CHAPTER 284
TEACHER PERFORMANCE, COMPENSATION,

 AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Referred to in §256.9, 256C.3, 256F.4, 257.10, 257.35, 257.37A, 261E.9, 274.3, 282.10, 298A.2
Legislative intent; 
2001 Acts, ch 161, §1

  
     
284.1  Student achievement and teacher quality program.
  A student achievement and teacher quality program is established to promote high student achievement. The program shall consist of the following major elements:
  1.  Career paths with compensation levels that strengthen Iowa’s ability to recruit and retain teachers.
  2.  Professional development designed to directly support best teaching practices.
  3.  Evaluation of teachers against the Iowa teaching standards.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §2; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §5, 6; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §12; 2011 Acts, ch 34, §73; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §32; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §100

  
     
284.2  Definitions.
  As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
  1.  “Beginning teacher” means an individual serving under an initial or intern license, issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, who is assuming a position as a teacher. “Beginning teacher” includes an individual who is an initial teacher. For purposes of the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program created pursuant to section 284.5, “beginning teacher” also includes preschool teachers who are licensed under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, and are employed by a school district or area education agency. “Beginning teacher” does not include a teacher whose employment with a school district or area education agency is probationary unless the teacher is serving under an initial or teacher intern license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3.
  2.  “Comprehensive evaluation” means a summative evaluation of a beginning teacher conducted by an evaluator for purposes of determining a beginning teacher’s level of competency, for recommendation for licensure based upon the Iowa teaching standards, and to determine whether the teacher’s practice meets the school district expectations for a career teacher.
  3.  “Department” means the department of education.
  4.  “Director” means the director of the department of education.
  5.  “Evaluator” means an administrator or other practitioner who successfully completes an evaluator training program pursuant to section 284.10.
  6.  “Intensive assistance” means the provision of organizational support and technical assistance to teachers, other than beginning teachers, for the remediation of identified teaching and classroom management concerns for a period not to exceed twelve months.
  7.  “Mentor” means an individual employed by a school district or area education agency as a teacher or a retired teacher who holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3. The individual must have a record of three years of successful teaching practice, must be employed on a nonprobationary basis, and must demonstrate professional commitment to both the improvement of teaching and learning and the development of beginning teachers.
  8.  “Performance review” means a summative evaluation of a teacher other than a beginning teacher that is used to determine whether the teacher’s practice meets school district expectations and the Iowa teaching standards in accordance with section 284.8.
  9.  “School board” means the board of directors of a school district, a collaboration of boards of directors of school districts, or the board of directors of an area education agency, as the context requires.
  10.  “State board” means the state board of education.
  11.  “Teacher” means an individual who holds a practitioner’s license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, or a statement of professional recognition issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, who is employed in a nonadministrative position by a school district or area education agency pursuant to a contract issued by a board of directors under section 279.13. A teacher may be employed in both an administrative and a nonadministrative position by a board of directors and shall be considered a part-time teacher for the portion of time that the teacher is employed in a nonadministrative position.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §3; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §7, 8; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §37; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §7 – 10; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §13, 14; 2008 Acts, ch 1181, §76; 2009 Acts, ch 177, §34; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §58; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2587

  
     
284.3  Iowa teaching standards.
  1.  For purposes of this chapter and for developing teacher evaluation criteria under chapter 279, the Iowa teaching standards are as follows:
  a.  Demonstrates ability to enhance academic performance and support for and implementation of the school district’s student achievement goals.
  b.  Demonstrates competence in content knowledge appropriate to the teaching position.
  c.  Demonstrates competence in planning and preparing for instruction.
  d.  Uses strategies to deliver instruction that meets the multiple learning needs of students.
  e.  Uses a variety of methods to monitor student learning.
  f.  Demonstrates competence in classroom management.
  g.  Engages in professional growth.
  h.  Fulfills professional responsibilities established by the school district.
  2.  A school board shall provide for the following:
  a.  For purposes of comprehensive evaluations, standards and criteria which measure a beginning teacher’s performance against the Iowa teaching standards specified in subsection 1, and the criteria for the Iowa teaching standards developed by the department in accordance with section 256.9, to determine whether the teacher’s practice meets the requirements specified for a career teacher. These standards and criteria shall be set forth in an instrument provided by the department. The comprehensive evaluation and instrument are not subject to negotiations or grievance procedures pursuant to chapter 20 or determinations made by the board of directors under section 279.14. 
  b.  For purposes of performance reviews for teachers other than beginning teachers, evaluations that contain, at a minimum, the Iowa teaching standards specified in subsection 1, as well as the criteria for the Iowa teaching standards developed by the department in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 42. 
  3.  The state board shall adopt by rule pursuant to chapter 17A the criteria developed by the department in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 42.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §4; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §9, 10; 2003 Acts, ch 108, §49; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §38, 39; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §15; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §59; 2017 Acts, ch 2, §42, 48, 49
Referred to in §284.8, 284.15

  
     
284.3A  Teacher compensation — single salary system.
  1.  a.  For the school year beginning July 1, 2009, if the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency receiving funds pursuant to sections 257.10 and 257.37A are organized under chapter 20 for collective bargaining purposes, the school board and the certified bargaining representative for the licensed employees shall negotiate the distribution of the funds among the teachers employed by the school district or area education agency according to chapter 20.
  b.  If the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency are not organized for collective bargaining purposes, the board of directors shall determine the method of distribution of such funds.
  c.  For the school years beginning July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2009, a school district or area education agency receiving funds pursuant to sections 257.10 and 257.37A, shall determine the amount to be paid to teachers in accordance with this subsection and the amount determined to be paid to an individual teacher shall be divided evenly by the appropriate number of pay periods and paid in each pay period of the fiscal year beginning with the October payroll.
  2.  a.  For the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010, and each succeeding school year, school districts and area education agencies shall combine payments made to teachers under sections 257.10 and 257.37A with regular wages to create a combined salary. The teacher contract issued under section 279.13 must include the combined salary. If a school district or area education agency uses a salary schedule, a combined salary schedule shall be used for regular wages and for distribution of payments under sections 257.10 and 257.37A, incorporating the salary minimums required under a framework or comparable system approved pursuant to section 284.15. The combined salary schedule must use only the combined salary and cannot differentiate regular salaries and distribution of payments under sections 257.10 and 257.37A.
  b.  If the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency are organized under chapter 20 for collective bargaining purposes, the creation of the new combined salary shall be subject to the scope of negotiations specified in section 20.9. A reduction in the teacher salary supplement per pupil amount shall also be subject to the scope of negotiations specified in section 20.9.
  c.  If the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency are not organized for collective bargaining purposes, the board of directors shall create the new combined salary. The board of directors shall determine adjustments in salaries resulting from a reduction in the teacher salary supplement per pupil amount.
  3.  A school district or area education agency shall not be required to maintain a separate account within its budget based on source of funds for payments received and expenditures made pursuant to this section. The school district or area education agency shall annually certify to the department that funding received pursuant to sections 257.10 and 257.37A was expended on salaries for qualified teachers.
  4.  The teacher salary supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.10, subsection 9, and the area education agency teacher salary supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.37A are not subject to a uniform reduction in accordance with section 8.31.
2009 Acts, ch 68, §9; 2010 Acts, ch 1183, §32, 33, 43; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §60, 74; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §101; 2021 Acts, ch 139, §3; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §34, 37, 38
Referred to in §257.10, 257.37A, 284.15
2024 amendment to subsection 4 applies July 1, 2024, for school budget years beginning on or after that date; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §38
Subsection 4 amended

