HF 585

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 02/13/2025 02:44 p.m.

A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying provisions for teachers licensed in another state
to teach in Minnesota; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 122A.185,
subdivision 1; 122A.40, subdivision 5; 122A.41, subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 122A.185, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Tests.

(a) The board must adopt rules requiring applicants for Tier 3 and
Tier 4 licenses to pass an examination or performance assessment of general pedagogical
knowledge and examinations or assessments of licensure field specific content. An applicant
is exempt from the examination requirements if the applicant:

(1) completed a board-approved teacher preparation program;

(2) completed licensure via portfolio pursuant to section 122A.18, subdivision 10, and
the portfolio has been recommended;

(3) obtained national board certification from the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards; or

(4) completed a state-approved teacher preparation program in another state and passed
licensure examinations in that state, if applicable. The content examination requirement
does not apply if no relevant content exam exists. new text begin A candidate who successfully completed
a teacher preparation program and passed licensure examinations in another state is not
required to pass additional similar examinations in Minnesota.
new text end

(b) All testing centers in the state must provide monthly opportunities for untimed content
and pedagogy examinations. These opportunities must be advertised on the test registration
website. The board must require the exam vendor to provide other equitable opportunities
to pass exams, including: (1) waiving testing fees for test takers who qualify for federal
grants; (2) providing free, multiple, full-length practice tests for each exam and free,
comprehensive study guides on the test registration website; (3) making content and pedagogy
exams available in languages other than English for teachers seeking licensure to teach in
language immersion programs; and (4) providing free, detailed exam results analysis by
test objective to assist applicants who do not pass an exam in identifying areas for
improvement. Any applicant who has not passed a required exam after two attempts must
be allowed to retake the exam, including new versions of the exam, without being charged
an additional fee.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 122A.40, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Probationary period.

(a) The first three consecutive years of a teacher's first
teaching experience in Minnesota in a single district are deemed to be a probationary period
of employment, and, the probationary period in each district in which the teacher is thereafter
employed shall be one year. The school board must adopt a plan for written evaluation of
teachers during the probationary period that is consistent with subdivision 8. Evaluation
must occur at least three times periodically throughout each school year for a teacher
performing services during that school year; the first evaluation must occur within the first
90 days of teaching service. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers' workshops,
and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is absent from school
must not be included in determining the number of school days on which a teacher performs
services. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), during the probationary period any
annual contract with any teacher may or may not be renewed as the school board shall see
fit. However, the board must give any such teacher whose contract it declines to renew for
the following school year written notice to that effect before July 1. If the teacher requests
reasons for any nonrenewal of a teaching contract, the board must give the teacher its reason
in writing, including a statement that appropriate supervision was furnished describing the
nature and the extent of such supervision furnished the teacher during the employment by
the board, within ten days after receiving such request. The school board may, after a hearing
held upon due notice, discharge a teacher during the probationary period for cause, effective
immediately, under section 122A.44.

(b) A board must discharge a probationary teacher, effective immediately, upon receipt
of notice under section 122A.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), that the teacher's license has
been revoked due to a conviction for child abuse or sexual abuse.

(c) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for active military service and who promptly resumes teaching consistent with
federal reemployment timelines for uniformed service personnel under United States Code,
title 38, section 4312(e), is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience for purposes
of paragraph (a).

(d) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for maternity, paternity, or medical leave and who resumes teaching within 12
months of when the leave began is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a) if the probationary teacher completes a combined total of
three years of teaching service immediately before and after the leave.

(e) A probationary teacher must complete at least 90 days of teaching service each year
during the probationary period. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is absent
from school do not count as days of teaching service under this paragraph.

(f) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a teacher who has taught for three
consecutive years in a single school district or single charter school in Minnesota or another
state must serve a probationary period of no longer than one year in a Minnesota school
district.

new text begin (g) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a teacher with three consecutive years of
teaching experience in another state who served a probationary period in another state must
serve a probationary period of no longer than one year in a Minnesota school district.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 122A.41, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Probationary period; discharge or demotion.

(a) The first three consecutive
years of a teacher's first teaching experience in Minnesota in a single district are deemed to
be a probationary period of employment, and the probationary period in each district in
which the teacher is thereafter employed shall be one year. The school site management
team or the school board if there is no school site management team, shall adopt a plan for
a written evaluation of teachers during the probationary period according to subdivisions 3
and 5. Evaluation by the peer review committee charged with evaluating probationary
teachers under subdivision 3 shall occur at least three times periodically throughout each
school year for a teacher performing services during that school year; the first evaluation
must occur within the first 90 days of teaching service. Days devoted to parent-teacher
conferences, teachers' workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on
which a teacher is absent from school shall not be included in determining the number of
school days on which a teacher performs services. The school board may, during such
probationary period, discharge or demote a teacher for any of the causes as specified in this
code. A written statement of the cause of such discharge or demotion shall be given to the
teacher by the school board at least 30 days before such removal or demotion shall become
effective, and the teacher so notified shall have no right of appeal therefrom.

(b) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for active military service and who promptly resumes teaching consistent with
federal reemployment timelines for uniformed service personnel under United States Code,
title 38, section 4312(e), is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience for purposes
of paragraph (a).

(c) A probationary teacher whose first three years of consecutive employment are
interrupted for maternity, paternity, or medical leave and who resumes teaching within 12
months of when the leave began is considered to have a consecutive teaching experience
for purposes of paragraph (a) if the probationary teacher completes a combined total of
three years of teaching service immediately before and after the leave.

(d) A probationary teacher must complete at least 90 days of teaching service each year
during the probationary period. Days devoted to parent-teacher conferences, teachers'
workshops, and other staff development opportunities and days on which a teacher is absent
from school do not count as days of teaching service under this paragraph.

(e) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a teacher who has taught for three
consecutive years in a single school district or single charter school in Minnesota or another
state must serve a probationary period of no longer than one year in a Minnesota school
district.

new text begin (f) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a teacher with three consecutive years of
teaching experience in another state who served a probationary period in another state must
serve a probationary period of no longer than one year in a Minnesota school district.
new text end