Substitute House Bill No. 6880, Public Act No. 23-159, is an act concerning various aspects of the education system, particularly focusing on teachers and paraeducators. The bill mandates the use of the edTPA assessment as an accountability tool for teacher preparation programs, alters the age of eligibility for public school attendance, and introduces play-based learning for certain grades. It also revises professional development requirements for certified employees, expands the Connecticut Advisory Council for Teacher Professional Standards, and establishes a task force to analyze teachers' retirement system funding equity. Furthermore, the bill requires local and regional boards of education to develop exit surveys for departing teachers and updates strategic school profile report requirements to include teacher attrition rates.

The bill also amends the teacher evaluation process, requiring the adoption and implementation of a teacher evaluation and support program by local and regional boards of education, and sets guidelines for the State Board of Education to adopt a model teacher evaluation and support program. It revises the guidelines for teacher evaluations, including the development of training programs and remediation plans for teachers needing additional support. Additionally, the bill grants the Commissioner of Education the authority to waive certain provisions of the teacher evaluation program and establishes a Performance Evaluation Advisory Council. It also amends the law to allow local or regional boards of education to use funds for specific purposes and repeals certain sections of the general statutes. The bill does not specify insertions or deletions within the provided text, but it indicates significant changes to the statutes, including the establishment of new councils, modification of evaluation processes, and the creation of task forces and professional development requirements.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 10-215, 10-73d, 10-15k, 10-220
ED Joint Favorable Substitute: 10-215, 10-73d, 10-15k, 10-220, 10-357b, 10-357e, 10-212k
File No. 590: 10-215, 10-73d, 10-15k, 10-357b, 10-357e, 10-212k
APP Joint Favorable Substitute: 10-215, 10-73d, 10-15k, 10-220, 10-212k
File No. 757: 10-215, 10-73d, 10-15k, 10-212k
File No. 825: 10-15c, 10-144d, 10-76d, 10-8c, 10-151b, 10-151d, 10-151h
Public Act No. 23-159: 10-15c, 10-144d, 10-76d, 10-8c, 10-151b, 10-151d, 10-151h