53G-11-303.  Professional learning standards.

(1)  As used in this section:

Terms Used In Utah Code 53G-11-303

  • educator: means the same as that term is defined in Section 53E-6-102. See Utah Code 53G-11-301
  • 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.
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(a)  “Evidence-based” means that a strategy, not including reading software, demonstrates a statistically significant effect, of at least a 0.40 effect size, on improving student outcomes based on:

(i)  strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study, as the state board further defines; or

(ii)  moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study, as the state board further defines.

(b)  “Evidence-informed” means that a strategy:

(i)  is developed using high-quality research outside of a controlled setting in the given field, as the state board further defines; and

(ii)  includes strategies and activities with a strong scientific basis for use, as the state board further defines.

(c)  “Professional learning” means a comprehensive, sustained, and evidence-based approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement.

(2)  A school district or charter school shall implement high quality professional learning that meets the following standards:

(a)  professional learning occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, individual and collective responsibility, and goal alignment;

(b)  professional learning requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate, and create support systems, for professional learning;

(c)  professional learning requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources for educator learning;

(d)  professional learning uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning;

(e)  professional learning integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes;

(f)  professional learning applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long-term change;

(g)  professional learning aligns its outcomes with:

(i)  performance standards for teachers and school administrators as described in rules of the state board; and

(ii)  performance standards for students as described in the core standards for Utah public schools adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 53E-4-202;

(h)  professional learning:

(i)  incorporates the use of technology in the design, implementation, and evaluation of high quality professional learning practices; and

(ii)  includes targeted professional learning on the use of technology devices to enhance the teaching and learning environment and the integration of technology in content delivery; and

(i)  professional learning uses evidence-informed core materials and evidence-based instructional practices and intervention materials.

(3)  School districts and charter schools shall use money appropriated by the Legislature for professional learning or federal grant money awarded for professional learning to implement professional learning that meets the standards specified in Subsection (2).

(4)  The state board, ULEAD, as that term is defined in Section 53E-10-701, and the Center for the School of the Future, established in Section 53B-18-801, shall jointly, in collaboration with an independent university-based research center, develop and maintain a repository of evidence-based practice and evidence-informed intervention materials to support school districts and charter schools in meeting the standards described in Subsection (2).

Amended by Chapter 20, 2023 General Session

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