  
     
284.4  Participation.
  1.  A school district or area education agency is eligible to receive moneys appropriated for purposes specified in this chapter if the school board applies to the department to participate in the student achievement and teacher quality program and submits a written statement declaring the school district’s or agency’s willingness to do all of the following:
  a.  Commit and expend local moneys to improve student achievement and teacher quality.
  b.  Create a teacher quality committee. The committee shall have equal representation of administrators and teachers. The teacher members shall be appointed by the certified employee organization if one exists, and if not, by the school district’s or agency’s administration. The administrator members shall be appointed by the school board. However, if a school district can demonstrate that an existing professional development, curriculum, or student improvement committee has significant stakeholder involvement and a leadership role in the school district, the appointing authorities may mutually agree to assign to the existing committee the responsibilities set forth in this paragraph “b”, to appoint members of the existing committee to the teacher quality committee, or to authorize the existing committee to serve in an advisory capacity to the teacher quality committee. The committee shall do all of the following:
  (1)  Monitor the implementation of the requirements of statutes and administrative code provisions relating to this chapter, including requirements that affect any agreement negotiated pursuant to chapter 20.
  (2)  Monitor the evaluation requirements of this chapter to ensure evaluations are conducted in a fair and consistent manner throughout the school district or agency. The committee shall develop model evidence for the Iowa teaching standards and criteria. The model evidence will minimize paperwork and focus on teacher improvement. The model evidence will determine which standards and criteria can be met with observation and which evidence meets multiple standards and criteria.
  (3)  Determine, following the adoption of the Iowa professional development model by the state board of education, the use and distribution of the professional development funds calculated and paid to the school district as provided in section 257.10, subsection 10, based upon school district, attendance center, and individual teacher and professional development plans.
  (4)  Monitor the professional development in each attendance center to ensure that the professional development meets school district or agency, attendance center, and individual professional development plans.
  (5)  Determine the compensation for teachers on the committee for work responsibilities required beyond the normal work day.
  c.  Adopt school district, attendance center, and teacher professional development plans in accordance with this chapter.
  d.  Adopt a teacher evaluation plan that, at minimum, requires a performance review of teachers in the district at least once every three years based upon the Iowa teaching standards and individual professional development plans, and requires administrators to complete evaluator training in accordance with section 284.10.
  e.  Adopt teacher career paths based upon demonstrated knowledge and skills in accordance with this chapter.
  2.  By July 1, 2002, each school district shall participate in the student achievement and teacher quality program if the general assembly appropriates moneys for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program established pursuant to this chapter.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §5; 2001 Acts, ch 177, §3, 15; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §11, 12; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §40; 2005 Acts, ch 169, §29; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §11; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §16 – 19; 2009 Acts, ch 177, §35; 2017 Acts, ch 2, §43, 48, 49; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §33; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §35, 37, 38
Referred to in §284.13
2024 amendment to subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (3) applies July 1, 2024, for school budget years beginning on or after that date; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §38
Subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (3) amended

  
     
284.5  Beginning teacher mentoring and induction program — rules.
  1.  A beginning teacher mentoring and induction program is created to promote excellence in teaching, enhance student achievement, build a supportive environment within school districts and area education agencies, increase the retention of promising beginning teachers, and promote the personal and professional well-being of teachers.
  2.  Each school district and area education agency may provide a beginning teacher mentoring and induction program for all teachers who are beginning teachers.
  3.  Each school district and area education agency that provides a beginning teacher mentoring and induction program under this chapter shall develop a plan for the program. The plan shall, at a minimum, provide for a two-year sequence of induction program content and activities to support the Iowa teaching standards and beginning teacher professional and personal needs; mentor training that includes, at a minimum, skills of classroom demonstration and coaching, and district expectations for beginning teacher competence on Iowa teaching standards; placement of mentors and beginning teachers; the process for dissolving mentor and beginning teacher partnerships; district organizational support for release time for mentors and beginning teachers to plan, provide demonstration of classroom practices, observe teaching, and provide feedback; structure for mentor selection and assignment of mentors to beginning teachers; a district facilitator; and program evaluation.
  4.  A beginning teacher shall be informed by the school district or the area education agency, prior to the beginning teacher’s participation in a mentoring and induction program, of the criteria upon which the beginning teacher shall be evaluated and of the evaluation process utilized by the school district or area education agency.
  5.  Upon completion of the program, the beginning teacher shall be comprehensively evaluated to determine if the teacher meets expectations to move to the career level. The school district or area education agency that employs the beginning teacher shall recommend for a standard license a beginning teacher who is determined through a comprehensive evaluation to demonstrate competence in the Iowa teaching standards. A school district or area education agency may offer a beginning teacher a third year of participation in the program if, after conducting a comprehensive evaluation, the school district determines that the teacher is likely to successfully complete the mentoring and induction program by the end of the third year of eligibility. A teacher granted a third year of eligibility shall develop a teacher’s mentoring and induction program plan in accordance with this chapter and shall undergo a comprehensive evaluation at the end of the third year. The board of educational examiners shall grant a one-year extension of the beginning teacher’s initial license upon notification by the school district that the teacher will participate in a third year of the school district’s program.
  6.  If a beginning teacher who is participating in a mentoring and induction program leaves the employ of a school district or area education agency prior to completion of the program, the school district or area education agency subsequently hiring the beginning teacher shall credit the beginning teacher with the time earned in the program prior to the subsequent hiring.
  7.  If the general assembly appropriates moneys for purposes of this section, a school district or area education agency is eligible to receive state assistance for up to two years under this section for each teacher the school district or area education agency employs who was formerly employed in an accredited nonpublic school or in another state as a first-year teacher. The school district or area education agency employing the teacher shall determine the conditions and requirements of a teacher participating in a program in accordance with this subsection. The school district or area education agency that employs the teacher shall recommend the teacher for an educational license if the teacher, through a comprehensive evaluation, is determined to demonstrate competence in the Iowa teaching standards.
  8.  The state board shall adopt rules to administer this section.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §6; 2001 Acts, ch 177, §4, 15; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §13; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §41; 2003 Acts, ch 182, §15; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §12; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §61, 62; 2014 Acts, ch 1013, §20; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §34; 2023 Acts, ch 90, §6
Referred to in §256.34, 256.163, 284.2, 284.6

  
     
