§ 316 — Teacher resource and computer training centers

§ 316. Teacher resource and computer training centers. 1. As used in\nthis section, unless another meaning clearly appears from the context:\n a. "Teacher resource and computer training center" means any site\noperated by a school district, board of cooperative educational services\nor a consortium of school districts and/or boards of cooperative\neducational services which is specifically established pursuant to this\nsection to provide professional support services to teachers within the\nstate in order to:\n (1) assist teachers, diagnose learning needs, experiment with the use\nof multiple instructional approaches, assess student outcomes, assess\nstaff development needs and plans, and train other school personnel in\neffective pedagogical approaches;\n (2) provide demonstration and training sites where teachers are\ntrained, specifically in the use of computers as teaching aids; the\ncriteria for school acquisition and use of computer equipment and\nsoftware; and the evaluation of computer-related materials;\n (3) develop and produce curricula and curricular materials designed to\nmeet the educational needs of students being served through application\nof educational research or new or improved methods, practices, and\ntechniques;\n (4) provide training to improve the skills of teachers in order to\nenable such teachers to meet the special educational needs of the pupils\nthey serve, and to familiarize such teachers with developments in\ncurriculum formulation and educational research, including the manner in\nwhich the research can be used to improve teaching skills;\n (5) provide a location where teachers may share resources, ideas,\nmethods and approaches directly related to classroom instruction and\nbecome familiar with current teaching materials and products for use in\ntheir classrooms; and\n (6) retrain teachers and other educational personnel to become better\nqualified to teach in subject areas necessary to prepare students for\nthe developing high technology era, in the disciplines of mathematics,\nscience and computer technology.\n b. "Site" for the purposes of this section shall mean the location or\nlocations where the curriculum development and training activities of\nthe teacher resource and computer training center take place.\n 2. In order to provide the school districts and teachers of the state\nwith an opportunity to develop systematic, ongoing in-service training\nprograms, assure the dissemination and application of educational\nresearch developments to classroom instruction and develop new curricula\nand curricular materials specifically designed to meet the educational\nneeds of the students served, the commissioner shall, within available\nstate appropriations and subject to the procedures established in this\nsection, provide funds to school districts and boards of cooperative\neducational services to plan, establish and operate teacher resource and\ncomputer training centers. Any school district or board of cooperative\neducational services requesting such funds shall make application\ntherefor at such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by\nsuch information as the commissioner may through this section or by\nregulation require. Applications shall be made within the following\ncategories:\n (i) a school district with a teacher population of one thousand or\nmore;\n (ii) a school district with a teacher population of five hundred or\nmore but less than one thousand;\n (iii) a school district with a teacher population of less than five\nhundred;\n (iv) a board of cooperative educational services; or\n (v) a consortium of two or more school districts and/or boards of\ncooperative educational services.\n 3. Each such application shall be reviewed by the state professional\nstandards and practices board for teaching. The board shall in each\ninstance recommend to the commissioner action, as appropriate, including\nspecific reasons when it is negative. Any school district, board of\ncooperative educational services or consortium whose original\napplication is rejected may resubmit a revised application for further\nreview. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, an\napplication to continue a teacher resource center which was in operation\nprior to the nineteen hundred eighty-four--nineteen hundred eighty-five\nschool year shall be deemed automatically approved.\n 4. The commissioner shall establish criteria and standards by which\napplications shall be evaluated which shall include provisions for\nfurnishing technical assistance and information provided by the\ndepartment through the facilities of the proposed teacher resource\ncenter, provided, however, that such criteria and standards shall be\nconsistent with federal regulations which were applicable to teacher\nresource centers in operation during the nineteen hundred eighty-two\ncalendar year.\n 5. Any school district, board of cooperative educational services or\nconsortium having an application approved under this section may\ncollaborate, consult and contract with an approved institution of higher\neducation in New York state to carry out activities under or provide\ntechnical assistance in connection with such application. Each\napplication shall be reviewed by the professional practices subcommittee\nof the state professional standards and practices board for teaching.