EVALUATION AUTHORITY OF TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTIONS & MABEP:

Currently, the State Board of Education has authority to establish standards and procedures for the evaluation of teacher training institutions. This act grants the Coordinating Board for Higher Education joint authority with the State Board of Education with the guidance and approval of the Missouri Advisory Board for Educator Preparation. Current actions regarding state educator certification, assessments, and other measures regarding educator certification done by the State Board must be approved jointly with the Coordinating Board.

This act establishes the "Missouri Advisory Board for Educator Preparation" (MABEP) within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to advise the State Board of Education and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. MABEP will consist of fourteen members, seven members appointed by the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education and seven members appointed by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education and the Commissioner of Higher Education. Requirements for the members are described in the act.

MABEP has the following duties and responsibilities: to meet with the two education commissioners to discuss policy issues and proposed changes to standards and practices related to educator preparation programs; make recommendations to the two commissioners regarding criteria and procedures for evaluation and approval of educator degree programs and educator preparation programs; facilitate communication amongst educator preparation experts and constituencies; present annually to the State Board of Education and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education; and maintain a record of deliberations. MABEP must meet at least twice annually.

The State Board of Education is prohibited from approving any teacher education program prior to receiving a formal recommendation on that approval from the Coordinating Board.

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education has joint approval authority with the State Board of Education for proposed new degree programs offered by state institutions of higher education in the case of educator preparation programs.

These provisions are similar to the introduced version of HB 1949 (2014) and provisions contained in HCS/SB 605 (2014). (Sections 161.097 & 173.005)

LAW SCHOOL ACCREDITATION: This act repeals the authority of the State Board of Education to accredit a graduate law school.

This provision is identical to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 492 (2014). (Section 161.097)

COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Unless the General Assembly chooses to otherwise appropriate state funding, beginning in fiscal year 2016, at least ninety percent of an increase in core funding over the appropriated amount for the previous fiscal year must be distributed in accordance with the achievement of institutional performance measures.

The Department of Higher Education is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the community college resource allocation model and submit a report to the Governor, the Joint Committee on Education, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tem of the Senate by October 31, 2019.

This provision is identical to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 492 (2014). (Section 163.191)

INTERSTATE RECIPROCITY FOR THE DELIVERY OF POSTSECONDARY DISTANCE EDUCATION: This act grants the Coordinating Board for Higher Education the responsibility to enter into agreements for interstate reciprocity regarding the delivery of postsecondary distance education. The Coordinating Board will have responsibility for approving or disapproving applications from postsecondary education institutions with their principal campus located in Missouri to participate in such agreements.

The Coordinating Board must establish standards for institutional approval, including the following: a definition of physical presence for non-Missouri institutions serving Missouri residents consistent with other states' definition of physical presence; establishment of consumer protection policies for distance education addressing recruitment, marketing activities, disclosure of tuition, fees, admission processes and procedures; and student complaints. The Coordinating Board must establish policies for the review and resolution of student complaints.

The Coordinating Board may charge fees to any institution that applies to participate in an interstate reciprocity agreement. Fees cannot exceed the Coordinating Board's cost of reviewing and evaluation the applications.

These provisions are identical to SB 699 (2014), HCS/HB 1389 (2014). (Sections 173.030 & 174.450)

INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES: This act repeals the requirement that performance measures for higher education institutions be adopted by July 1, 2008. Instead, this act references the performance measures that the Coordinating Board has adopted for each public four-year institution of higher education, each community college, and State Technical College of Missouri for performance funding purposes. Five measures have been adopted for each institution. Each institution must adopt, in collaboration with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, an additional institutional performance measure to measure student job placement in a field or position associated with the student's degree level and pursuit of a graduate degree. However, the job placement measure may not be used in any year in which the state unemployment rate has increased from the previous year's state unemployment rate.

The Coordinating Board must evaluate and revise, if necessary, the performance measures every three years beginning in calendar year 2019 or more frequently. The Department of Higher Education is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the performance funding measures and must submit a report to the Governor, the Joint Committee on Education, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tem of the Senate by October 31, 2019.

This provision is similar to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 492 (2014). (Section 173.1006)

PUBLIC FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: This act requires each public four-year institution of higher education to annually prepare an institutional budget request and submit it to the Department of Higher Education. The Department must review them and prepare annual appropriation recommendations for each public four-year institution of higher education.

This act requires the cooperative development of an increase allocation model by the public four-year institutions of higher education and the Department of Higher Education. The Department must recommend the model to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education for its approval by October 31, 2014.

The appropriation of core-funding increases in state funding to public four-year institutions of higher education must be in accordance with the increase allocation model. The core funding level for each institution public four-year institution will be the appropriated amount for fiscal year 2015. Increases must be incorporated into the core funding level in accordance with the increase allocation model in fiscal year 2016.

