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LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
711
BY
EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
EDUCATION;
AMENDING
CHAPTER
12,
TITLE
33,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
THE
AD
-
2
DITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
33
-
1204A,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ESTABLISH
PROVISIONS
3
FOR
ALTERNATIVE
AUTHORIZATION
OF
SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS;
AMENDING
SEC
-
4
TION
33
-
320,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
AUTHORIZE
THE
USE
OF
FUNDS
FOR
ADMINISTRA
-
5
TOR
MENTORING
AND
TO
MAKE
TECHNICAL
CORRECTIONS;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMER
-
6
GENCY.
7
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
8
SECTION
1.
That
Chapter
12,
Title
33,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
9
hereby
amended
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
SECTION
,
to
be
known
and
des
-
10
ignated
as
Section
33
-
1204A,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
1
1
33
-
1204A.
ALTERNATIVE
AUTHORIZATION
PROGRAM
-
-
ADMINISTRATORS.
(1)
12
An
individual
who
does
not
otherwise
hold
an
administrator
certificate
13
required
for
employment
as
a
school
principal
or
superintendent
may
sat
-
14
isfy
the
standards
of
employment
for
such
positions,
or
similar
positions,
15
through
the
alternative
authorization
program,
which
is
hereby
established
16
to
provide
a
nontraditional
pathway
to
certification
under
an
interim
cer
-
17
tificate.
The
alternative
authorization
program
permits
a
school
district
18
board
of
trustees
to
request
issuance
of
a
three
(3)
year
interim
certificate
19
for
a
qualified
candidate.
The
program
shall
include
two
(2)
pathways
for
20
authorization:
21
(a)
A
"grow
your
own"
pathway
for
experienced
Idaho
educators
requiring
22
leadership
development;
and
23
(b)
An
"executive
leadership"
pathway
for
individuals
transitioning
24
from
business,
military,
government,
nonprofit,
or
other
sectors
who
25
possess
leadership
and
management
expertise
and
require
preparation
in
26
education
systems.
27
(2)
To
be
eligible
for
alternative
authorization
as
provided
in
this
28
section,
an
applicant
shall:
29
(a)
Pass
a
criminal
history
check
as
provided
in
section
33
-
130,
Idaho
30
Code;
31
(b)
Hold,
at
a
minimum,
a
bachelor's
degree
or
its
equivalent
from
a
re
-
32
gionally
or
nationally
accredited
college
or
university;
33
(c)
Submit
a
letter
from
the
school
district
board
of
trustees
affirm
-
34
ing
that
the
applicant
demonstrates
leadership
knowledge
and
skills,
35
stating
the
district's
intent
to
employ
the
applicant,
and
committing
36
to
provide
mentoring
as
required
pursuant
to
subsection
(5)
of
this
sec
-
37
tion;
and
38
(d)
Complete
coursework
consisting
of
no
less
than
three
(3)
semester
39
credits
in
the
statewide
framework
for
teacher
evaluations,
including
a
40
laboratory
or
applied
component.
41
2
(3)
An
applicant
who
meets
the
eligibility
requirements
set
forth
in
1
subsection
(2)
of
this
section
shall
also
satisfy
one
(1)
of
the
following
2
experience
pathways
to
be
eligible
for
alternative
authorization:
3
(a)
The
"grow
your
own"
pathway,
which
requires
no
less
than
five
(5)
4
years
of
certified
teaching
experience
in
one
(1)
or
more
Idaho
public
5
schools;
or
6
(b)
The
"executive
leadership"
pathway,
which
requires
demonstrated
7
professional
competency
in
management
or
leadership
through
no
less
8
than
five
(5)
years
of
experience
in
one
(1)
or
more
of
the
following:
9
(i)
Higher
education;
10
(ii)
Government
service;
1
1
(iii)
Nonprofit
organization
service;
12
(iv)
Private
sector
service;
13
(v)
Military
service
at
the
officer
level;
or
14
(vi)
Equivalent
experience
as
determined
by
the
state
department
15
of
education.
16
(4)
Prior
to
the
issuance
of
an
interim
certificate,
the
sponsoring
17
school
district,
in
collaboration
with
the
state
department
of
education,
18
shall
conduct
an
initial
competency
assessment
using
criteria
aligned
with
19
Idaho
administrator
standards
as
adopted
by
the
state
board
of
education
to
20
identify
any
gaps
in
the
applicant's
knowledge
or
skills.