\n 6. Each teacher resource and computer training center shall be\noperated by a board, the majority of which shall be composed of\nelementary and secondary school teachers representative of teachers\nserved by the teacher resource and computer training center. Teacher\nmembers shall be designated by the collective bargaining agent of the\nteachers served by the teacher resource and computer training center.\nSuch board shall also include individuals designated by the school board\nor board of cooperative educational services served by such center and\nat least one representative designated by the institutions of higher\neducation located in the area served by such center. Such board shall\nalso include at least one parent of an elementary or secondary school\npupil and at least one representative of a business or industry that\nuses, produces or is involved with computer equipment and software.\n 7. The powers and duties of each teacher resource and computer\ntraining center board shall include policy formulation, the employment\nof staff or consultants, budget control and expenditure of funds to\naccomplish the purposes of this section, recommendations for\nsubcontracting to secure technical and other kinds of assistance, and\nany other appropriate managerial or supervisory activities not otherwise\nprohibited by state or local law or regulations of the commissioner.\n 7-a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a teacher resource\nand computer training center board may collaborate, consult and contract\nwith a school district or board of cooperative educational services\nwhich is included in the application for the establishment of such\nteacher resource and computer training center for the assignment of\nteachers employed by such school district or board of cooperative\neducational services; provided, however, in such case such teacher shall\ncontinue to accrue all employment rights and benefits, including\nseniority, with the employing school district or board of cooperative\neducational services and the teacher resource and computer training\ncenter board shall reimburse such school district or board of\ncooperative educational services for the services of such teacher.\n 8. Funds provided each school year to school districts and boards of\ncooperative educational services by the commissioner to plan, establish\nand operate teacher resource and computer training centers shall not\nexceed two million dollars per center, except that for the city school\ndistrict for the city of New York such center shall not exceed sixteen\nmillion eight hundred thousand dollars and provided further that each\napproved center shall receive not less than twenty thousand dollars. In\nany year in which there is a statewide increase in funding for teacher\nresource and computer training centers, such increase shall be\ndistributed proportionately among existing centers that have\nsatisfactorily fulfilled the requirements of such centers' current\ngrant. A portion of the increase shall be made available to new\napplicants to establish new teacher centers, and to current teacher\ncenters to develop and implement regional and statewide teacher center\nactivities.\n 9. Evaluation and annual reports. a. Teacher resource and computer\ntraining centers shall provide data annually as prescribed by the\ncommissioner.\n b. The commissioner shall prepare and submit to the governor, the\ntemporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, not\nlater than May first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine and by the first day\nof January in each year thereafter, a report detailing the financial and\nprogrammatic information for teacher resource and computer training\ncenters. Such report shall, at a minimum, set forth with respect to the\npreceding school year: cost information for individual services provided\nby such centers; numbers of teachers and other staff served, summarized\nin the aggregate, by elementary and secondary school levels, and by home\nschool district; lists of programs and courses offered, including\nidentification of those with credit toward college graduate degrees and\nthose which relate to specific academic areas and higher learning\nstandards; and aggregate expenditure data for the following categories:\nadministration, staff development services, rent and other facilities\ncosts, and other services; and such other information as deemed\nappropriate by the commissioner to assist the commissioner in\nidentifying cost-effective services and programs which may be\nsuccessfully replicated in other centers, school districts and boards of\ncooperative educational services (BOCES). The format for the report\nshall be developed by the commissioner in consultation with school\ndistrict officials, and teacher resource center officials, provided that\nall information in such report shall be displayed on both a statewide\nand individual center basis. Such report shall include changes from the\nyear prior to the report year for each such item for all teacher\nresource and computer training centers and shall be made available to\nother interested parties upon request.\n c. Funds provided under the teacher resource and computer training\ncenters program may be used to contract with educational organizations\nfor the purpose of conducting a statewide program evaluation. The\nprofessional practices subcommittee of the professional standards and\npractices board shall review and approve grant applications submitted\nfor this purpose.\n