This act establishes parameters for how annual increases in appropriations are distributed through the increase allocation model. Unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly during the appropriations process, no more than ten percent of any increase in core appropriations will be distributed to address inequitable state funding on a per student basis, as determined by calculating full-time equivalency or on such bases as determined by the Department and institutions. Any inequity that results from performance funding measures must not be considered when distributing funds to address inequitable state funding. Unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly during the appropriations process, no more than ten percent of any increase in core appropriations will be distributed based on weighted full-time equivalent credit hours so as to provide enrollment, program offering, and mission sensitivity on an ongoing basis. Unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly during the appropriations process, at least ninety percent of the increase will be distributed based on the institutional performance measures.

The Department must evaluate the increase allocation model's effectiveness and submit a report to the Governor, the Joint Committee on Education, the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by October 31, 2019 and every four years thereafter.

This section is identical to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 492 (2014). (Section 173.1540)

STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF MISSOURI: Unless the General Assembly chooses to otherwise appropriate state funding, beginning in fiscal year 2016, at least ninety percent of any annual increase in core funding over the previous year will be distributed in accordance with the institutional performance measures.

This section is identical to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 492 (2014). (Section 178.638)

MICHAEL RUFF

SA 1: THIS AMENDMENT REQUIRES THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH A PROCEDURE FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OF THE STUDENT'S PORTION OF FEES FOR ANY DUAL CREDIT COURSES TAKEN BY THE STUDENT. STUDENTS MUST ATTEND AN A+ DESIGNATED PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR, HAVE MADE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO SECURE AVAILABLE FEDERAL AID, AND EARN A MINIMAL GRADE POINT AVERAGE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL, AS DETERMINED BY DEPARTMENT RULE. THE DEPARTMENT HAS AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR REIMBURSEMENTS.

THIS AMENDMENT ALSO REPLACES SEVERAL REFERENCES TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO REFLECT THAT THE ADMINISTRATION OF A+ REIMBURSEMENTS WAS TRANSFERRED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION. (SECTION 160.545)

SA 2: THIS AMENDMENT REPEALS THE SUNSET PROVISION OF THE LARGE ANIMAL VETERINARIAN STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM. (SECTION 340.396)

SA 3: THIS AMENDMENT EXPANDS THE "MISSOURI SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS INITIATIVE" TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO DEVELOP A PROCESS TO AWARD GRANTS TO MISSOURI PUBLIC TWO- AND FOUR-YEAR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT HAVE ENTERED INTO ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS TO OFFER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATION THROUGH TECHNICAL COURSE WORK. THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION MUST DEVELOP A PROGRAM TO OFFER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATION THROUGH TECHNICAL COURSE WORK FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAS ENTERED INTO AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT WITH A MISSOURI PUBLIC TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION. THE PROGRAM MUST PROVIDE INSTRUCTION ON SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES ESSENTIAL FOR THE WORKPLACE AND REQUESTED BY EMPLOYERS.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION MUST CONDUCT A STUDY TO IDENTIFY THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS MOST FREQUENTLY REQUESTED BY MISSOURI EMPLOYERS BY JANUARY 31, 2015. (SECTIONS 173.670 TO 173.680)

SA 4: THIS AMENDMENT MAKES CHANGES SECTION 161.097. IT ADDS THE PHRASE "AND ANY RELATED COMPETENCIES" IN SEVERAL PLACES. IT REQUIRES THAT QUALIFYING SCORES ON ASSESSMENT BE ESTABLISHED JOINTLY BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE COORDINATING BOARD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. IT ADDS LANGUAGE SETTING THE TERM LENGTH AT TWO YEARS FOR EACH MABEP MEMBER. IT CORRECTS THE NAME OF THE "COORDINATING BOARD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION" THROUGHOUT THE SECTION.

SA 5: THIS AMENDMENT REQUIRES THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (BRIGHT FLIGHT), THE ACCESS MISSOURI FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, AND THE A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM BY NOVEMBER 1, 2014. THE STUDY MUST INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH PROGRAM, ACCEPTANCE OF AID BY ELIGIBLE STUDENTS, AND RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES OF RECIPIENTS.

THIS AMENDMENT ALSO ADDS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO THE ENTITIES OF WHICH THE JOINT COMMITTEE MAY MAKE REASONABLE REQUESTS FOR STAFF ASSISTANCE. (SECTION 160.254)

SA 6: THIS AMENDMENT REQUIRES THE COORDINATING BOARD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION TO DEVELOP A PROCEDURE TO ALLOW FOR BRIGHT FLIGHT FUNDS TO BE USED TO COVER A STUDENT'S PORTION OF FEES FOR ANY DUAL CREDIT COURSES OR DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES COMPLETED WHILE THE STUDENT IS IN HIGH SCHOOL. (SECTION 173.250)