§ 70-6-101.17. Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Commission.

A.  There is hereby created to continue until July 1, 2016, in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Sunset Law, the Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Commission.

B.  The membership of the Commission shall consist of:

1.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction, or designee;

2.  A member of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;

3.  A member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

4.  A member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

5.  A member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

6.  A representative from the Office of the Governor or the executive cabinet, appointed by the Governor;

7.  The Executive Director of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, or designee;

8.  A representative of a technology center school district, appointed by the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education;

9.  A representative of an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, appointed by the Chancellor of Higher Education;

10.  A representative of a statewide organization representing school district boards of education, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;

11.  A representative of a statewide organization representing public school superintendents, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

12.  A representative of a statewide organization representing business and education, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;

13.  An individual employed by a business or company located in this state, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

14.  Three (3) representatives, one (1) from each of the three (3) largest statewide organizations representing active public school teachers, appointed by the Governor;

15.  A representative of a statewide parent-teacher organization, appointed by the Governor;

16.  A representative of a philanthropic organization involved in education, appointed by the Governor; and

17.  An individual involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, appointed by the Governor.

C.  Initial appointments pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be made no later than August 1, 2010.  Members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.  Vacancies shall be filled by the original appointing authority.  The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, or designee, shall serve as chair of the Commission.  Members of the Commission shall select a vice-chair from the membership of the Commission.  Meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chair.  A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.

D.  Members of the Commission shall receive no compensation for serving on the Commission, but shall receive travel reimbursement as follows:

1.  State employees who are members of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties by their respective agencies in accordance with the State Travel Reimbursement Act;

2.  Legislative members shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 456 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes; and

3.  All other members of the Commission shall be reimbursed by the State Department of Education for travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with the State Travel Reimbursement Act.

E.  Staff support for the Commission shall be provided by the State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation.

F.  Members who serve on the Commission shall be exempt from the dual-office-holding prohibitions of Section 6 of Title 51 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

G.  The Commission shall comply with the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

H.  The duties of the Commission, as specified in subsection I of this section, shall not be contingent upon the state being selected to receive or the state actually receiving any federal Race to the Top funding.

I.  The Commission shall provide oversight and advise the State Board of Education on the development and implementation of the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE) as created in Section 6-101.16 of this title, including:

1.  Making recommendations to the State Board regarding the development and implementation of the TLE prior to adoption of any permanent rules or policies by the State Board;

2.  Regularly reviewing progress toward development and implementation of the quantitative and qualitative measures that comprise the TLE;

3.  Regularly reviewing progress toward timely access to student growth data;

4.  Regularly reviewing the correlation between the quantitative and qualitative scores and other data to ensure that the TLE is being implemented with validity and that evaluations of individuals conducted by school districts are meaningful and demonstrate that reasonable distinctions are being made relating to performance;

5.  Assuring input and participation from teachers and leaders on the development and implementation of the TLE;

6.  Gathering public comment on the development and effectiveness of the TLE; and

7.  Assuring that the TLE is based on research-based national best practices and methodology.

J.  The Commission shall issue a report by December 31 of each year and submit a copy of the report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Added by Laws 2010, c. 291, § 7, eff. July 1, 2010.  Amended by Laws 2011, c. 177, § 2, eff. July 1, 2011.