284.6  Teacher professional development.
  1.  The department shall coordinate a statewide network of professional development for Iowa teachers. A school district or professional development provider that offers a professional development program in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 42, shall demonstrate that the program contains the following:
  a.  Support that meets the professional development needs of individual teachers and is aligned with the Iowa teaching standards.
  b.  Research-based instructional strategies aligned with the school district’s student achievement needs and the long-range improvement goals established by the district.
  c.  Instructional improvement components including student achievement data, analysis, theory, classroom demonstration and practice, technology integration, observation, reflection, and peer coaching.
  d.  An evaluation component that documents the improvement in instructional practice and the effect on student learning.
  2.  The department shall identify models of professional development practices that produce evidence of the link between teacher training and improved student learning.
  3.  A school district shall develop a district professional development plan. The district professional development plan shall include a description of the means by which the school district will provide access to all teachers in the district to professional development programs or offerings that meet the requirements of subsection 1. The plan shall align all professional development with the school district’s long-range student learning goals and the Iowa teaching standards. The plan shall indicate the school district’s approved professional development provider or providers.
  4.  In cooperation with the teacher’s evaluator, the career teacher employed by a school district shall develop an individual teacher professional development plan. The evaluator shall consult with the teacher’s supervisor on the development of the individual teacher professional development plan. The purpose of the plan is to promote individual and group professional development. The individual plan shall be based, at minimum, on the needs of the teacher, the Iowa teaching standards, and the student achievement goals of the attendance center and the school district. The individual plan shall include goals for the individual which are beyond those required under the attendance center professional development plan developed pursuant to subsection 7.
  5.  The teacher’s evaluator shall annually meet with the teacher to review progress in meeting the goals in the teacher’s individual plan. The teacher shall present to the evaluator evidence of progress. The purpose of the meeting shall be to review the teacher’s progress in meeting professional development goals in the plan and to review collaborative work with other staff on student achievement goals and to modify as necessary the teacher’s individual plan to reflect the individual teacher’s and the school district’s needs and the individual’s progress in meeting the goals in the plan. The teacher’s supervisor and the evaluator shall review, modify, or accept modifications made to the teacher’s individual plan.
  6.  School districts, a consortium of school districts, area education agencies, higher education institutions, and other public or private entities including professional associations may be approved by the state board to provide teacher professional development. The professional development program or offering shall, at minimum, meet the requirements of subsection 1. The state board shall adopt rules for the approval of professional development providers and standards for the district development plan.
  7.  Each attendance center shall develop an attendance center professional development plan. The purpose of the plan is to promote group professional development. The attendance center plan shall be based, at a minimum, on the needs of the teachers, the Iowa teaching standards, district professional development plans, and the student achievement goals of the attendance center and the school district.
  8.  For each year in which a school district receives funds calculated and paid to school districts for professional development pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, the school district shall create quality professional development opportunities. Not less than thirty-six hours in the school calendar, held outside of the minimum school day, shall be set aside during nonpreparation time or designated professional development time to allow practitioners to collaborate with each other to deliver educational programs and assess student learning, or to engage in peer review pursuant to section 284.8, subsection 1. The funds may be used to implement the professional development provisions of the teacher career paths and leadership roles specified in section 284.15, including but not limited to providing professional development to teachers, including additional salaries for time beyond the normal negotiated agreement; activities and pay to support a beginning teacher mentoring and induction program that meets the requirements of section 284.5; pay for substitute teachers, professional development materials, speakers, and professional development content; textbooks and curriculum materials used for classroom purposes if such textbooks and curriculum materials include professional development; administering assessments pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph “b”, subparagraphs (1) and (2), if such assessments include professional development; and costs associated with implementing the individual professional development plans. The use of the funds shall be balanced between school district, attendance center, and individual professional development plans, making every reasonable effort to provide equal access to all teachers.
  9.  Moneys received pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, shall be maintained as a separate listing within a school district’s budget for funds received and expenditures made pursuant to this subsection. The department shall not require a school district to allocate a specific amount or percentage of moneys received pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, for professional development related to implementation of the core curriculum under section 256.7, subsection 26. A school district shall certify to the department how the school district allocated the funds and that moneys received under this subsection were used to supplement, not supplant, the professional development opportunities the school district would otherwise make available. For budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2017, all or a portion of the moneys received pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, that remain unexpended and unobligated at the end of a fiscal year may, pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, paragraph “d”, be transferred for deposit in the school district’s flexibility account established under section 298A.2, subsection 2.
  10.  If funds are allocated for purposes of professional development pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph “c”, the department shall establish teacher development academies for public and nonpublic school-based teams of teachers and instructional leaders. Each academy shall include an institute and shall provide follow-up training and coaching.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §7; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §14; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §42; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §13, 14; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §20 – 23; 2009 Acts, ch 177, §36; 2011 Acts, ch 34, §74; 2012 Acts, ch 1119, §5; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §63, 74; 2017 Acts, ch 153, §1 - 3; 2017 Acts, ch 154, §5; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §35; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §102; 2023 Acts, ch 90, §7; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §15, 36 – 38
Referred to in §256.7, 256C.3, 284.13
2024 amendment to subsections 8 and 9 applies July 1, 2024, for school budget years beginning on or after that date; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §38
Subsections 8 – 10 amended

  
     
284.6A  Computer science professional development incentive fund — legislative findings.
  1.  The general assembly finds and declares all of the following:
  a.  That instruction in high-quality computer science for elementary, middle school, and high school students establishes a foundation for personal and professional success in a high-technology, knowledge-based Iowa economy.
  b.  It is the goal of the general assembly that by July 1, 2019, each accredited high school offer at least one high-quality computer science course, each accredited middle school offer instruction in exploratory computer science, and each accredited elementary school offer instruction in the basics of computer science.
  c.  It is the intent of the general assembly to appropriate moneys for purposes of the computer science professional development incentive fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018.
  2.  A computer science professional development incentive fund is established in the state treasury under the control of the department. The department may accept gifts, grants, bequests, and other private contributions, as well as state or federal moneys, for deposit in the fund. If state, federal, or private moneys deposited in the fund are sufficient, the department may disburse moneys contained in the fund for professional development activities or tuition reimbursement as follows:
  a.  A school district or accredited nonpublic school, or a collaborative of one or more school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies, may apply to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, to receive moneys from the fund to provide proven professional development activities for Iowa teachers in the area of computer science education.
  b.  A school district or accredited nonpublic school may apply to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, to receive moneys from the fund to provide tuition reimbursement for Iowa teachers seeking endorsements or authorizations for computer science under section 256.146, subsection 19.
  3.  A recipient of a grant under subsection 2 may receive moneys from the fund for expenses the recipient incurs during the fiscal year in which the department awards the grant through September 30 of the following year.
  4.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the computer science professional development incentive fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure for the purposes designated until the close of the succeeding fiscal year.
2017 Acts, ch 106, §3; 2023 Acts, ch 54, §1, 2
Referred to in §256.7
Subsection 3 applies to grants the department of education awards from the computer science professional development incentive fund on or after July 1, 2023; 2023 Acts, ch 54, §2

  
     
284.7  Iowa teacher career path — future repeal.  Repealed by its own terms; 
2013 Acts, ch 121, §64
.

  
     
