Generally, present law requires LEAs that receive approval for state funding of a voluntary pre-kindergarten (pre-k) program to utilize the pre-k/kindergarten growth portfolio model approved by the state board of education, or a comparable alternative measure of student growth approved by the state board of education and adopted by the LEA, in the evaluation of pre-k and kindergarten teachers. This bill adds a requirement that the state board of education approve at least one universal screener for pre-k students to be used as an alternative growth model to generate individual growth scores for pre-k pursuant to the evaluation guidelines developed by the department of education. The universal screener approved by the state board must not be based on the pre-k/kindergarten portfolio growth model. This bill requires LEAs and public charter schools that provide a voluntary pre-k program to allow pre-k teachers to use the results of the universal screener as an alternative growth model to generate their individual growth scores. This bill deletes provisions of present law that excused LEAs and public charter schools that provide a voluntary pre-k program from using the pre-k/kindergarten growth portfolio model during years associated with the COVID pandemic. This bill also makes a technical clarification to present law by specifying that teachers in non-tested grades pre-k through two may be "allowed" rather than "authorized" to use the results of certain math or reading screeners as an alternative growth model to generate their individual growth scores. ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1003, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill. Under this amendment, if a universal reading screener approved by the state board of education is administered to pre-k students at an LEA or public charter school, then the LEA or public charter school is required to allow the pre-k teacher whose students were administered the universal reading screener to use the results of the universal reading screener as an approved alternative student growth model or the pre-k/kindergarten portfolio growth model to generate individual growth scores for teachers pursuant to the evaluation guidelines developed by the department of education.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-105, 49-6-1508