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SF 547

as introduced - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 05/19/2013 12:50pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
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A bill for an act
relating to education; clarifying testing requirements related to teacher licensure;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 122A.09, subdivision 4; 122A.18,
subdivision 2; 122A.23, subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, 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 pass a skills examination in
reading, writing, and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher licensurenew text begin , except
that a person who is a nonnative English language speaker as verified by qualified
Minnesota school district personnel or Minnesota higher education institution faculty
and who directly instructs in that other language or provides world language instruction
under section 120B.022, subdivision 1, in that other language may take and pass the
skills examination at any time up to 36 months after becoming otherwise eligible for an
initial teaching license and may hold a temporary teaching license during that time
new text end . 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 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. Teacher
preparation programs including alternative teacher preparation programs under section
122A.245, among other programs, must include a content-specific, board-approved,
performance-based assessment that measures teacher candidates in three areas: planning
for instruction and assessment; engaging students and supporting learning; and assessing
student learning.

(e) The board must adopt rules requiring candidates for initial licenses to pass 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 pass, 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
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.

(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 (o) The board must establish an appeals process for nonnative English language
speaker candidates under paragraph (b) who have not achieved a passing score on the
examination. The appeals process must allow a candidate to demonstrate the candidate's
competence by an alternative, equally rigorous method.
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

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.18, subdivision 2, is amended to read:


Subd. 2.

Teacher and support personnel qualifications.

(a) The Board of
Teaching must issue licenses under its jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be
qualified and competent for their respective positions.

(b) The board must require a person to pass an examination of skills in reading,
writing, and mathematics before being granted an initial teaching license to provide direct
instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, or special education
programsnew text begin , except that the board may grant up to three one-year temporary teaching
licenses to a person who is a nonnative English language speaker as verified by qualified
Minnesota school district personnel or Minnesota higher education institution faculty and
directly instructs in that other language or provides world language instruction under
section 120B.022, subdivision 1, in that other language, consistent with section 122A.09,
subdivision 4, paragraph (b)
new text end . The board must require colleges and universities offering a
board approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance that includes a
formal diagnostic component to persons enrolled in their institution who did not achieve
a qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is a
second language. The colleges and universities must provide assistance in the specific
academic areas of deficiency in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score. The
Board of Teaching shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature
on the total number of teacher candidates during the most recent school year taking the
skills examination, the number who achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the
number who do not achieve a qualifying score on the examination, the distribution of all
candidates' scores, the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once
before, deleted text begin anddeleted text end the number of candidates who have taken the examination at least once before
and achieve a qualifying scorenew text begin , and the number of nonnative English language speakers
taking the examination under this paragraph
new text end .

(c) The Board of Teaching must grant continuing licenses only to those persons who
have met board criteria for granting a continuing license, which includes passing the skills
examination in reading, writing, and mathematicsnew text begin , consistent with paragraph (b) and
section 122A.09, subdivision 4, paragraph (b)
new text end .

(d) All colleges and universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare
persons for teacher licensure must include in their teacher preparation programs a common
core of teaching knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended
for teacher licensure. This common core shall meet the standards developed by the
interstate new teacher assessment and support consortium in its 1992 "model standards for
beginning teacher licensing and development." Amendments to standards adopted under
this paragraph are covered by chapter 14. The board of teaching shall report annually to
the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates
on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this paragraph during the
most recent school year.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

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

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.23, subdivision 2, is amended to read:


Subd. 2.

Applicants licensed in other states.

(a) Subject to the requirements of
sections 122A.18, subdivision 8, and 123B.03, the Board of Teaching must issue a teaching
license or a temporary teaching license under paragraphs (b) to (e) to an applicant who holds
at least a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and holds
or held a similar out-of-state teaching license that requires the applicant to successfully
complete a teacher preparation program approved by the issuing state, which includes
field-specific teaching methods and student teaching or essentially equivalent experience.

(b) The Board of Teaching must issue a teaching license to an applicant who:

(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components
required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and
grade levels if the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less
than a similar Minnesota license.

(c) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules and paragraph (h), must
issue up to three one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who holds or held
an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and grade levels, where
the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less than a similar
Minnesota license, but has not successfully completed all exams and human relations
preparation components required by the Board of Teaching.

(d) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules, must issue up to three
one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who:

(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components
required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field
and grade levels, where the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade
level less than a similar Minnesota license, but has not completed field-specific teaching
methods or student teaching or equivalent experience.

The applicant may complete field-specific teaching methods and student teaching
or equivalent experience by successfully participating in a one-year school district
mentorship program consistent with board-adopted standards of effective practice and
Minnesota graduation requirements.

(e) The Board of Teaching must issue a temporary teaching license for a term of
up to three years only in the content field or grade levels specified in the out-of-state
license to an applicant who:

(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components
required by the Board of Teaching; and

(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license where the out-of-state license is
more limited in the content field or grade levels than a similar Minnesota license.

(f) The Board of Teaching must not issue to an applicant more than three one-year
temporary teaching licenses under this subdivision.

(g) The Board of Teaching must not issue a license under this subdivision if the
applicant has not attained the additional degrees, credentials, or licenses required in a
particular licensure field.

(h) The Board of Teaching must require an applicant for a teaching license or a
temporary teaching license under this subdivision to pass a skills examination in reading,
writing, and mathematics before the board issues the license.new text begin However, the board may
issue a temporary one-year teaching license to an otherwise qualified applicant who has
not passed the skills examination; to be eligible for a continuing license, the applicant
must take and pass the skills examination during that one-year period.
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