Missouri Career Development and Teacher Excellence Plan

PURPOSE: Sections 168.500–168.515, RSMo establish a career advancement program, the Missouri Career Development and Teacher Excellence Plan, referred to as the career ladder program. Participation by local school districts in the Career Ladder Program shall be voluntary. The Career Ladder Program is a matching program of variable matched rates established by statute. The general assembly makes an annual appropriation for the purpose of providing the state’s share of the Career Ladder Program. This rule sets forth guidelines for local district participation in the Career Ladder Program. (1) For the purpose of this rule, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following terms shall mean: (A) Career ladder salary supplement—The district may establish a salary supplement up to fifteen hundred dollars ($l,500) for Career Stage I teachers, three thousand dollars ($3,000) for Career Stage II teachers, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) for Career Stage III teachers. The state’s payment is contingent upon appropriations for this purpose; (B) Department—The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; (C) Eligible district—A school district which has adopted a local district career ladder plan and had that plan approved by the department according to standards and procedures established in this rule; (D) Participating teacher—An individual employed full-time by a school district who is certificated under rules governing teacher certification to serve as a classroom teacher, librarian, school counselor, school psychological examiner, parents as teachers educator, school psychologist, special education diagnostician, or speech pathologist and is on the district salary schedule and, as verified by a school district, has met criteria established for the career ladder; and (E) School district—A school or group of schools governed by a locally elected board of education or the State Board of Education and operated at public expense. (2) The department will provide school districts a model career ladder, guidelines and criteria for school district plans which meet the requirements established by statute and this rule. (3) Each local school district desiring to participate in the Career Ladder Grant Program shall submit an application and District Career Ladder Plan (DCLP) to the department annually by April 30 of each year. (4) Upon receipt of the school district’s career ladder application, the department will review plans for eligibility to participate in the program. The department will evaluate the local district’s career ladder plan to determine compliance with applicable statutes and standards and procedures established in the Criteria for Local District Career Ladder Plans (Appendix A). (5) The department will notify school districts of necessary modifications, eligibility, or denial. (6) Each approved district shall identify participating teachers through the October cycle of the Core Data/MOSIS Collection System provided by the department. (7) Upon receipt of the Core Data information, the department will review the list of participating teachers and calculate the state portion of the career ladder salary supplement. (8) The department will schedule the appropriate reimbursement for Career Ladder Stages I, II, and III, payments to occur in June, in concert with the regular payment of foundation program funds, contingent upon appropriations. (9) Eligible districts receiving career ladder salary supplements shall pay to each teacher an amount specified in the district application not to exceed the maximum amounts for Stages I, II, and III as provided by section 168.515(1), RSMo. If staffing/ eligibility changes occur subsequent to the certification of the career ladder entitlement, which cause the district to receive more or fewer funds necessary to implement the provisions of section 168.515, RSMo, the department shall be notified of the changes, and the department will make an offsetting correction on the ensuing payment. (10) Independent auditors retained by local districts will be responsible to examine district payroll records to determine if the proper career ladder supplemental pay has actually been paid to participating teachers as certified by the district to the department. Instances of noncompliance should be set forth in the audit report in the accountant’s report on state and federal compliance. Criteria for Local District Career Ladder Plans REQUIRED ELEMENTS OF THE DISTRICT CAREER LADDER PLAN The local district shall develop and submit to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (department) a District Career Ladder Plan (DCLP). This plan will provide the organizational basis for the district’s career ladder. Development of a career ladder is voluntary for local school districts. When districts establish a career ladder plan, they also must accept the responsibility of raising the local portion of the funding. Teachers who meet the qualifications and responsibilities as established as specific criteria for Stage I, II, and III (section 168.500.2(3), RSMo) for the district career ladder shall have a reasonable expectation of par ticipating on the career ladder. I. The DCLP shall contain a statement requiring that all criteria used for awarding payment be directly and obviously related to improvement of programs and services for students as outlined in the District School Improvement Plan, Curriculum Development Plan, Professional Development Plan, Missouri School Improvement Program, or instructional improvement. II. The DCLP shall contain three (3) stages and the qualifications for each stage. The annual supplemental pay shall not exceed $1,500 for Stage I, $3,000 for Stage II, or $5,000 for Stage III. The state’s payment is contingent upon appropriations for this purpose (section 168.515.1, RSMo). This supplemental pay shall be in addition to that which the teacher would normally be accorded by the district’s salary schedule (section 168.505.1, RSMo). III. Each career ladder stage shall contain specific qualifications, responsibilities, and volunteer efforts to be completed by the educator prior to payment (section 168.500.2, RSMo). These qualifications