Title 6, Education

(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to:(1) Provide a program affording public school districts and public charter schools a transparent and consistent teacher evaluation system that ensures effective teaching and promotes professional learning;(2) Provide an evaluation, …

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Artifact or artifacts” means materials that document the teacher's professional practice;(2) (A) “Data” means:(i) Teacher performance data;(ii) Student performance data; or(iii) Overall school performance data.(B) “Data” may include multiple me…

(a) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for the Teacher Excellence and Support System consistent with this subchapter. (b) The rules shall without limitation:(1) Recognize that student learning is the foundation of teacher effectiveness, that many factors impact s…

(a) At least one (1) time every four (4) school years, a public school shall conduct a summative evaluation for each teacher who is not a novice teacher. (b) The evaluation framework for a summative evaluation for a classroom teacher shall include without limitation:(1) The follo…

(a) In formative years, the Teacher Excellence and Support System aligns professional support and learning opportunities to link a teacher's professional practice with support for targeted, personalized learning. (b) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(3) of this section, a…

(a) An evaluator may place a teacher in intensive support status if the teacher, as evidenced by low performance ratings on the evaluation rubric:(1) Is not continuously improving professional practice;(2) Has not demonstrated commitment to students, the school, and the professio…

(a) (1) A public school shall implement the Teacher Excellence and Support System for all teachers employed at the public school under the rules established by the State Board of Education.(2) (A) This subchapter is not waived when a public school, charter school, or school distr…

(a) (1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall design a system of administrator leadership support and evaluations that:(A) Is aligned to current leadership standards adopted by the State Board of Education;(B) Uses multi-tiered systems of professional support a…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Mentor” means an individual who meets the requirements established by the State Board of Education to support aspiring teachers who are participating in yearlong residencies; and(2) “Teacher” means a:(A) Licensed classroom teacher who spends at…

(a) The Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program is hereby created to recognize and reward excellent teachers across the State of Arkansas. (b) A teacher deemed eligible under the program shall be rewarded with annual bonuses of no more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). (c) The St…

(a) Eligibility for an award from the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program shall include without limitation:(1) (A) A teacher who demonstrates outstanding growth in student performance, as determined by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.(B) (i) In determining whe…

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall annually conduct and publish a report on the data under subsection (b) of this section on Arkansas's educator workforce. (b) The report required under subsection (a) of this section shall include without limitation an a…

The State Board of Education may promulgate rules to implement this subchapter.

(a) (1) A school district board of directors may employ superintendents, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, and high school principals, as well as department heads, coaches, teachers, and other licensed personnel by written contract for a period of time not more t…

(a) The school district board of directors shall employ through written contract public school principals who shall hold valid supervisory or administrative licenses and who shall supervise the operation and management of the school and property as the board of directors shall de…

School district boards of directors shall have authority to assign and reassign or transfer all teachers in schools within their jurisdiction upon the recommendation of the superintendent.

(a) Any school district which employs a teacher or administrator whom the school district knows, or should have known, is contractually obligated to another school district shall be liable to the other school district for an amount of money equal to the salary in the violated con…

(a) Any primary or secondary school which has been accredited by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may be entitled to assignments of student teachers from institutions of higher education in this state, irrespective of accreditation by any other agency, private o…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Classified employee” means a person employed by a public school in this state who is not a licensed employee;(2) “Emergency situations” shall have the same meaning as it is defined in § 21-4-212;(3) “Fiscal year” shall be the fiscal year now estab…

The school district board of directors of any school district situated within the Delta or within a geographical area of the state where there exists a critical shortage of teachers as designated by the State Board of Education may reimburse any person who interviews for employme…

(a) The State Board of Education shall prescribe rules that allow for reimbursement to state-licensed teachers for the expense of moving when the employment necessitates the relocation of the teacher to a different geographical area from that in which the teacher resided before e…

(a) A class of students shall not be under the instruction of a teacher who is not licensed to teach the grade level or subject matter of the class for more than sixty (60) consecutive school days in the same class during a school year. (b) Subsection (a) of this section shall no…

(a) (1) There is established within the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education the Office for the Purpose of Teacher Recruitment for ensuring that the children of our state are taught by highly qualified professionals.(2) The office may serve as an interagency center focu…

