A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to broaden the potential placement of student teachers with clinical educators to include department of defense schools.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑296.11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑296.11.  Clinical partnerships and practice in educator preparation programs.
(a)	As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)	Clinical educator. – An individual employed by an elementary or secondary school, including a classroom teacher, who assesses, supports, and develops a student's knowledge, skills, and professional disposition during the clinical experience.
(2)	Internship. – Part of a formal program to provide practical experience and training for beginners in the education profession.
(2a)	Partner school. – A public school governed by a local board of education or a Department of Defense Elementary and Secondary School located in North Carolina and established pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2164.
(3)	Residency. – A specified period of time in which a person is employed by a local school administrative unit to gain practical experience and training in educator preparation.
(b)	The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc., shall adopt and establish rules for educator preparation that require at least the following:
(1)	Educator preparation programs shall establish and maintain collaborative, formalized partnerships with elementary and secondary partner schools that are focused on student achievement, continuous school improvement, and the professional development of elementary and secondary educators, as well as those preparing educators.
(2)	Educator preparation programs shall work collaboratively with the elementary and secondary partner schools and enter into a memorandum of understanding with the local school administrative unit or the partner school where students are placed. In the memorandum, the educator preparation program and the local school administrative unit, or partner school, as applicable, shall:
a.	Define the collaborative relationship between the educator preparation program and the local school administrative unit or partner school and how this partnership will be focused on continuous school improvement and student achievement.
b.	Adopt a plan for collaborative teacher selection, orientation, and student placement.
c.	Determine how information will be shared and verified between the educator preparation program and local school administrative unit or partner school.
(3)	Educator preparation programs shall ensure clinical educators who supervise students in residencies or internships meet the following requirements:
a.	Be professionally licensed in the field of licensure sought by the student.
b.	Have a minimum of three years of experience in a teaching role.
c.	Have been rated, through formal evaluations, at least at the "accomplished" level as part of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation System, or the equivalent on an evaluation system utilized by another state or a partner school, as applicable, and have met expectations as part of a student growth assessment system used by a school in the field of licensure sought by the student.
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SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017 fall academic semester.