284.8  Performance review requirements for teachers — peer group reviews.
  1.  A school district shall provide for an annual review of each teacher’s performance for purposes of assisting teachers in making continuous improvement, documenting continued competence in the Iowa teaching standards, identifying teachers in need of improvement, or to determine whether the teacher’s practice meets school district expectations for career advancement. The review shall include, at minimum, classroom observation of the teacher, the teacher’s progress, and implementation of the teacher’s individual professional development plan, subject to the level of resources provided to implement the plan; and shall include supporting documentation from parents, students, and other teachers. The first and second year of review shall be conducted by a peer group of teachers. The peer group shall review all of the peer group members. Peer group reviews shall be formative and shall be conducted on an informal, collaborative basis that is focused on assisting each peer group member in achieving the goals of the teacher’s individual professional development plan. Peer group reviews shall not be the basis for recommending that a teacher participate in an intensive assistance program, and shall not be used to determine the compensation, promotion, layoff, or termination of a teacher, or any other determination affecting a teacher’s employment status. However, as a result of a peer group review, a teacher may elect to participate in an intensive assistance program. Members of the peer group shall be reviewed every third year by at least one evaluator certified in accordance with section 284.10.
  2.  If a supervisor or an evaluator determines, at any time, as a result of a teacher’s performance that the teacher is not meeting district expectations under the Iowa teaching standards specified in section 284.3, subsection 1, paragraphs “a” through “h”, and the criteria for the Iowa teaching standards developed by the department in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 42, the evaluator shall, at the direction of the teacher’s supervisor, recommend to the district that the teacher participate in an intensive assistance program. The intensive assistance program and its implementation are not subject to negotiation and grievance procedures established pursuant to chapter 20. All school districts shall be prepared to offer an intensive assistance program.
  3.  A teacher who is not meeting the applicable standards and criteria based on a determination made pursuant to subsection 2 shall participate in an intensive assistance program. However, a teacher who has previously participated in an intensive assistance program relating to particular Iowa teaching standards or criteria shall not be entitled to participate in another intensive assistance program relating to the same standards or criteria and shall be subject to the provisions of subsection 4.
  4.  Following a teacher’s participation in an intensive assistance program, the teacher shall be reevaluated to determine whether the teacher successfully completed the intensive assistance program and is meeting district expectations under the applicable Iowa teaching standards or criteria. If the teacher did not successfully complete the intensive assistance program or continues not to meet the applicable Iowa teaching standards or criteria, the board may do any of the following:
  a.  Terminate the teacher’s contract immediately pursuant to section 279.27.
  b.  Terminate the teacher’s contract at the end of the school year pursuant to section 279.15.
  c.  Continue the teacher’s contract for a period not to exceed one year. However, the contract shall not be renewed and shall not be subject to section 279.15.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §9; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §17; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §47; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §22; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §31, 32; 2007 Acts, ch 215, §253; 2008 Acts, ch 1181, §81; 2012 Acts, ch 1119, §6; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §74; 2017 Acts, ch 2, §44 – 46, 48, 49
Referred to in §284.2, 284.6

  
     
284.9  Review panel — future repeal.  Repealed by its own terms; 
2013 Acts, ch 121, §65
.

  
     
284.10  Evaluator training program.
  1.  The department shall establish an evaluator training program to improve the skills of school district evaluators in making employment decisions, making recommendations for licensure, and moving teachers through a career path as established under this chapter. The department shall consult with persons representing teachers, national board-certified teachers, administrators, school boards, higher education institutions with approved practitioner and administrator preparation programs, and with persons from the private sector knowledgeable in employment evaluation and evaluator training in order to develop standards and requirements for the program. Evaluator training programs offered pursuant to this chapter may be provided by a public or private entity. The department shall distribute a list of evaluator training program providers to each school district.
  2.  An administrator licensed under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, who conducts evaluations of teachers for purposes of this chapter shall complete the evaluator training program. A practitioner licensed under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, who is not an administrator may enroll in the evaluator training program. Enrollment preference shall be given to administrators. Upon successful completion, the provider shall certify that the administrator or other practitioner is qualified to conduct evaluations for employment, make recommendations for licensure, and make recommendations that a teacher is qualified to advance from one career path level to the next career path level pursuant to this chapter. Certification is for a period of five years and may be renewed.
  3.  A higher education institution approved by the state board to provide an administrator preparation program shall incorporate the evaluator training program into the program offered by the institution.
  4.  The board of educational examiners shall require certification as a condition of issuing or renewing an administrator’s license.
  5.  By July 1, 2007, the director shall develop and implement an evaluator training certification renewal program for administrators and other practitioners who need to renew a certificate issued pursuant to this section.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §11, 25; 2001 Acts, ch 177, §8, 15; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §18; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §49; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §95; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §23; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2588
Referred to in §284.2, 284.4, 284.8, 284.13

  
     
284.11  State supplemental assistance for high-need schools.
  1.  Findings and intent.  The general assembly finds that students whose first language is not English, who have special needs, or who come from low-income backgrounds face potential obstacles to learning. Schools across Iowa, both urban and rural, have increasing numbers of students who face these challenges. Therefore, it is the intent of the general assembly to provide supplemental assistance to the highest-need schools in Iowa to address these challenges. This section provides for state assistance to allow school districts to develop extended learning time programs, hire instructional support staff, provide additional professional development, or supplement the salary of teachers in the identified schools.
  2.  Department’s responsibilities.  The department shall do the following:
  a.  Collect relevant data and establish a list of high-need schools eligible for state supplemental assistance. The department shall establish a process and criteria to determine which schools are placed on the list and the department shall revise the list annually. Criteria for the determination of which high-need schools shall be placed on the list shall be based upon factors that include but are not limited to the socioeconomic status of the students enrolled in the school, the percentage of the school’s student body who are English learners, student academic growth, certified instructional staff attrition, and geographic balance. The department may approve or disapprove requests for revision of the list, which a school district submits pursuant to subsection 3. 
  b.  Develop a standardized process for distributing moneys appropriated for supplemental assistance for high-need schools under section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph “g”, to school districts. In determining the process for distribution of such moneys, the department shall take into consideration the amount of moneys appropriated for supplemental assistance in high-need schools for the given year and the minimal amount of moneys needed to increase the academic achievement of students. A school district receiving moneys pursuant to this section shall certify annually to the department how the moneys distributed to the school district pursuant to this section were used by the school district. 
  c.  Review the use and effectiveness of the funds distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance in high-need schools under this section. The department shall submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by January 15 annually.
  3.  School district request for approval.  A school district may request on an annual basis approval from the department for additions to the list of high-need schools the department maintains pursuant to subsection 2 based upon the unique local conditions and needs of the school district. The criteria used to determine the placement of high-need schools on the list in accordance with subsection 2 does not restrict the department from adding a high-need school to the list as requested by a school district on the basis of unique local conditions and needs pursuant to this subsection. 
  4.  Moneys received and miscellaneous income.  The distribution of moneys allocated pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph “g”, to a school district shall be made in one payment on or about October 15 of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made, taking into consideration the relative budget and cash position of the state resources. Such moneys shall not be commingled with state aid payments made under section 257.16 to a school district and shall be accounted for by the local school district separately from state aid payments. Payments made to school districts under this section are miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257. A school district shall maintain a separate listing within its budget for payments received and expenditures made pursuant to this section.
  5.  Moneys received to supplement salaries.  Moneys received by a school district pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph “g”, shall be used to supplement and not supplant the salary being received by a teacher in a high-need school, and shall not be considered under chapter 20 by an arbitrator or other third party in determining a comparison of the wages of teachers in that high-need school with the wages of teachers in other buildings or in another school district.
2013 Acts, ch 121, §66; 2022 Acts, ch 1011, §11; 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §300
Referred to in §284.13
Subsection 2, paragraph c amended

  
     
