House Bill 758

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-1-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REQUIRE DEVELOPERS OF ACADEMIC CURRICULUM TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT WITH UNIFORM MODELS OF DAILY LESSON PLANS FOR EACH ACADEMIC COURSE OFFERED IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-1-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-1-11. (1) The school day shall be preserved for the purpose of teaching. It is the intent of the Legislature that every effort be made by the State Department of Education and the local school boards to protect the instructional time in the classroom and to reduce the amount of paperwork which must be completed by teachers.

(2) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules that provide for simplifying and reducing the number and length of written reports and other written documents that the State Department of Education requires from school districts and school district employees. The board shall conduct a comprehensive review of its rules to simplify and to reduce the number and length of reports required from school districts and school district employees. The State Department of Education shall require the developer of each academic course curriculum and study material used in local public schools throughout the state to provide the department with a comprehensive daily lesson plan of the course curriculum, and the department shall provide * * *~~nonmandatory~~ the uniform models to school districts of lesson plans for each academic course offering in local schools throughout the state, and shall provide mandatory models of curriculum guides and other required reports that comply with department reporting requirements.

(3) The State Board of Education and the school board of each school district shall adopt policies to limit and reduce the number and length of written reports that classroom teachers are required to prepare.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2013.