1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing course preparation and continuing education 
1.3 	requirements for school administrators and teachers working with gifted and 
1.4 	talented students;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 122A.14, by 
1.5 	adding subdivisions; 122A.18, by adding subdivisions.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.14, is amended by adding a 
1.8 	subdivision to read:
1.9 		Subd. 2a.Graduate gifted and talented preparation. A university approved by 
1.10 	the board to prepare candidates for administrative licensure must require the candidate, 
1.11 	as part of the preparation program, to demonstrate competency in administering gifted 
1.12 	and talented services. A university under this section must use the administrative 
1.13 	professional preparation standards developed by a national gifted education organization 
1.14 	to define competency and the program standards of the university to evaluate a candidate's 
1.15 	competency.

1.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
1.17 	and applies to candidates who enroll in either a traditional or an alternative preparation 
1.18 	administrator licensure program after August 15, 2009.

1.19 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.14, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.20 	to read:
1.21 		Subd. 2b.Relicensure requirements; gifted and talented training. (a) A 
1.22 	university that provides approved graduate-level courses and programs in educational 
1.23 	administration also must provide opportunities in each five-year licensing period for 
2.1 	administrators to obtain continuing education credits and training in working with gifted 
2.2 	and talented students.
2.3 	(b) In each five-year licensing period, an administrator with responsibilities for 
2.4 	gifted and talented students must acquire 12 clock hours of gifted and talented training for 
2.5 	relicensure. This training, which supplements training required by a school or district, 
2.6 	must:
2.7 	(1) focus on effectively supporting gifted and talented students, programs, and 
2.8 	other services using best gifted-education practices supported by research, theory, and 
2.9 	experience, and effective identification, instruction, programming, evaluation, and staff 
2.10 	development;
2.11 	(2) offer online, interactive, competency-based instruction, where appropriate, and 
2.12 	allow an administrator to submit to the local relicensing committee a brief professional 
2.13 	portfolio of achievements that documents effective support of gifted students under 
2.14 	clause (1); and
2.15 	(3) provide additional training to supplement in-service training offered by a school 
2.16 	district while allowing an administrator to count toward relicensure the district-sponsored 
2.17 	"quality" in-service clock hours that meet professional in-service standards within gifted 
2.18 	education.

2.19 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
2.20 	and applies to administrators with responsibilities for gifted and talented students who 
2.21 	seek relicensure after August 15, 2009.

2.22 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.14, is amended by adding a subdivision 
2.23 	to read:
2.24 		Subd. 2c.Preparation and relicensure training; board review. (a) Upon the 
2.25 	request of a university, the board must review and approve traditional preparation 
2.26 	sequences for school administrators and the sequence of competencies in administering 
2.27 	gifted and talented student programs and services. The board, in consultation with 
2.28 	the commissioner, also must consider alternative preparation programs for building 
2.29 	administrator competencies in serving gifted and talented students, including the 
2.30 	alternative licensing under section 122A.27 among other programs.
2.31 	(b) The board also may advise a university, upon request, on developing and 
2.32 	implementing online and traditional continuing education programs focused on building 
2.33 	competencies for administering gifted and talented programs and other gifted services.

2.34 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

3.1 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
3.2 	to read:
3.3 		Subd. 10.Teacher preparation; gifted and talented instruction. A college 
3.4 	or university with a teacher preparation program approved by the board must require 
3.5 	a teacher candidate to demonstrate competency in recognizing gifted students and in 
3.6 	providing classroom instruction to gifted and talented students. A college or university 
3.7 	must use the preservice professional preparation standards developed by a national gifted 
3.8 	education organization to define competency and the teacher training standards of the 
3.9 	college or university to evaluate a teacher candidate's competency.

3.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
3.11 	and applies to teacher candidates who enroll in either a traditional or an alternative 
3.12 	preparation teacher licensure program after August 15, 2009.

3.13 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
3.14 	to read:
3.15 		Subd. 11.Relicensure requirements; gifted education. In any five-year relicensing 
3.16 	period a teacher must complete at least one service clock hour on effectively identifying, 
3.17 	teaching, and programming for gifted and talented students. Such service hours must 
3.18 	supplement district-sponsored quality in-service clock hours that meet professional 
3.19 	development standards within gifted education. As an alternative to the clock hours, a 
3.20 	teacher may submit to the local recertification committee a brief professional portfolio 
3.21 	of achievements that documents the teacher's effective support of and competency with 
3.22 	gifted and talented students.

3.23 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
3.24 	and applies to teachers who seek relicensure after August 15, 2009.

