1. A school district or area education agency is eligible to receive moneys appropriated for purposes specified in this chapter if the school board applies to the department to participate in the student achievement and teacher quality program and submits a written statement declaring the school district’s or agency’s willingness to do all of the following:

 a. Commit and expend local moneys to improve student achievement and teacher quality.
 b. Create a teacher quality committee. The committee shall have equal representation of administrators and teachers. The teacher members shall be appointed by the certified employee organization if one exists, and if not, by the school district’s or agency’s administration. The administrator members shall be appointed by the school board. However, if a school district can demonstrate that an existing professional development, curriculum, or student improvement committee has significant stakeholder involvement and a leadership role in the school district, the appointing authorities may mutually agree to assign to the existing committee the responsibilities set forth in this paragraph “b”, to appoint members of the existing committee to the teacher quality committee, or to authorize the existing committee to serve in an advisory capacity to the teacher quality committee. The committee shall do all of the following:

 (1) Monitor the implementation of the requirements of statutes and administrative code provisions relating to this chapter, including requirements that affect any agreement negotiated pursuant to chapter 20.
 (2) Monitor the evaluation requirements of this chapter to ensure evaluations are conducted in a fair and consistent manner throughout the school district or agency. The committee shall develop model evidence for the Iowa teaching standards and criteria. The model evidence will minimize paperwork and focus on teacher improvement. The model evidence will determine which standards and criteria can be met with observation and which evidence meets multiple standards and criteria.
 (3) Determine, following the adoption of the Iowa professional development model by the state board of education, the use and distribution of the professional development funds calculated and paid to the school district or agency as provided in section 257.9, subsection 10, or section 257.10, subsection 10, based upon school district or agency, attendance center, and individual teacher and professional development plans.
 (4) Monitor the professional development in each attendance center to ensure that the professional development meets school district or agency, attendance center, and individual professional development plans.
 (5) Determine the compensation for teachers on the committee for work responsibilities required beyond the normal work day.
 c. Adopt school district, attendance center, and teacher professional development plans in accordance with this chapter.
 d. Adopt a teacher evaluation plan that, at minimum, requires a performance review of teachers in the district at least once every three years based upon the Iowa teaching standards and individual professional development plans, and requires administrators to complete evaluator training in accordance with section 284.10.
 e. Adopt teacher career paths based upon demonstrated knowledge and skills in accordance with this chapter.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 284.4

  • Department: means the department of education. See Iowa Code 284.2
  • Evaluator: means an administrator or other practitioner who successfully completes an evaluator training program pursuant to section 284. See Iowa Code 284.2
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Performance review: means a summative evaluation of a teacher other than a beginning teacher that is used to determine whether the teacher's practice meets school district expectations and the Iowa teaching standards in accordance with section 284. See Iowa Code 284.2
  • School: means an agency of the state or political subdivision of the state, individual, partnership, company, firm, society, trust, association, corporation, or any combination which meets any of the following criteria:
     a. See Iowa Code 261B.2
  • School board: means the board of directors of a school district, a collaboration of boards of directors of school districts, or the board of directors of an area education agency, as the context requires. See Iowa Code 284.2
  • State board: means the state board of education. See Iowa Code 284.2
  • Student: means a person who enrolls in or seeks to enroll in a course of instruction offered or conducted by a school. See Iowa Code 261B.2
  • Teacher: means an individual who holds a practitioner's license issued under chapter 272, or a statement of professional recognition issued under chapter 272 who is employed in a nonadministrative position by a school district or area education agency pursuant to a contract issued by a board of directors under section 279. See Iowa Code 284.2
 2. By July 1, 2002, each school district shall participate in the student achievement and teacher quality program if the general assembly appropriates moneys for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program established pursuant to this chapter.
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