SF 144

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 02/23/2012 08:26am

A bill for an act
relating to education; establishing an alternative teacher preparation program and
limited term teacher license; amending teacher candidate assessments; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.09, subdivision 4; proposing coding for
new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 122A.

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 deleted text begin shall deleted text end 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. new text begin
Teacher preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs under
section 122A.245, among other programs, must include a performance-based assessment
that measures teacher candidates in at least three areas and that requires candidates to:
new text end

new text begin (1) plan instruction and assessment, and demonstrate their ability to organize
curriculum, instruction, and assessment to help diverse students meet academic content
standards and develop language for that content and to select, adapt, and design learning
tasks and materials that offer students equitable access to content;
new text end

new text begin (2) demonstrate how to develop students' understanding of academic content, engage
students in meaningful tasks, monitor students' understanding of those tasks, and use
students' response to inform learning; and
new text end

new text begin (3) develop evaluation criteria aligned with core academic standards and identified
learning objectives, analyze students' performance on assessments in the context of student
needs and identified learning objectives, provide student feedback, and use the analysis
to identify subsequent instructional content for individual students and classrooms of
students.
new text end

(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.

(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 August 1, 2012, and applies to
individuals who first enroll in a teacher preparation program in the 2012-2013 school
year or later.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [122A.245] ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM
AND TEACHER LICENSE FOR QUALIFIED NONTRADITIONAL TEACHER
CANDIDATES.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Requirements. new text end

new text begin (a) The Board of Teaching may approve teacher
preparation programs that are an alternative to a postsecondary teacher preparation
program and to the preparation program under section 122A.24 as a means of acquiring a
two-year provisional license in order to meet the requirements for acquiring a standard
license. Programs must be sponsored by a school district with a written agreement signed
by the school board and the local representative of the teachers or by a charter school with
the written agreement of its licensed staff, in partnership with either:
new text end

new text begin (1) a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation
program; or
new text end

new text begin (2) a nonprofit corporation formed for an education-related purpose that is subject to
chapter 317A and forms a partnership with a college or university with a board-approved
teacher preparation program.
new text end

new text begin (b) A program approved under paragraph (a) may only offer this program if one of
the following conditions exists:
new text end

new text begin (1) a need for teachers exists based on the determination by a participating district or
charter school that in the previous school year too few qualified candidates applied for
the number of posted teacher positions;
new text end

new text begin (2) the person having administrative control of the district or charter school
determines that a need exists to have school staff more adequately reflect the ethnic and
cultural diversity of the student population; or
new text end

new text begin (3) a need exists to reduce or eliminate the achievement gap as evidenced by student
growth and achievement data reported under section 120B.35, subdivision 1.
new text end

new text begin (c) To participate in this program, a candidate must:
new text end

new text begin (1) have a bachelor's degree with either a minimum 3.0 grade point average or meet
other criteria specified by the Board of Teaching;
new text end

new text begin (2) pass the reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination under section
122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (b); and
new text end

new text begin (3) obtain qualifying scores on board-approved content area and pedagogy tests
under section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (e).
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Characteristics. new text end

new text begin An alternative teacher preparation program offered by an
eligible college or university or nonprofit corporation under this section must include:
new text end

new text begin (1) a minimum 200-hour instructional phase that provides intensive preparation
before the teacher candidate assumes classroom responsibilities;
new text end

new text begin (2) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on best teaching practices
to increase student proficiency and growth as measured against state academic standards;
new text end

new text begin (3) strategies to combine pedagogy and best teaching practices to better inform
teachers' classroom instruction;
new text end

new text begin (4) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of the teacher candidate to determine
the teacher candidate's specific needs throughout the program and to support the teacher
candidate in successfully completing the program;
new text end

new text begin (5) formal instruction and intensive peer coaching during the school year that
provides structured guidance and regular ongoing support;
new text end

new text begin (6) high-quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-embedded staff development
opportunities, conducted by a mentor or by a mentorship team that may include school
administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members, that are directed at
improving student learning and achievement; and
new text end

new text begin (7) a requirement that teacher candidates demonstrate satisfactory progress toward
receiving a standard license from the Board of Teaching at the time their provisional
teaching license expires.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Program approval. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching must approve alternative
teacher preparation programs under this section based on board-adopted criteria that
reflect best practices for alternative teacher preparation programs, consistent with this
section. The board must permit teacher candidates to demonstrate licensure competencies
in school-based settings and through other nontraditional licensure pathways.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Employment conditions. new text end

new text begin Conditions of employment for the teacher
candidate under this section shall be established as part of the agreement under subdivision
1, paragraph (a), between the school board and the local representative of the teachers or
the charter school and its licensed staff.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Approval for standard license. new text end

new text begin A local school site team that may include
school administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members must evaluate the
performance of the teacher candidate under Minnesota Rules, part 8710.2000, and submit
to the board an evaluation report recommending whether or not to issue an otherwise
qualified teacher candidate a standard license.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Standard license. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching may issue a standard license
to an otherwise qualified teacher candidate under this section who successfully performs
throughout the program and is recommended for licensure under subdivision 4.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Qualified teacher. new text end

new text begin A person with a valid provisional teacher license
under this section is the teacher of record and a qualified teacher within the meaning
of section 122A.16.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 8. new text end

new text begin Reports. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching must submit an interim report on the
efficacy of this program to the committees of the legislature with primary jurisdiction
over kindergarten through grade 12 education policy and finance by February 15, 2013,
and a final report by February 15, 2015.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2011-2012 school year and
later.
new text end