If
deficiencies
21
are
identified,
the
applicant
shall
complete
targeted
coursework,
profes
-
22
sional
development,
or
learning
experiences
consisting
of
no
less
than
six
23
(6)
semester
credits
or
the
equivalent.
Such
instruction
may
include
but
24
is
not
limited
to
school
law,
public
school
finance,
special
education,
and
25
instructional
leadership.
26
(5)(a)
An
individual
authorized
for
an
interim
certificate
pursuant
to
27
this
section
shall
receive
structured,
embedded
mentoring
from
a
cer
-
28
tified
administrator
throughout
the
three
(3)
year
term
of
the
interim
29
certificate.
Such
mentoring
shall
include:
30
(i)
Assignment
by
the
sponsoring
school
district,
subject
to
cri
-
31
teria
established
by
the
state
department
of
education,
of
a
men
-
32
tor
who
holds
an
Idaho
administrator
certificate
and
has
no
less
33
than
five
(5)
years
of
experience
in
a
comparable
administrative
34
role;
35
(ii)
A
minimum
of
seventy
(70)
clock
hours
of
mentoring
during
36
the
first
two
(2)
years
aligned
to
a
personalized
learning
plan
37
addressing
areas
identified
for
growth
in
the
initial
competency
38
assessment,
including
budgeting,
student
achievement
analysis,
39
employee
evaluation,
strategic
planning,
conflict
management,
40
school
board
relations,
and
special
education
law;
41
(iii)
Ongoing
evaluation
and
support
throughout
the
interim
cer
-
42
tificate
period;
and
43
(iv)
Submission
of
an
annual
mentoring
summary
by
the
mentor
to
44
the
state
department
of
education
that
includes
an
assessment
of
45
the
individual's
progress
toward
required
competencies.
The
de
-
46
partment
shall
review
such
summary
for
program
oversight
purposes
47
and
provide
feedback
to
the
mentor
regarding
mentoring
effective
-
48
ness.
49
3
(b)
The
sponsoring
school
district
shall
compensate
the
mentor
and
may
1
use
funds
appropriated
pursuant
to
section
33
-
320,
Idaho
Code,
for
this
2
purpose.
3
(6)
An
individual
authorized
for
interim
certification
pursuant
to
4
this
section
shall
be
subject
to
oversight
by
the
professional
standards
5
commission
as
provided
in
section
33
-
1208,
Idaho
Code.
The
state
board
of
6
education
may
deny
issuance
of
an
interim
certificate
for
any
reason
that
7
would
constitute
grounds
for
suspension
or
revocation
of
a
certificate.
8
(7)
An
interim
certificate
issued
pursuant
to
this
section
may
be
re
-
9
newed
annually
for
a
period
not
to
exceed
three
(3)
years,
contingent
on
re
-
10
ceipt
of
proficient
performance
evaluations
from
the
school
district
board
1
1
of
trustees
and
satisfactory
completion
of
the
mentoring
requirements
set
12
forth
in
subsection
(5)
of
this
section.
Upon
completion,
the
individual
13
shall
be
eligible
for
issuance
of
a
standard
administrator
certificate
with
14
principal
or
superintendent
endorsements.
15
(8)
An
individual
who
successfully
completes
the
alternative
autho
-
16
rization
program
and
is
issued
a
standard
administrator
certificate
shall
17
remain
subject
to
ongoing
review,
including
annual
professional
development
18
requirements
aligned
with
state
standards.
19
SECTION
2.
That
Section
33
-
320,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
20
amended
to
read
as
follows:
21
33
-
320.
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
PLANS
AND
TRAINING.
(1)
Each
school
22
district
and
public
charter
school
in
Idaho
shall
develop
an
annual
plan
23
that
is
part
of
a
continuous
focus
on
improving
the
student
performance
of
24
the
district
or
public
charter
school.
A
public
charter
school
may
use
its
25
performance
certificate
in
lieu
of
a
separate
continuous
improvement
plan.
26
(2)(a)
The
board
of
trustees
and
the
superintendent
shall
collaborate
27
on
the
plan
and
engage
students,
parents,
educators
,
and
the
community
28
as
appropriate.