shall include: A. Appropriate years of teaching experience in Missouri public schools for each stage (section 168.500.2(5), RSMo). • At Stage I, the teacher shall have two (2) years of Missouri teaching experience, complete the required beginning teacher assistance program, participate in two (2) years of mentoring (section 168.400.4, RSMo), and show evidence of acceptable performance on all of the criteria on the most recent final evaluation instrument. • At Stage II, the teacher shall have three (3) years of Missouri teaching experience, and show evidence of acceptable performance on all of the criteria on the most recent final evaluation instrument. • At Stage III, the teacher shall have five (5) years of Missouri teaching experience, and show evidence of acceptable performance on all of the criteria on the most recent final evaluation instrument; B. A clearly defined level of performance relative to the district’s Performance Based Teacher Evaluation process; C. A Career Development Plan to be organized by the teacher. The Career Development Plan shall contain the responsibilities to be completed by the teacher while on the career ladder, and provisions for verifying completion of these responsibilities. Following approval by the district, these plans may be amended for good cause; D. Appropriate certification in subject area for each teacher; E. Full-time regular length contract; and F. The DCLP may contain additional qualifications deemed appropriate by the local board of education to the extent they are consistent with the provisions of sections 168.500—l68.515, RSMo. IV. Each career ladder stage shall contain responsibilities commensurate and adjustable to the compensation offered for that stage that will be completed by the teacher while on the career ladder. These responsibilities shall directly and obviously relate to the improvement of programs and services for students as outlined in the District School Improvement Plan, Curriculum Development Plan, Professional Development Plan, Missouri School Improvement Program, or instructional improvement. Educators shall complete a minimum of fifty (50) clock hours at Stage I, seventy-five (75) clock hours at Stage II, and one hundred (100) clock hours at Stage III in an approved responsibility or volunteer effort. Responsibilities and volunteer efforts shall be detailed in the teacher’s Career Development Plan. Such additional responsibilities and volunteer efforts should occur outside of the compensated hours and duties, and include but not be limited to: • Participating in teacher externships as provided in section 168.025, RSMo; • Serving as a coach, supervisor, or organizer of any extracurricular activities for which the teacher does not already receive additional compensation; • Serving as a mentor or cooperating teacher for new teachers for which the teacher does not already receive additional compensation; • Serving as a mentor for students, whether in a formal or informal capacity; • Providing high quality tutoring or additional learning opportunities to students; • Assisting students with postsecondary education preparation including, but not limited to, teaching an ACT or SAT preparation course or assisting students with completing college or career school admission or financial assistance applications; • Receiving additional teacher training or certification outside of that offered by the school district; and • Other (with description of how this responsibility or voluntary effort directly and obviously relates to the improvement of programs and services for students as outlined in the District School Improvement Plan, Curriculum Development Plan, Professional Development Plan, Missouri School Improvement Program, or instructional improvement). V. The local school district shall show evidence of teacher, administrator, and patron involvement in the development of the DCLP. VI. The DCLP shall contain provisions for assessment of the district’s career ladder. Plans will be made for periodic assessment of the district’s career ladder under the direction of the local board of education with assistance from administrators, teachers, and patrons. Criteria for assessment shall include, but not be limited to, benefits for schools and students, and teacher interest and participation. VII. The DCLP shall contain procedures for appealing decisions made regarding approval or denial of application and placement on the career ladder (section 168.500.2(6), RSMo), including the right to substantive and procedural appeals of the local comprehensive, performance-based evaluation process. Procedures shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: A. An opportunity to have the decision reviewed by the superintendent of schools; and B. An opportunity for the local board of education to review the superintendents decision. Appeal procedures shall be implemented in a timely fashion. All decisions made with respect to a teacher’s application to, and placement on, any stage of the career ladder shall be based on the qualifications for that stage as stated in the DCLP. VIII. The DCLP shall contain provisions for recognition of teacher mobility from one (1) participating district to another within this state (section 168.500.5, RSMo). The department will periodically review local district plans and will collect information from local districts regarding the career ladder process. The local district will report data on its Career Ladder Grant Program to the department upon request. The local district must advise the department regarding amendments to the DCLP adopted by the local board of education following ap proval of the original DCLP by the department. AUTHORITY: sections 168.500–168.515, RSMo 2016 and Supp. 2022.* This rule previously filed as 5 CSR 80-850.030. Original rule filed Feb. 26, 1986, effective May 29, 1986. Amended: Filed Aug. 31, 1992, effective April 8, 1993. Amended: Filed Sept. 27, 1995, effective March 30, 1996. Moved to 5 CSR 20-400.370, effective Aug. 16, 2011. Amended: Filed Aug. 25, 2022, effective April 30, 2023. *Original authority: 168.500, RSMo 1985, amended 1986, 1993, 1996; 168.505, RSMo 1985, amended 1993; 168.510, RSMo 1985, amended 1996; and 168.515, RSMo 1985, amended 1993, 1996.