(a) On or before July 1 each year, beginning in 2022 and ending in 2031, the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, in consultation with the Department and the Maryland Higher Education Commission, shall submit a report to the Board, the Governor, and in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on the progress made in increasing the preparation and diversity of teacher candidates and new teachers in the State as required by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
(b) The report required under subsection (a) of this section shall include:
(1) Data trends in:
(i) The number of applications to and acceptance by Maryland teacher education institutions and alternative programs that prepare educators, as a whole and disaggregated by gender, racial, and ethnic background;
(ii) Teacher quality as measured by the grades, class standing, and accountability test performance of students applying to and admitted to institutions and alternative programs;
(iii) The proportion of graduates of teacher education programs, including those graduates expecting to teach at the elementary school level, who have majored as undergraduates in the subjects they plan to teach to the total number of graduates of teacher education programs;
(iv) The proportion of new teachers hired in the State who were trained out of State to those trained in the State;
(v) The satisfaction of school district officials with newly hired teachers who have just graduated from Maryland institutions as determined by the school district officials’ responses to questions on a form the officials helped develop; and
(vi) The proportion of graduates of teacher education programs who pass required tests for licensure on the first attempt and after subsequent attempts;
(2) Measures taken to increase the proportion of highly qualified individuals from groups historically underrepresented in the teaching profession who apply to teacher education institutions;
(3) Measures taken to increase the number of high school graduates with very strong academic backgrounds who select teaching as a career;
(4) Measures taken to make teacher education in the underlying disciplines more rigorous;
(5) Measures taken to better align the programs of the teacher education institutions with State curriculum frameworks;
(6) Measures taken to improve the background of beginning teachers in research and research techniques;
(7) Implementation of more rigorous licensing standards and measures for new teachers in both mastery of the subject being taught and the methods for teaching it;
(8) Implementation of incentives to attract high–quality high school graduates into careers in teaching;
(9) Trends in the rates at which teachers are acquiring the credentials needed to advance up the career ladder, established under Title 6, Subtitle 10 of this article, including National Board Certification and higher steps on the ladder;
(10) Trends in the distribution of teachers along the steps of the career ladder;
(11) Trends in longevity in teaching in Maryland schools and, in particular, schools serving high proportions of historically underserved students;
(12) Trends in the number of teacher candidates of color hired by local school systems disaggregated by higher education institution and alternative teacher preparation program and the systems in which those new teachers were hired; and
(13) Trends in the number of teachers certified through alternative preparation programs that meet the requirements of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future related to a longer practicum by school system.