The
board
of
directors
and
the
administrator
of
a
pub
-
29
lic
charter
school
shall
collaborate
on
the
plan
and
engage
students,
30
parents,
educators
,
and
the
community
as
appropriate.
All
continuous
31
improvement
plans
must
be
approved
by
the
local
governing
board.
32
(b)
The
annual
continuous
improvement
plan
shall:
33
(i)
Be
data
-
driven,
specifically
in
student
outcomes,
and
shall
34
include
,
but
not
be
limited
to
,
analyses
of
demographic
data,
stu
-
35
dent
achievement
and
growth
data,
graduation
rates,
and
college
36
and
career
readiness;
37
(ii)
Set
clear
and
measurable
targets
based
on
student
outcomes;
38
(iii)
Include
a
clearly
developed
and
articulated
vision
and
mis
-
39
sion;
40
(iv)
Include
key
indicators
for
monitoring
performance;
41
(v)
Include
student
literacy
proficiency
goals
and
targets
and
42
how
progress
toward
those
outcomes
will
be
measured;
43
(vi)
Include,
as
applicable
to
the
grade
ranges
served,
trajec
-
44
tory
growth
targets
toward
literacy
proficiency;
45
(vii)
Include,
as
applicable
to
the
grade
ranges
served,
college
46
and
career
advising
and
mentoring
goals
and
how
progress
toward
47
those
outcomes
will
be
measured;
48
4
(viii)
Include
the
individual
staff
performance
on
each
of
the
1
performance
criteria
as
defined
in
section
33
-
1001,
Idaho
Code,
2
including
measurable
student
achievement
and
student
success
3
indicator
targets
and
the
percentage
of
students
meeting
those
4
targets.
Data
will
be
aggregated
at
the
grade
range,
subject,
or
5
performance
indicator,
as
determined
by
the
commission
and
al
-
6
lowed
pursuant
to
section
33
-
133,
Idaho
Code;
7
(ix)
Include,
at
a
minimum,
the
student
achievement
and
growth
8
metrics
for
the
state
accountability
framework.
Student
achieve
-
9
ment
and
growth
will
be
reported
on
each
school
and
district's
re
-
10
port
card
as
required
by
the
state
board
of
education
and
published
1
1
by
the
state
department
of
education;
and
12
(x)
Include
a
report
of
progress
toward
the
previous
year's
im
-
13
provement
goals.
14
(c)
The
annual
continuous
improvement
plan
must
be
reviewed
and
updated
15
annually
no
later
than
October
1
of
each
year.
16
(d)
The
board
of
trustees
or
the
board
of
directors
shall
continuously
17
monitor
progress
toward
the
goals
by
utilizing
relevant
data
to
measure
18
growth.
The
progress
shall
be
included
in
evaluations
of
the
district
19
superintendent
or
administrator
of
a
public
charter
school.
20
(3)
The
plan
must
be
made
available
to
the
public
and
shall
be
posted
on
21
the
school
district
or
charter
school
website.
22
(4)
Of
the
moneys
appropriated
in
the
public
schools
educational
sup
-
23
port
program,
up
to
six
thousand
six
hundred
dollars
($6,600)
shall
be
24
distributed
to
each
school
district
and
public
charter
school
to
be
expended
25
for
training
purposes
for
district
superintendents
and
boards
of
trustees,
26
public
charter
school
administrators
,
and
boards
of
directors.
Funds
shall
27
be
distributed
on
a
reimbursement
basis
based
on
a
process
prescribed
by
the
28
superintendent
of
public
instruction.
Qualified
training
shall
include
29
training
for
continuous
improvement
processes
and
planning,
strategic
plan
-
30
ning,
finance,
superintendent
evaluations,
public
charter
administrator
31
evaluations,
ethics
,
and
governance.
32
(5)
Funds
appropriated
pursuant
to
this
section
may
be
used
to
support
33
administrator
mentoring
programs,
including
mentoring
provided
in
section
34
33
-
1204A,
Idaho
Code.
35
(5)
(6)
The
state
board
of
education
shall
be
granted
rulemaking
36
authority
to
establish
appropriate
procedures,
qualifications
,
and
guide
-
37
lines
for
qualified
training
providers
and
shall
prepare
a
list
of
qualified
38
training
providers
within
the
state
of
Idaho.
