20-4-702. Teacher residency program. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall administer a teacher residency program in collaboration with school districts and professional educator preparation programs.

(2) The teacher residency program must involve:

(a) a shared vision and partnership between:

(i) a resident;

(ii) a teacher-leader;

(iii) a school district; and

(iv) an educator preparation program;

(b) ensuring that a resident possesses the cultural competencies to succeed and be an effective educator in the school hosting the resident;

(c) selection and training for teacher-leaders;

(d) a resident being matched with a school district that provides a high-quality and supportive experience for residents working with a teacher-leader;

(e) flexible course delivery to allow a resident to complete required credits in the resident's preparation program;

(f) a cohort model with opportunities for virtual and in-person training and support;

(g) financial and other compensation for residents and teacher-leaders including:

(i) housing for the resident or a housing allowance provided to the resident by the host school district;

(ii) for a resident in a professional educator preparation program accredited by the board of public education, a last-dollar tuition grant to eliminate tuition costs for the resident for the year of the residency;

(iii) a stipend for the teacher-leader; and

(iv) compensation for the resident, a portion of which may be conditioned on completion of the program and the signing of a teaching contract in a Montana public school for the following year; and

(h) a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction may contract with a professional educator preparation program located in a unit of the Montana university system to coordinate the teacher residency program or aspects of the program.

(4) If a resident does not complete the program or does not teach in a Montana public school for 3 or more years within 5 years of completing the teacher residency program, the superintendent of public instruction shall inform the commissioner of higher education and the commissioner shall convert the amount of any tuition grant provided to the resident under the program to a loan.

(5) For the purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:

(a) "Professional educator preparation program" means a postsecondary program intended to lead to teacher licensure that is accredited by the board of public education or recognized by the board as an essentially equivalent program for teacher certification purposes.

(b) "Resident" means a student enrolled in a professional educator preparation program who is selected for participation in a teacher residency program as described in this section and who commits to teaching in a Montana public school following completion of the teacher residency program.

(c) "Teacher-leader" means an experienced classroom teacher who is selected to work with, coach, and mentor a resident.

(d) "Teacher residency program" or "program" means a partnership between a district and a professional educator preparation program to provide residents with a year-long, practice-based learning experience working directly with students in a manner that mirrors the experience of teachers in that school and meets the criteria of supervised teaching experience as defined by the board of public education.