7) re teaching of language
arts, reading and reading readiness, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 00-220 amended Subsec. (a) to remove a requirement to
submit the program to the Commissioner of Education, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 03-76 made technical changes in
Subsecs. (c) and (d), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 03-174 amended Subsec. (d) by deleting provision allowing for less than
six observations, substituting provisions requiring assessment by educators with teaching experience in same field for
provision not requiring assessment by teacher with certification endorsement in same field and making a technical change,
effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 03-211 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by including children with attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder or learning disabilities, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 04-227 added Subsec. (a)(8) re second language acquisition,
effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 06-192 amended Subsec. (d) by making technical changes and adding language re placement
in other countries, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 08-107 amended Subsec. (d) to eliminate provisions re beginning teacher
support and assessment program, effective July 1, 2009; P.A. 08-160 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to add language re prevention
of bullying, effective July 1, 2009 (Revisor's note: In 2009, a reference to "Board of Governors for Higher Education" in
Subsec. (d) was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Board of Governors of Higher Education" for accuracy).
See Sec. 10-373aa re Connecticut Humanities Council.