39
(6)
(7)
(a)
There
is
hereby
established
in
the
office
of
the
state
board
40
of
education
a
state
commission
for
education
excellence,
the
purpose
41
of
which
will
be
to
study
and
discuss
continuous
improvement
plans
es
-
42
tablished
pursuant
to
this
section
and
measurable
student
achievement
43
and
student
success
indicators
described
in
section
33
-
1001,
Idaho
44
Code,
that
have
been
submitted
to
the
state.
The
members
of
the
commis
-
45
sion
shall
include:
46
(i)
One
(1)
representative
of
the
state
board
of
education,
ap
-
47
pointed
by
such
board;
48
(ii)
One
(1)
representative
of
the
state
department
of
education,
49
appointed
by
such
department;
50
5
(iii)
One
(1)
representative
of
the
office
of
the
governor,
ap
-
1
pointed
by
the
governor;
2
(iv)
One
(1)
representative
of
business
and
industry,
appointed
3
by
the
division
of
career
technical
education;
4
(v)
Two
(2)
members
of
the
majority
caucus
and
one
(1)
member
of
5
the
minority
caucus
in
the
senate,
appointed
by
the
president
pro
6
tempore
of
the
senate;
7
(vi)
Two
(2)
members
of
the
majority
caucus
and
one
(1)
member
of
8
the
minority
caucus
in
the
house
of
representatives,
appointed
by
9
the
speaker
of
the
house
of
representatives;
10
(vii)
One
(1)
parent
of
a
public
school
student,
appointed
by
the
1
1
governor;
12
(viii)
One
(1)
person
who
has
been
recognized
as
the
Idaho
teacher
13
of
the
year,
appointed
by
the
governor;
14
(ix)
One
(1)
representative
of
the
Idaho
school
boards
associa
-
15
tion,
appointed
by
such
association;
and
16
(x)
One
(1)
representative
of
the
Idaho
association
of
school
ad
-
17
ministrators,
appointed
by
such
association.
18
(b)
The
commission
shall
be
staffed
by
the
office
of
the
state
board
of
19
education.
Additional
staff
support
from
the
legislative
services
of
-
20
fice
may
be
provided
as
needed.
21
(c)
It
is
the
intent
of
the
legislature
that
the
state
commission
for
22
education
excellence
analyze
the
measurable
student
achievement
data
23
and
continuous
improvement
plans
in
the
various
districts
and
pub
-
24
lic
charter
schools
in
Idaho
and
then
discuss
and
consider
changes
in
25
statute
or
rule
that
could
enhance
outcomes.
The
commission
shall
de
-
26
termine
some
high
-
performing
schools
and
districts,
work
to
leverage
27
their
best
practices
to
the
rest
of
the
state,
and
listen
to
ideas
re
-
28
garding
defining
and
celebrating
successes
in
student
achievement.
The
29
commission
shall
meet
at
least
twice
annually.
One
(1)
meeting
shall
30
be
held
in
the
fall
for
the
purpose
of
studying
and
discussing
the
con
-
31
tinuous
improvement
plans'
performance
measures
and
benchmarks,
and
32
one
(1)
meeting
shall
be
held
in
the
summer,
after
data
for
the
prior
33
academic
year
have
been
compiled
and
submitted
to
the
commission,
to
34
review
reports
on
statewide
student
success
indicator
achievement
met
-
35
rics
submitted
to
the
commission
by
the
state
department
of
education
36
and
to
discuss
possible
ways
to
improve
desired
student
outcomes.
All
37
such
data
and
related
statewide
reports
shall
also
be
provided
to
all
38
legislators
in
Idaho
not
serving
on
the
commission.
A
school
district's
39
or
public
charter
school's
continuous
improvement
plan
shall
show
how
40
the
measurable
student
achievement
and
student
success
indicator
tar
-
41
gets
are
aligned
with
the
continuous
improvement
plan
described
in
this
42
section.
The
continuous
improvement
plan
shall
be
submitted
to
the
43
state
board
of
education
or
the
board's
designee
no
later
than
October
44
1
of
each
year.
45
SECTION
3.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
46
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
its
47
passage
and
approval.
48