3.25 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
3.26 	to read:
3.27 		Subd. 12.Gifted and talented teachers; preservice training. A college or 
3.28 	university with a teacher preparation program approved by the board must require a 
3.29 	teacher candidate seeking initial licensure as a gifted and talented teacher to demonstrate 
3.30 	competency in recognizing giftedness and providing classroom instruction to gifted and 
3.31 	talented students. A teacher preparation program must use the preservice professional 
3.32 	preparation standards developed by a national gifted education organization to define 
4.1 	competency and the teacher training standards of the program to evaluate a teacher 
4.2 	candidate's competency.

4.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
4.4 	and applies to teacher candidates who enroll in either a traditional or an alternative 
4.5 	preparation teacher licensure program after August 15, 2009.

4.6 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
4.7 	to read:
4.8 		Subd. 13.Gifted and talented teachers; relicensure requirements. In any 
4.9 	five-year relicensing period, a gifted and talented teacher must complete 25 clock hours 
4.10 	focused exclusively on effectively identifying, teaching, and programming for gifted and 
4.11 	talented students. These hours supplement required in-service training offered through a 
4.12 	school district. However, education may count toward relicensure those district-sponsored 
4.13 	quality in-service clock hours that meet professional development standards within 
4.14 	gifted education. As an alternative to the clock hours, a teacher may submit to the local 
4.15 	recertification committee a brief professional portfolio of achievements that documents 
4.16 	the teacher's effective support of and competency with gifted and talented students.

4.17 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
4.18 	and applies to gifted and talented teachers who seek relicensure after August 15, 2009.

4.19 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
4.20 	to read:
4.21 		Subd. 14.Gifted and talented specialists and coordinators; graduate 
4.22 	preparation. To prepare gifted and talented specialists and coordinators, universities 
4.23 	offering board-approved graduate-level courses and programs must require gifted 
4.24 	specialists and coordinators to complete the equivalent of 12 graduate semester hours 
4.25 	focused on the characteristics, needs, and identification of and the programming for gifted 
4.26 	and talented students. Program requirements must include, among other requirements, 
4.27 	a practicum or student-teaching experience with gifted and talented students. As an 
4.28 	alternative to the clock hours, gifted and talented specialists and coordinators may submit 
4.29 	to the university a brief fee-based professional portfolio that documents the competency of 
4.30 	the specialist or coordinator in effectively supporting gifted and talented students.

4.31 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
4.32 	and requires specialists and coordinators to have completed 12 semester hours of training 
4.33 	under this section beginning September 1, 2014.

5.1 	Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a subdivision 
5.2 	to read:
5.3 		Subd. 15.Gifted and talented specialists and coordinators; relicensure 
5.4 	requirements. Gifted and talented specialists and coordinators must complete at least 25 
5.5 	clock hours in each five-year relicensing period that are focused within gifted education 
5.6 	on effectively identifying, teaching, programming and evaluating services for gifted and 
5.7 	talented students. Coordinators also may choose to focus on staff development that assists 
5.8 	gifted and talented students. Clock hours supplement the in-service training required by 
5.9 	an educator's district. Gifted specialists and coordinators may satisfy their relicensure 
5.10 	requirements with district-sponsored quality in-service hours that meet professional 
5.11 	development standards in gifted education. As an alternative to the clock hours, gifted 
5.12 	and talented specialists and coordinators may submit to their local district relicensure 
5.13 	committees a brief professional portfolio of professional achievements that documents the 
5.14 	competency of the specialist or coordinator in effectively supporting gifted and talented 
5.15 	students.

5.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment 
5.17 	and applies to gifted and talented specialists and coordinators who seek relicensure after 
5.18 	August 15, 2009.

5.19 	Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.18, is amended by adding a 
5.20 	subdivision to read:
5.21 		Subd. 16.Gifted and talented specialist and coordinator preparation and 
5.22 	relicensure instruction; board advisory role. (a) In consultation with the commissioner, 
5.23 	and at the request of a university, the board may review a university's alternative, 
5.24 	graduate-level preparation programs for gifted and talented program specialists and 
5.25 	coordinators. These programs must focus on effectively supporting gifted and talented 
5.26 	students and services, and be consistent with this section, section 122A.24, and other 
5.27 	alternative competency-based programs.
5.28 	(b) Also consistent with this section, the board, upon a university's request, may 
5.29 	advise the university on developing and implementing continuing education programs 
5.30 	designed for the relicensure of gifted and talented specialists and coordinators.

5.31 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.