(a) An individual employed by a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school may unilaterally rescind his or her signed contract for the subsequent school year if:(1) He or she submits a signed, written document to the public school district superintendent o…

(a) Except as permitted under § 6-17-309 and § 6-17-2601 et seq., no teacher shall be employed in any public school of the state who is not licensed to teach in the State of Arkansas by a license issued by the State Board of Education. (b) Any person who shall teach in a public s…

(a) The State Board of Education shall issue the license of a classroom teacher, an administrator, a guidance counselor, or a library media specialist. (b) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for the issuance, licensure, relicensure, and continuance of licensure o…

(a) The State Board of Education may issue a one-year nonrenewable provisional license to any teacher who seeks Arkansas licensure and is trained in and licensed by a state other than Arkansas if the teacher has been in good standing during the most recent three (3) years of teac…

(a) Any person who is licensed as a schoolteacher or administrator in an adjoining state, who serves as a teacher or administrator in any public school in this state located in a county having a population of at least forty-two thousand (42,000) but not more than forty-seven thou…

The State Board of Education may revoke the license of any superintendent or supervisor in any and every instance where the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration has found it necessary to proceed upon the bond of the superintendent or supervisor to recover fun…

(a) (1) The State Board of Education is directed to revoke the license of any person in this state who knowingly falsifies any attendance records kept by him or her that are used in computing the average daily attendance or average daily membership of the school district in which…

(a) As used in this section, “alternative educator preparation program” means a program of study approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for candidates holding a bachelor's degree who are preparing for licensure as teachers and leaders in public schools in …

(a) (1) (A) (i) An applicant for a license issued by the State Board of Education, an applicant for license renewal, and a preservice teacher shall apply to the Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police for a statewide and nationwide criminal records check, t…

(a) (1) (A) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(1)(B) of this section, the board of directors of an educational entity shall require as a condition for initial employment by the educational entity that any person holding a license issued by the State Board of Education and maki…

(a) As used in this section and § 6-17-413:(1) “Classroom teacher” means an individual who is required to hold a teaching license from the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and who is engaged directly in instruction with students in a classroom setting for more than …

(a) (1) (A) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall pay the full amount of the participation fee of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and provide, if determined to be necessary by the division, substitute pay for a maximum of three (3) days o…

(a) (1) (A) (i) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(1)(C) of this section, the board of directors of an educational entity shall require as a condition for initial employment or noncontinuous reemployment in a nonlicensed staff position any person making application to apply to…

(a) It is the clear intent of the General Assembly to authorize each public school district at its discretion to require criminal background checks and Child Maltreatment Central Registry checks of existing nonlicensed employees in the same manner and subject to the same terms an…

Employees, whether new or existing, who have a contract with or work for more than one (1) school district in one (1) year shall be required to have only one (1) criminal background check and one (1) Child Maltreatment Central Registry check to satisfy the requirements of all emp…

(a) As used in this section, “applicant” means a person who must apply to the Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police for a statewide and nationwide criminal records check as a condition for a license issued by the State Board of Education or as a condition…

(a) A person shall not be licensed as a social studies teacher or as an elementary school teacher unless the person has successfully completed:(1) For a person seeking a traditional first-time license, at least three (3) college-credit hours in Arkansas history at an accredited i…

(a) (1) A person who holds an Arkansas teaching license that is expired for more than one (1) year, who obtained the license before state-mandated licensure assessments were required by law and by rule for licensure, and who has less than three (3) years of teaching experience sh…

(a) For purposes of this section:(1) “Applicant” means an individual who is applying for initial employment as a fiscal officer of an educational entity;(2) “Educational entity” means:(A) A school district;(B) An open-enrollment public charter school; or(C) An education service c…

(a) There is established the Professional Licensure Standards Board. (b) (1) The Professional Licensure Standards Board shall consist of twenty (20) members appointed by the State Board of Education as follows:(A) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or his or h…

(a) In order to maintain a valid teacher's license under § 6-17-401, a person who retires while possessing a valid teacher's license under § 6-17-401 shall not be required to complete approved professional development required by rule of the State Board of Education. (b) (1) A pe…

(a) A school counselor is an eligible candidate for an initial administrator license if the school counselor:(1) Holds a current standard teaching license;(2) Has a minimum of four (4) years' experience as a school counselor;(3) Holds a graduate degree from a regionally accredite…