HF 3307

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; ensuring that the standards for effective practice for
teachers includes technology and information literacy standards; establishing a
seven-year review cycle; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 122A.18,
subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 122A.18, subdivision 2, is amended to
read:

Subd. 2.

Teacher and support personnel qualifications.

(a) The Board of
Teaching must issue licenses under its jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be
qualified and competent for their respective positions.

(b) The board must require a person to successfully complete an examination of
skills in reading, writing, and mathematics before being granted an initial teaching license
to provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, or special
education programs. The board must require colleges and universities offering a board
approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance that includes a
formal diagnostic component to persons enrolled in their institution who did not achieve a
qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is a second
language. The colleges and universities must provide assistance in the specific academic
areas of deficiency in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score. School
districts must provide similar, appropriate, and timely remedial assistance that includes a
formal diagnostic component and mentoring to those persons employed by the district
who completed their teacher education program outside the state of Minnesota, received
a one-year license to teach in Minnesota and did not achieve a qualifying score on the
skills examination, including those persons for whom English is a second language. The
Board of Teaching shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature
on the total number of teacher candidates during the most recent school year taking the
skills examination, the number who achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the
number who do not achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the distribution of all
candidates' scores, the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once
before, and the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once before
and achieve a qualifying score.

(c) A person who has completed an approved teacher preparation program and
obtained a one-year license to teach, but has not successfully completed the skills
examination, may renew the one-year license for two additional one-year periods. Each
renewal of the one-year license is contingent upon the licensee:

(1) providing evidence of participating in an approved remedial assistance program
provided by a school district or postsecondary institution that includes a formal diagnostic
component in the specific areas in which the licensee did not obtain qualifying scores; and

(2) attempting to successfully complete the skills examination during the period
of each one-year license.

(d) The Board of Teaching must grant continuing licenses only to those persons who
have met board criteria for granting a continuing license, which includes successfully
completing the skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics.

(e) All colleges and universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare persons
for teacher licensure must include in their teacher preparation programs a common core
of teaching knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended for teacher
licensure. This common core shall meet the standards developed by the interstate new
teacher assessment and support consortium in its 1992 "model standards for beginning
teacher licensing and development deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin , new text end " new text begin and must include technology and information
literacy standards that are consistent with recommendations from the department's
educator licensing and teacher quality division. The board must develop and implement a
system for reviewing on a seven-year cycle all standards of effective practice for teachers
beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. new text end Amendments to standards adopted under this
paragraph are covered by chapter 14. The board of teaching shall report annually to
the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates
on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this paragraph during the
most recent school year.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end