284.12  Rules.
  In developing administrative rules for consideration by the state board, the department shall consult with stakeholders who might reasonably be affected by the proposed rule, including persons representing teachers, administrators, school boards, approved practitioner preparation institutions, and other appropriate education stakeholders.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §13; 2001 Acts, ch 177, §11, 15; 2003 Acts, ch 45, §1; 2005 Acts, ch 19, §39; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §34, 35; 2016 Acts, ch 1036, §13

  
     
284.13  State program allocation.
  1.  For each fiscal year in which moneys are appropriated by the general assembly for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program, the moneys shall be allocated as follows in the following priority order:
  a.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, to the department, the amount of five hundred eight thousand two hundred fifty dollars for the issuance of national board certification awards in accordance with section 256.44. Of the amount allocated under this paragraph, not less than eighty-five thousand dollars shall be used to administer the ambassador to education position in accordance with section 256.45.
  b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, up to seven hundred twenty-eight thousand two hundred sixteen dollars to the department for purposes of implementing the professional development program requirements of section 284.6, assistance in developing model evidence for teacher quality committees established pursuant to section 284.4, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, and the evaluator training program in section 284.10. A portion of the funds allocated to the department for purposes of this paragraph may be used by the department for administrative purposes and for not more than four full-time equivalent positions.
  c.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, an amount up to one million seventy-seven thousand eight hundred ten dollars to the department for the establishment of teacher development academies in accordance with section 284.6, subsection 10. A portion of the funds allocated to the department for purposes of this paragraph may be used for administrative purposes.
  d.  (1)  For the following years, to the department, for purposes of teacher leadership supplemental aid payments to school districts for implementing the career paths, leadership roles, and compensation framework or comparable system approved in accordance with section 284.15, subsection 7, the following amounts: 
  (a)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2016, fifty million six hundred thousand dollars.
  (b)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2017, fifty million six hundred thousand dollars.
  (2)  (a)  For the initial school year for which a school district receives department approval for and implements a framework or comparable system in accordance with section 284.15, teacher leadership supplement foundation aid payable to that school district shall be paid from the allocation made in subparagraph (1) for that school year. For that school year, the teacher leadership supplement foundation aid payable to the school district is the product of the teacher leadership district cost per pupil for the school year multiplied by the school district’s budget enrollment. The board of directors of the district of residence shall pay to the receiving district any moneys received for a pupil under subparagraph (1) if the pupil is participating in open enrollment under section 282.18 and both the district of residence and the receiving district are receiving an allocation under subparagraph (1).
  (b)  For budget years subsequent to the initial school year for which a school district implemented a system and received funding pursuant to subparagraph division (a), the teacher leadership supplement foundation aid payable to that school district shall be paid from the appropriation made in section 257.16. 
  (3)  Of the moneys allocated to the department for the purposes of this paragraph “d”, for each fiscal year included in subparagraph (1), not more than six hundred twenty-six thousand one hundred ninety-one dollars shall be used by the department for the development of a delivery system, in collaboration with area education agencies, to assist in implementing the career paths and leadership roles considered pursuant to sections 284.15, 284.16, and 284.17, including but not limited to planning grants to school districts and area education agencies, technical assistance for the department, technical assistance for districts and area education agencies, training and staff development, and the contracting of external expertise and services. In using moneys allocated for purposes of this subparagraph (3), the department shall give priority to school districts with certified enrollments of fewer than six hundred students. A portion of the moneys allocated annually to the department for purposes of this subparagraph (3) may be used by the department for administrative purposes and for not more than five full-time equivalent positions.
  (4)  Of the moneys allocated to the department for purposes of this paragraph “d”, for each fiscal year of the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2017, the amount remaining after the allocations in subparagraph (3) shall be payable to the school districts that have an approved career path, leadership roles, and compensation framework or approved comparable system as provided in section 284.15.
  (5)  For each fiscal year of the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2017, moneys received by a school district pursuant to this paragraph “d” shall not be considered under chapter 20 by an arbitrator or other third party in determining a comparison of the wages of teachers in that school district with the wages of teachers in another school district. 
  (6)  The receipt of funding by a school district for the purposes of this paragraph “d”, and the need for additional funding for the purposes of this paragraph “d”, or the enrollment count of eligible students under this chapter, shall not be considered to be unusual circumstances, create an unusual need for additional funds, or qualify under any other circumstances that may be used by the school budget review committee to grant supplemental aid to or establish a modified supplemental amount for a school district under section 257.31.
  e.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, to the department an amount up to fifty thousand dollars for purposes of the fine arts beginning teacher mentoring program established under section 256.34.
  f.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025, to the department an amount up to six hundred twenty-six thousand one hundred ninety-one dollars shall be used by the department for a delivery system, in collaboration with area education agencies, to assist in implementing the career paths and leadership roles considered pursuant to sections 284.15, 284.16, and 284.17, including but not limited to planning grants to school districts and area education agencies, technical assistance for the department, technical assistance for districts and area education agencies, training and staff development, and the contracting of external expertise and services. In using moneys allocated for purposes of this paragraph, the department shall give priority to school districts with certified enrollments of fewer than six hundred students. A portion of the moneys allocated annually to the department for purposes of this paragraph may be used by the department for administrative purposes and for not more than five full-time equivalent positions.
  g.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and for each subsequent fiscal year, to the department, ten million dollars for purposes of implementing the supplemental assistance for high-need schools provisions of section 284.11. Annually, of the moneys allocated to the department for purposes of this paragraph, up to one hundred thousand dollars may be used by the department for administrative purposes and for not more than one full-time equivalent position.
  h.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, any moneys remaining unencumbered or unobligated from the moneys allocated for purposes of paragraphs “a” through “g” shall not revert but shall remain available in the succeeding fiscal year for expenditure for the purposes designated. The provisions of section 8.39 shall not apply to the funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection.
  2.  Moneys received by a school district under this chapter are miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257 or are considered encumbered. A school district shall maintain a separate listing within its budget for payments received and expenditures made pursuant to this section.
  3.  The state board may adopt rules which assure the allocation of resources under this section in a manner that optimizes the fulfillment of the purposes specified in sections 284.11, 284.15, 284.16, and 284.17.
2001 Acts, ch 177, §12, 15; 2002 Acts, ch 1152, §19, 20; 2003 Acts, ch 179, §116, 117; 2003 Acts, ch 182, §16, 17, 19, 20; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §97, 98, 100; 2005 Acts, ch 169, §30 – 33; 2006 Acts, ch 1180, §26, 27; 2006 Acts, ch 1182, §25, 26; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §36 – 45, 64; 2007 Acts, ch 215, §103; 2008 Acts, ch 1181, §82 – 85; 2009 Acts, ch 177, §40 – 42, 45, 48; 2010 Acts, ch 1183, §34; 2011 Acts, ch 132, §19, 106; 2012 Acts, ch 1132, §13; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §67 – 69; 2013 Acts, ch 141, §20; 2014 Acts, ch 1135, §25 – 27; 2015 Acts, ch 140, §15 – 17, 58, 59; 2016 Acts, ch 1132, §14 – 16; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §36 – 38; 2018 Acts, ch 1026, §103, 104; 2018 Acts, ch 1163, §21; 2019 Acts, ch 135, §17; 2021 Acts, ch 170, §21; 2022 Acts, ch 1149, §14; 2023 Acts, ch 111, §37; 2024 Acts, ch 1152, §11
Referred to in §257.9, 257.10, 284.6, 284.11
Subsection 1, paragraphs a, b, c, e, f, and g amended

