HF 990

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 03/09/2011 09:56am

A bill for an act
relating to education; creating a new tiered teacher licensing system; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.09, subdivision 4.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.09, subdivision 4, is amended to
read:

Subd. 4.

License and rules.

(a) The board must adopt rules to license public school
teachers and interns subject to chapter 14.

(b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to successfully complete a skills
examination in reading, writing, and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher
licensure. Such rules must require college and universities offering a board-approved
teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance to persons who did not
achieve a qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is
a second language.

(c) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher preparation programs. The board,
upon the request of a postsecondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a licensed
graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist in resolving a dispute between the
person and a postsecondary institution providing a teacher preparation program when the
dispute involves an institution's recommendation for licensure affecting the person or the
person's credentials. At the board's discretion, assistance may include the application
of chapter 14.

(d) The board must provide the leadership and shall adopt rules for the redesign of
teacher education programs to implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum
that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective. The board shall implement
new systems of teacher preparation program evaluation to assure program effectiveness
based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes.

(e) The board must adopt rules requiring candidates for initial licenses to successfully
complete an examination of general pedagogical knowledge and examinations of
licensure-specific teaching skills. The rules shall be effective by September 1, 2001.
The rules under this paragraph also must require candidates for initial licenses to teach
prekindergarten or elementary students to successfully complete, as part of the examination
of licensure-specific teaching skills, test items assessing the candidates' knowledge,
skill, and ability in comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction under section
122A.06, subdivision 4, and their knowledge and understanding of the foundations of
reading development, the development of reading comprehension, and reading assessment
and instruction, and their ability to integrate that knowledge and understanding.

(f) The board must adopt rules requiring teacher educators to work directly with
elementary or secondary school teachers in elementary or secondary schools to obtain
periodic exposure to the elementary or secondary teaching environment.

(g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to candidates for initial licenses new text begin
based on appropriate professional competencies that are aligned with the board's licensing
system and students' diverse learning needs. The board must include these licenses in a
statewide differentiated licensing system that creates new leadership roles for successful
experienced teachers premised on a collaborative professional culture dedicated to meeting
students' diverse learning needs in the 21st century and formalizes mentoring and induction
for newly licensed teachers that is provided through a teacher support framework new text end .

(h) The board must design and implement an assessment system which requires a
candidate for an initial license and first continuing license to demonstrate the abilities
necessary to perform selected, representative teaching tasks at appropriate levels.

(i) The board must receive recommendations from local committees as established
by the board for the renewal of teaching licenses.

(j) The board must grant life licenses to those who qualify according to requirements
established by the board, and suspend or revoke licenses pursuant to sections 122A.20 and
214.10. The board must not establish any expiration date for application for life licenses.

(k) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing
their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further preparation in
the areas of using positive behavior interventions and in accommodating, modifying, and
adapting curricula, materials, and strategies to appropriately meet the needs of individual
students and ensure adequate progress toward the state's graduation rule.

(l) In adopting rules to license public school teachers who provide health-related
services for disabled children, the board shall adopt rules consistent with license or
registration requirements of the commissioner of health and the health-related boards who
license personnel who perform similar services outside of the school.

(m) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing
their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further reading
preparation, consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4. The rules do not take effect
until they are approved by law. Teachers who do not provide direct instruction including, at
least, counselors, school psychologists, school nurses, school social workers, audiovisual
directors and coordinators, and recreation personnel are exempt from this section.

(n) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed teachers who are renewing
their continuing license to include in their renewal requirements further preparation
in understanding the key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children and
adolescents.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies to newly issued and reissued teacher licenses beginning September 1, 2013.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin TIERED LICENSURE ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
new text end

new text begin (a) The Board of Teaching and the commissioner of education must jointly convene
and facilitate an advisory task force to develop recommendations for a statewide tiered
teacher licensure system, consistent with Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.09, subdivision
4, paragraph (g), that is premised on:
new text end

new text begin (1) appropriate research-based professional competencies that include content skills,
adaptive expertise, college-readiness preparation, multicultural skills, use of student
performance data, and skills for fostering citizenship, among other competencies that
improve all students' learning outcomes;
new text end

new text begin (2) ongoing teacher professional growth to enable teachers to develop multiple
professional competencies;
new text end

new text begin (3) an assessment system for evaluating teachers' performance that is aligned with
student expectations and value-added measures of student outcomes and includes an
emphasis on developing students' reading and literacy skills, among other measures and
outcomes, and recognizes and rewards successful teachers;
new text end

new text begin (4) an expectation that teachers progress through various stages of teaching
practice throughout their teaching careers and receive opportunities for leadership roles
commensurate with their practice and competency; and
new text end

new text begin (5) a periodic evaluation of the licensing structure to determine its effectiveness in
meeting students' learning needs.
new text end

new text begin When developing its recommendations, the task force is encouraged to consider, among
other resources, the draft "Model Core Teaching Standards" developed by the Interstate
Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium.
new text end

new text begin (b) Each of the following entities shall appoint a member to the advisory task force:
Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, the Minnesota
Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, the Minnesota Association of School
Personnel Administrators, the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association, the
Minnesota Secondary School Principals Association, the Parents United Network, the
Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota
School Boards Association, and the Minnesota Association of Career and Technical
Educators. The executive director of the Board of Teaching or the commissioner may
appoint additional advisory task force members. Task force members may seek advice
from the Educator Development and Resource Center at the University of Minnesota on
developing a research-based framework for a differentiated licensure system in Minnesota.
new text end

new text begin (c) Upon request, the commissioner must provide the task force with technical,
fiscal, and other support services.
new text end

new text begin (d) Task force members' terms and other task force matters are subject to Minnesota
Statutes, section 15.059. The commissioner may reimburse task force members from the
Department of Education's current operating budget but may not compensate task force
members for task force activities.
new text end

new text begin (e) The executive director of the Board of Teaching and the commissioner must
submit by February 15, 2012, a joint report to the education policy and finance committees
of the legislature recommending a differentiated statewide teacher licensing structure.
new text end

new text begin (f) The advisory task force expires on February 16, 2012.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

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