1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing an alternative teacher preparation program 
1.3 	and limited-term teacher license;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes, chapter 122A.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [122A.245] ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM 
1.7 	AND LIMITED-TERM TEACHER LICENSE.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Requirements. (a) The Board of Teaching must approve qualified 
1.9 	teacher preparation programs under this section that are a means to acquire a two-year 
1.10 	limited-term license and to prepare for acquiring a standard entrance license. Partnerships 
1.11 	composed of school districts or charter schools and either:
1.12 	(1) a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation 
1.13 	program; or
1.14 	(2) a nonprofit corporation formed for an education-related purpose and subject 
1.15 	to chapter 317A and a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher 
1.16 	preparation program may offer this program if:
1.17 	(i) a need for teachers exists based on the determination by a participating school 
1.18 	district or charter school that in the previous school year too few qualified candidates 
1.19 	applied for its posted, available teaching positions;
1.20 	(ii) the teaching staff does not reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the student 
1.21 	population of the district or charter school; or
1.22 	(iii) the school district or charter school identifies a need to reduce or eliminate a 
1.23 	student achievement gap based on school performance report card data under section 
1.24 	120B.36.
2.1 	(b) To participate in this program, a candidate must:
2.2 	(1) have a bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, or have a 
2.3 	bachelor's degree and meet other board-adopted criteria;
2.4 	(2) pass the reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination under section 
2.5 	122A.18; and
2.6 	(3) obtain qualifying scores on board-approved content area and pedagogy tests.
2.7 		Subd. 2.Characteristics. An alternative teacher preparation program under this 
2.8 	section must include:
2.9 	(1) a minimum 200-hour instructional phase that provides intensive preparation 
2.10 	before that person assumes classroom responsibilities;
2.11 	(2) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on best teaching practices 
2.12 	to increase student proficiency and growth measured against state academic standards;
2.13 	(3) strategies to combine pedagogy and best teaching practices to better inform 
2.14 	teachers' classroom instruction;
2.15 	(4) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of the program participant to determine 
2.16 	the participant's specific needs throughout the program and to support the participant 
2.17 	in successfully completing the program;
2.18 	(5) formal instruction and intensive peer coaching throughout the school year that 
2.19 	provide structured guidance and regular ongoing support;
2.20 	(6) high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-embedded staff development 
2.21 	opportunities conducted by a mentor or by a mentorship team that may include school 
2.22 	administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members and are directed at improving 
2.23 	student learning and achievement; and
2.24 	(7) a requirement that program participants demonstrate to the local site team under 
2.25 	subdivision 5 that they are making satisfactory progress toward acquiring a standard 
2.26 	entrance license from the Board of Teaching.
2.27 		Subd. 3.Program approval. The Board of Teaching must approve alternative 
2.28 	teacher preparation programs under this section based on board-adopted criteria that reflect 
2.29 	best practices for alternative teacher preparation programs consistent with this section. 
2.30 	The board must permit licensure candidates to demonstrate licensure competencies in 
2.31 	school-based settings and through other nontraditional means.
2.32 		Subd. 4.Employment conditions. Where applicable, teachers with a limited-term 
2.33 	license under this section are subject to the terms of the local collective bargaining 
2.34 	agreement between the local representative of the teachers and the school board.
2.35 		Subd. 5.Approval for standard entrance license. A local site team that may 
2.36 	include teachers, school administrators, postsecondary faculty, and nonprofit staff must 
3.1 	evaluate the performance of the teacher candidate using the Minnesota State Standards of 
3.2 	Effective Practice for Teachers established in rule and submit to the board an evaluation 
3.3 	report recommending whether or not to issue the teacher candidate a standard entrance 
3.4 	license.
3.5 		Subd. 6.Standard entrance license. The Board of Teaching must issue a standard 
3.6 	entrance license to a teacher candidate under this section who successfully performs 
3.7 	throughout the program and is recommended for licensure under subdivision 5.
3.8 		Subd. 7.Qualified teacher. A person with a valid limited-term license under this 
3.9 	section is the teacher of record and a qualified teacher within the meaning of section 
3.10 	122A.16.
3.11 		Subd. 8.Reports. The Board of Teaching must submit an interim report on the 
3.12 	efficacy of this program to the K-12 Education Policy and Finance committees of the 
3.13 	legislature by February 15, 2012, and a final report by February 15, 2014.

3.14 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2010-2011 school year and 
3.15 	later.