     
284.14  Pay-for-performance program.
  1.  Intent.  The intent of this section is to create a process by which select Iowa school districts research, develop, and implement projects designed to identify promising practices related to enhanced teacher compensation career ladders and performance pay models.
  2.  Commission.  A pay-for-performance commission is established to design and implement a pay-for-performance pilot project and provide a study relating to teacher and staff compensation containing a pay-for-performance component. The study shall measure the cost and effectiveness in raising student achievement of a compensation system that provides financial incentives based on student performance. The commission is part of the executive branch of government.
  3.  Development of program.  Beginning July 1, 2006, the commission shall gather sufficient information to identify a pay-for-performance program based upon student achievement gains and global content standards where student achievement gains cannot be easily measured. The commission shall review pay-for-performance programs in both the public and private sectors.
  a.  Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2007, the commission shall initiate planning pilots, in selected kindergarten through grade twelve schools, to test the effectiveness of the pay-for-performance program. The purpose of the planning pilots is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various pay-for-performance program designs, evaluate cost effectiveness, analyze student achievement needs, select formative and summative student achievement measures that align to identify needs, consider necessary supports related to the student achievement goals, review assessment needs, identify mechanisms to account for existing teacher contract provisions within the proposed career ladder salary increments, allow thorough review of data, and make necessary adjustments before proposing implementation of the pay-for-performance program statewide.
  b.  Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2007, the commission shall select two school districts as planning pilots. Participants shall provide reports or other information as required by the commission.
  c.  Commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2008, the commission shall administer two implementation pilots in the school districts selected for planning pilots under paragraph “b”.
  4.  Reports and final study.  Based on the information generated by the planning and implementation pilots, the commission shall prepare an interim report by January 14, 2008, followed by interim progress reports annually, followed by a final study report analyzing the effectiveness of pay-for-performance in raising student achievement levels. The final study report shall be completed no later than six months after the completion of the planning and implementation pilots. The commission shall provide copies of the final study report to the department of education and to the general assembly.
  5.  Iowa excellence fund.
  a.  An Iowa excellence fund is created within the office of the treasurer of state, to be administered by the commission. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain in the fund.
  b.  The commission may provide grants from this fund, according to criteria developed by the commission, for implementation of the pay-for-performance program.
2006 Acts, ch 1182, §27; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §46 – 48; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §102; 2023 Acts, ch 90, §8

     
284.14A  Career ladder pilots.  Repealed by 2012 Acts, ch 1119, §8.

  
     
