Education-leader evaluation and support.

ORIGINAL
Senate
ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0036

ENROLLED ACT NO. 31,

SENATE

SIXTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2017 General Session

AN ACT relating to education; modifying the Wyoming Accountability in Education Act; modifying the requirements for leader evaluation and support; requiring a report; and providing for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section
1
.

W.S.
21
‑
2
‑
203(c
)(
ii)(C),
21
‑
2
‑
204
(f)
(v) and (vi), 21
‑
2
‑
304(b)(xvi) and 21
‑
3
‑
110(a)(xxx) are amended to read:

21
‑
2
‑
203
.

School district data collection and funding model administration; duties and responsibilities specified; data advisory committee; school district compliance.

(c)

The duties of the department are, in accordance with rules promulgated by the state superintendent, to:

(ii)

Collect data from school districts necessary for the department to administer the school finance system and the statewide education accountability system established under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204. In accomplishing this, the department shall:

(C)

Use existing data to establish longitudinal data systems
linking student achievement with school principals and school district leaders,
as necessary for the statewide education accountability system.

21
‑
2
‑
204
.

Wyoming Accountability in Education Act; statewide education accountability system created.

(f)

A progressive multi
‑
tiered system of support, intervention and consequences to assist schools shall be
established by the state board, and shall conform to the January 2012 education accountability report as defined by subsection (k) of this section. The system shall clearly identify and prescribe the actions for each level of support, intervention and consequence. Commencing with school year 2014
‑
2015, and each school year thereafter, the state superintendent shall take action based upon system results according to the following:

(v)

Schools designated as partially meeting expectations shall file an improvement plan in accordance with paragraph (
iv
) of this subsection that identifies and addresses all content and indicator areas where performance is below target levels.
The plan shall include review of the design
and
implementation of the district
'
s leader evaluation system developed pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304(
b)(xvi) and 21
‑
3
‑
110(a)(xxx).

The state superintendent shall appoint a representative in accordance with paragraph (vii) of this subsection to monitor the school
'
s progress towards meeting the specified goals and implementation of the processes, measures and methods as contained in the school
'
s plan. The representative shall assist the district in identifying and securing the necessary resources to support the goals as stated by the school and
the district.
Failure to meet improvement goals as specified in the plan for two (2) consecutive years may require that the school be subject to paragraph (vi) of this subsection;

(vi)

Schools designated as not meeting expectations shall file an improvement plan in accordance with paragraph (
iv
) of this subsection that identifies and addresses all content and indicator areas where performance is below target levels.
The plan shall include review of the design
and
implementation of the district
'
s leader
evaluation system developed pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304(
b)(xvi) and 21
‑
3
‑
110(a)(xxx).

In addition, the evaluation of a district
'
s student assessment system as provided by paragraph (vii) of this subsection may be undertaken in that school year immediately following any school year in which a school within the district has been designated as not meeting expectations. The state superintendent shall appoint a representative in accordance with paragraph (vii) of this subsection to assist in drafting the improvement plan, including the selection of programs and interventions to improve student performance. The representative shall perform duties as required by paragraph (v) of this subsection. The plan shall be recommended by the school district superintendent and approved by the local board of trustees prior to submission to the department. The plan shall describe the personnel and financial resources within the education resource block grant model as defined by W.S. 21
‑
13
‑
101(a)(xiv) necessary for implementation of the measures and methods chosen for improvement and shall specify how resources shall be reallocated, if necessary, to improve student performance;

21
‑
2
‑
304
.

Duties of the state board of education.

(b)

In addition to subsection (a) of this section and any other duties assigned to it by law, the state board shall:

(xvi)

Not later than July 1, 2018, promulgate rules and regulations for implementation and administration of a comprehensive performance evaluation system for school and district leadership, including superintendents, principals and other district or school leaders serving in a similar capacity. The performance evaluation system shall
be based in part upon defined student academic
performance measures as prescribed by law, upon longitudinal data systems and upon measures of professional practice according to
identify
professional

standards prescribed
by board rule and regulation.
The system shall also allow districts opportunity to refine the system to meet the individual needs of
the
each

district
.

and
shall include reasonable opportunity for state and district provision of mentoring and other professional development activities made available to district administrative personnel performing unsatisfactorily, designed to improve leadership, management and student achievement

Any alternative leader evaluation system shall be
approved by the state board, through the department, before adoption
;

21
‑
3
‑
110
.

Duties of boards of trustees.

(a)

The board of trustees in each school district shall:

(xxx)

Not later than school year 2018
‑
2019 and each school year thereafter, in addition to paragraphs (xvii), (xviii) and (xix), require the performance of each school district leader, including superintendents and principals and other district or school leaders serving in a similar capacity to be evaluated
each year

in accordance with the
statewide education accountability

system

professional standards
established
by the state board of education

under
W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204. Not later than August 15, 2019 and August 15 of each school year thereafter, in accordance with rules and regulations of the state board, the district board shall also provide the state board written reports verifying school district leader performance and providing performance scores;

W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304(b)(xvi
);

Section 2
.

W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304(
a)(v)(D), as amended by
2016 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 113, Section 1
,
is amended to read:

21
‑
2
‑
304
.

Duties of the state board of education.

(a)

The state board of education shall:

(v)

Through the state superintendent and in consultation and coordination with local school districts, implement a statewide assessment system comprised of a coherent system of measures that when
combined,
provide a reliable and valid measure of individual student achievement for each public school and school district within the state, and the performance of the state as a whole. Statewide assessment system components shall be in accordance with requirements of the statewide education accountability system pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204. Improvement of teaching and learning in schools, attaining student achievement targets for performance indicators established under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204 and fostering school program improvement shall be the primary purposes of statewide assessment of student performance in Wyoming. The statewide assessment system shall:

(D)

Measure year
‑
to
‑
year changes in student performance and progress in the subjects specified under subparagraph (a
)(
v)(B) of this section
.

and
by school year 2018
‑
2019, link student performance and progress to school and district leaders, including superintendents, principals and other district or school leaders serving in a similar capacity.
The assessment system shall ensure the student performance measurements used at each grade level are valid for the purposes for which they are being used, including valid year
‑
to
‑
year comparisons of student and school level
results, and shall be sufficient to produce necessary data to enable application of measures of performance indicators as required under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204;

Section
3
.

N
ot later than July 1
, 2017, the state board of education shall rep
ort to the
joint education interim committee
on the status and substance of the proposed rules and regulations to be adopted pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304(b)(xvi) as amended by section 1 of this act.

Section
4
.

(a)

Section 2 of this act is effective July 1, 2017.

(b)

Except as provided in subsection (a) of this section, t
his
act is effective
immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the
Senate
.

Chief Clerk

1