284.15  Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation framework.
  1.  To promote continuous improvement in Iowa’s quality teaching workforce and to give Iowa teachers the opportunity for career recognition that reflects the various roles teachers play as educational leaders, a framework for Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation is established under subsection 2 for teachers employed by school districts. Pursuant to subsection 7, a school district may apply to the department for approval to implement the framework or a comparable system of career paths and compensation for teachers that contains differentiated, multiple leadership roles as provided in this section, and sections 284.16 and 284.17. A teacher employed by an area education agency may be included in a framework or comparable system established by a school district if the area education agency and the school district enter into a contract for such purpose. The framework is designed to accomplish the following goals:
  a.  To attract able and promising new teachers by offering competitive starting salaries and offering short-term and long-term professional development and leadership opportunities.
  b.  To retain effective teachers by providing enhanced career opportunities.
  c.  To promote collaboration by developing and supporting opportunities for teachers in schools and school districts statewide to learn from each other.
  d.  To reward professional growth and effective teaching by providing pathways for career opportunities that come with increased leadership responsibilities and involve increased compensation.
  e.  To improve student achievement by strengthening instruction.
  2.  The Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation requirements under the framework shall be as follows:
  a.  Initial teacher.
  (1)  (a)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the salary for an initial teacher who has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 256.145 or holds an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, shall be at least forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars, which shall also constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
  (b)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, the salary for an initial teacher who has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 256.145 or holds an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, shall be at least fifty thousand dollars, which shall also constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
  (2)  An initial teacher shall complete a teacher residency during the first year of employment that has all of the following characteristics:
  (a)  Intensive supervision or mentoring by a mentor teacher or lead teacher.
  (b)  Sufficient collaboration time for the initial teacher in the residency year to be able to observe and learn from model teachers, mentor teachers, and lead teachers employed by school districts located in this state.
  (c)  A teaching contract issued under section 279.13 that establishes an employment period which is five days longer than that required for career teachers employed by the school district of employment. The five additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection.
  (d)  Frequent observation, evaluation, and professional development opportunities.
  b.  Career teacher.  A career teacher is a teacher who holds a statement of professional recognition issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, or who meets all of the following requirements:
  (1)  Has demonstrated the competencies of a career teacher as determined under the school district’s comprehensive evaluation of the initial teacher.
  (2)  Holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3.
  (3)  Participates in teacher professional development as set forth in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
  c.  Model teacher.  A model teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of paragraph “b”, has met the requirements established by the school district that employs the teacher, is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a model teacher, has participated in a rigorous review process, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a model teacher by a site-based review council appointed pursuant to subsection 5. A school district shall designate at least ten percent of its teachers as model teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this requirement through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to model teachers shall exceed by five days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the five additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A model teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least two thousand dollars.
  d.  Mentor teacher.  A mentor teacher is a teacher who is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies and superior teaching skills of a mentor teacher, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a mentor teacher by a site-based review council appointed pursuant to subsection 5. In addition, a mentor teacher shall hold a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, participate in teacher professional development as outlined in this chapter, demonstrate continuous improvement in teaching, and possess the skills and qualifications to assume leadership roles. A mentor teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than seventy-five percent student instruction to allow the teacher to mentor other teachers. A school district shall designate at least ten percent of its teachers as mentor teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this requirement through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to mentor teachers shall exceed by ten days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the ten additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A mentor teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least five thousand dollars.
  e.  Lead teacher.  A lead teacher is a teacher who holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a lead teacher by a site-based review council appointed pursuant to subsection 5. The recommendation from the council must assert that the teacher possesses superior teaching skills and the ability to lead adult learners. A lead teacher shall assume leadership roles that may include but are not limited to the planning and delivery of professional development activities designed to improve instructional strategies; the facilitation of an instructional leadership team within the lead teacher’s building, school district, or other school districts; the mentoring of other teachers; and participation in the evaluation of student teachers. A lead teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than fifty percent student instruction to allow the lead teacher to spend time on co-teaching; co-planning; peer reviews; observing career teachers, model teachers, and mentor teachers; and other duties mutually agreed upon by the superintendent and the lead teacher. A school district shall designate at least five percent of its teachers as lead teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this requirement through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to lead teachers shall exceed by fifteen days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the fifteen additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A lead teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least ten thousand dollars.
  3.  a.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the salary for a career teacher, model teacher, mentor teacher, or lead teacher, who holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, and who has been a teacher for at least twelve years, shall be at least sixty thousand dollars.
  b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, the salary for a career teacher, model teacher, mentor teacher, or lead teacher, who holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, and who has been a teacher for at least twelve years, shall be at least sixty-two thousand dollars.
  4.  The salary supplement received by a teacher assigned to a leadership role shall fully cover the salary costs of the additional contract days required of teachers in those leadership roles. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the determinations of salary supplements paid pursuant to this section are not subject to appeal.
  5.  The school board shall appoint a site-based review council for the district’s attendance centers. Attendance centers may share a site-based review council if the appointments meet the requirements specified in paragraph “a”. 
  a.  Each council shall be comprised of equal numbers of teachers and administrators.
  b.  The council shall accept and review applications submitted to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment or reassignment in a teacher leadership role, and shall make recommendations regarding the applications to the superintendent of the school district. In developing recommendations, the council shall utilize measures of teacher effectiveness and professional growth, consider the needs of the school district, and review the performance and professional development of the applicants. Any teacher recommended for assignment or reassignment in a teacher leadership role shall have demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction competency on the Iowa teaching standards as set forth in section 284.3.
  c.  An assignment in a teacher leadership role under an approved framework or comparable system shall be subject to review by the school’s or the school district’s administration at least annually. The review shall include peer feedback on the effectiveness of the teacher’s performance of duty specific to the teacher’s career path. A teacher who completes the time period of assignment in a teacher leadership role may apply to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment in a new role, if appropriate, or for reassignment.
  6.  A teacher employed in a school district shall not receive less compensation in that district than the teacher received in the school year preceding implementation of the framework or a comparable system approved pursuant to this section. A teacher who achieves national board for professional teaching standards certification and meets the requirements of section 256.44 shall continue to receive the award as specified in section 256.44 in addition to the compensation set forth in this section.
  7.  a.  A school district may apply to the department for approval to implement the career paths, leadership roles, and compensation framework specified in subsection 2, or a comparable system of career paths and compensation for teachers that contains differentiated multiple leadership roles. The director shall consider the recommendations of the commission established pursuant to subsection 12* when approving or disapproving applications submitted pursuant to this section. A school district may modify an approved framework or comparable system if the director or the director’s designee approves the modification. A school district may appeal the director’s or the director’s designee’s decision to the state board and the state board’s decision is final.
  b.  At any time during a school year, a school district approved to implement the framework or a comparable system pursuant to this subsection may apply to the department to waive full or partial implementation of the approved framework or system for the current school year. The school district shall submit to the department for approval a modified implementation plan for the school year following the school year for which the district received a waiver pursuant to this paragraph if the school district wishes to continue partial implementation beyond the school year for which the district received a waiver. The state board may adopt by rule a limitation on the number of times a school district may apply for a waiver in accordance with this paragraph.
  c.  A school district approved to implement the framework or a comparable system pursuant to this subsection shall submit to the director or the director’s designee for approval any proposed modification to the framework or comparable system.
  d.  By March 1 of the school year preceding implementation, a school district that has been approved to implement the framework or a comparable system pursuant to this subsection may opt out of implementation of the framework or comparable system by notifying the department of its intent to withdraw from implementation. The department shall notify the department of management that the school district is no longer approved to implement the framework or comparable system and is not eligible to receive teacher leadership supplement foundation aid under chapter 257 or this chapter.
  e.  A school district whose application for approval to implement a comparable system or modified comparable system is denied may appeal the department’s decision to the state board.
  8.  The department shall establish criteria and a process for application and approval of the framework established under subsection 1, and for comparable systems that meet the requirements of section 284.16 or 284.17, which a school district may implement pursuant to subsection 7.
  9.  For purposes of this section a comparable system means either of the following:
  a.  An instructional coach model as set forth in section 284.16 and approved by the department pursuant to this section.
  b.  A system of career paths and compensation for teachers that contains differentiated, multiple leadership roles as set forth in section 284.17 and approved by the department pursuant to this section. 
  10.  A school district is encouraged to utilize appropriately licensed teachers emeritus in the implementation of this section and sections 284.16 and 284.17.
  11.  The framework or comparable system approved and implemented by a school district in accordance with this section shall be applicable to teachers in every attendance center operated by the school district.
  12.  Subject to an appropriation by the general assembly for purposes of this subsection, a school district may apply to the department for a planning grant to design an implementation strategy for the framework established pursuant to subsection 1 or a comparable system of career paths and compensation for teachers that contains differentiated multiple leadership roles. The planning grant shall be used to facilitate a local decision-making process that includes representation of administrators, teachers, and parents and guardians of students. The department shall establish and make available an application for the awarding of planning grants for purposes of this subsection.
  13.  a.  Teacher leadership supplement foundation aid calculated under section 257.10, subsection 12, shall be paid as part of the state aid payments made to school districts in accordance with section 257.16. 
  b.  Notwithstanding section 284.3A, teacher leadership supplement foundation aid shall not be combined with regular wages to create a combined salary. 
  c.  The teacher leadership supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.10, subsection 12, is not subject to a uniform reduction in accordance with section 8.31.
  14.  The provisions of this chapter shall be subject to legislative review at least every three years. The status report shall review and report on the department’s assignment and utilization of full-time equivalent positions, and shall include information on teacher retention, teacher compensation, academic quality of beginning teachers, teacher evaluation results, student achievement trend and comparative data, and recommendations for changes to the teacher leadership supplement foundation aid and the framework or comparable systems approved pursuant to this section. The first status report shall be submitted to the general assembly by January 15, 2017, with subsequent status reports prepared and submitted to the general assembly by January 15 at least every third year thereafter.
2013 Acts, ch 121, §70; 2015 Acts, ch 29, §43, 44; 2016 Acts, ch 1036, §14; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §39, 40; 2023 Acts, ch 1, §17, 18; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2589 – 2592; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §41, 42; 2024 Acts, ch 1004, §38; 2024 Acts, ch 1027, §1; 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §301, 302
Referred to in §256.9, 256.163, 257.10, 284.3A, 284.6, 284.13, 284.16, 284.17
*Former subsection 12 stricken by 
2024 Acts, ch 1170, §301
; corrective legislation pending
See Code editor’s note on simple harmonization at the beginning of this Code volume
Subsection 2, paragraph a, subparagraph (1) amended
NEW subsection 3 and former subsections 3 – 11 renumbered as 4 – 12
Former subsection 12 stricken
Subsection 14 amended

  
     
284.16  Instructional coach model.
  1.  Instructional coach model.  The instructional coach and curriculum and professional development leader model shall include, at a minimum, the following levels and requirements:
  a.  Beginning teacher level.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the beginning teacher shall be paid not less than forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, the beginning teacher shall be paid not less than fifty thousand dollars. Each beginning teacher shall meet the following requirements:
  (1)  Has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 256.145 or holds an intern teacher license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3.
  (2)  Holds an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3.
  (3)  Completes, during the initial year of teaching, a teacher residency that meets the requirements set forth in section 284.15, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1).
  b.  Career teacher level.  A career teacher is a teacher who holds a statement of professional recognition issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, or who meets the following requirements:
  (1)  Has successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation.
  (2)  Is reviewed by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a career teacher.
  (3)  Holds a valid license issued under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3.
  (4)  Participates in teacher professional development as set forth in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
  c.  Instructional coach level.
  (1)  An instructional coach shall, at a minimum, meet the requirements specified for a career teacher in paragraph “b”, and engage full-time in instructional coaching.
  (2)  For purposes of this paragraph, “instructional coaching” means additional guidance in one or more aspects of the teaching profession provided to teachers.
  (3)  Assignment as an instructional coach to an individual teacher shall be based on either a request from a principal or from an individual teacher upon approval of a principal.
  (4)  Instructional coaching shall include detailed preliminary discussions as to areas in which the teachers being coached desire to improve; formulation of an action plan to bring about such improvement; in-class supervision by the instructional coach; postclass discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for improvement; and dialogue between the instructional coach and students and school officials regarding the teachers being coached. An instructional coach shall coordinate instructional coaching activities relating to training and professional development with an area education agency where appropriate.
  (5)  The contract term for an instructional coach shall exceed by ten days the contract term issued to career teachers under section 279.13. An instructional coach shall receive a stipend of not less than five thousand nor more than seven thousand dollars annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a career teacher. 
  d.  Curriculum and professional development leader level.  The contract term for a curriculum and professional development leader shall exceed by fifteen days the contract term issued to model teachers under section 279.13, and the curriculum and professional development leader shall receive a stipend of not less than ten thousand nor more than twelve thousand dollars annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a career teacher. A curriculum and professional development leader shall do the following:
  (1)  Provide and demonstrate teaching on an ongoing basis.
  (2)  Routinely work strategically with teachers in planning, monitoring, reviewing, and implementing best instructional practices.
  (3)  Observe and coach teachers in effective instructional practices.
  (4)  Support teacher growth and reflective practices.
  (5)  Work with and train classroom teachers to provide interventions aligned by subject area.
  (6)  Support instruction and learning through the use of technology.
  (7)  Actively participate in collaborative problem solving and reflective practices which include but are not limited to professional study groups, peer observations, grade level planning, and weekly team meetings.
  (8)  Plan and deliver professional development activities designed to improve instructional strategies.
  (9)  Engage in the development, adoption, and implementation of curriculum and curricular materials.
  e.  Model teacher level.
  (1)  A model teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of paragraph “b”, has met the requirements established by the school district that employs the teacher, is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a model teacher, has participated in a rigorous review process, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a model teacher by a site-based review council in the manner provided under section 284.15, subsection 5. 
  (2)  The contract term for a model teacher shall exceed by five days the contract term issued to career teachers under section 279.13, and the five additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership. A model teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least two thousand dollars.
  2.  a.  Experienced teacher.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, a career teacher, instructional coach, curriculum and professional development leader, or model teacher, who has been a teacher for at least twelve years, shall be paid not less than sixty thousand dollars.
  b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, a career teacher, instructional coach, curriculum and professional development leader, or model teacher, who has been a teacher for at least twelve years, shall be paid not less than sixty-two thousand dollars.
  3.  Goals.  Each school district approved under section 284.15 to implement the instructional coach model as specified in this section shall establish the following goals for leadership participation:
  a.  Instructional coach goal.  Assignment, annually, of at least one instructional coach at each attendance center or at least one instructional coach for every five hundred students enrolled in an attendance center, whichever number is greater.
  b.  Model teacher goal.  Assignment of at least ten percent of its teachers annually as model teachers.
  c.  Equivalent leadership participation goal.  As nearly as possible, the total number of hours of coaching and leadership duties performed by instructional coaches and curriculum and professional development leaders shall be equal to the total number of hours of noninstructional, mentoring, and leadership duties for a school district teaching staff of equal size implementing the framework as set forth in section 284.15, subsection 2.
  4.  Requirements for implementation and receipt of teacher leadership supplement funds.  A school district implementing the instructional coach model shall receive funds under section 257.10, subsection 12.
  5.  Applicability.  The provisions of section 284.15, subsections 4 through 12, shall apply to school districts implementing the instructional coach model.
2013 Acts, ch 121, §71; 2017 Acts, ch 172, §41, 42; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2593 – 2595; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §43, 44
Referred to in §256.9, 284.13, 284.15, 284.17
Subsection 1, paragraph a, unnumbered paragraph 1 amended
NEW subsection 2 and former subsections 2 – 4 renumbered as 3 – 5

  
     
284.17  Comparable system criteria.
  Any comparable system of career paths and compensation for teachers approved pursuant to section 284.15, including the instructional coach model set forth in section 284.16, shall include, at a minimum, all of the following components:
  1.  a.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, the minimum salary of forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars for a full-time teacher who has less than twelve years of teaching experience and a minimum salary of sixty thousand dollars for a full-time teacher who has at least twelve years of teaching experience.
  b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each subsequent fiscal year, the minimum salary of fifty thousand dollars for a full-time teacher who has less than twelve years of teaching experience and a minimum salary of sixty-two thousand dollars for a full-time teacher who has at least twelve years of teaching experience.
  2.  Increased support for new teachers and veteran teachers where appropriate, such as additional coaching, mentoring, and opportunities for observing exceptional instructional practice.
  3.  Differentiated, multiple teacher leadership roles beyond the initial teacher and career teacher levels, in which a goal of at least twenty-five percent of the teacher workforce serves additional contract days with compensation commensurate with the responsibilities for the leadership role. A district shall demonstrate that a good faith effort has been made to attain participation by twenty-five percent of the teacher workforce and that no other practical alternative is available to meet the goal. These leadership roles may include but shall not be limited to all of the following:
  a.  Instructional coaches who engage full-time or part-time in instructional coaching.
  b.  Peer coaches who provide additional guidance in one or more aspects of the teaching profession to other teachers during normal noninstructional time. Peer coaches may be used only as one element of a more extensive teacher leadership plan.
  c.  Curriculum and professional development leaders who engage full-time or part-time in the planning, development, and implementation of curriculum and professional development.
  d.  Model teachers who teach full-time and serve as models of exemplary teaching practice.
  e.  Mentor teachers who teach full-time or part-time and also support the professional development of initial and career teachers.
  f.  Lead teachers who teach full-time or part-time and also plan and deliver professional development activities or engage in other activities designed to improve instructional strategies.
  4.  A rigorous selection process for placement into and retention in teacher leadership roles. The process shall include all of the following components:
  a.  The use of measures of effectiveness and professional growth to determine suitability for the role.
  b.  A selection committee that includes teachers and administrators who shall accept and review applications for assignment or reassignment to a teacher leadership role and shall make recommendations regarding the applications to the superintendent of the school district.
  c.  An annual review of the assignment to a teacher leadership role by the school’s or school district’s administration. The review shall include peer feedback on the effectiveness of the teacher’s performance of duty specific to the teacher’s leadership role. A teacher who completes the time period of assignment to a leadership role may apply to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment in a new leadership role, if appropriate, or for reassignment.
  d.  A requirement that a teacher assigned to a leadership role must have at least three years of teaching experience, and at least one year of experience in the school district.
  5.  A professional development system facilitated by teachers and other education experts and aligned with the Iowa professional development model adopted by the state board.
  6.  A school district approved to implement a comparable system pursuant to section 284.15, and which meets the requirements of this section, shall receive funds under section 257.10, subsection 12.
2013 Acts, ch 121, §72; 2020 Acts, ch 1062, §94; 2024 Acts, ch 1002, §45
Referred to in §256.9, 284.13, 284.15
Subsection 1 amended