1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; clarifying basic skills requirements for teacher candidates 
1.3 	and licensure; establishing an advisory task force;amending Minnesota Statutes 
1.4 	2012, sections 122A.18, subdivision 2; 122A.23, subdivision 2.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.18, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subd. 2.Teacher and support personnel qualifications. (a) The Board of 
1.8 	Teaching must issue licenses under its jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be 
1.9 	qualified and competent for their respective positions.
1.10 	(b) The board, until September 1, 2014, must require a person to pass an examination 
1.11 	of skills in reading, writing, and mathematics before being granted an initial teaching 
1.12 	license to provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, 
1.13 	or special education programs, except that the board may issue a temporary, one-year 
1.14 	teaching license to an otherwise qualified candidate who has not passed the skills 
1.15 	exam at the time the candidate successfully completes an approved teacher preparation 
1.16 	program. The board must require colleges and universities offering a board approved 
1.17 	teacher preparation program to provide remedial assistance that includes a formal 
1.18 	diagnostic component to persons enrolled in their institution who did not achieve a 
1.19 	qualifying score on the skills examination, including those for whom English is a 
1.20 	second language. The colleges and universities must provide assistance in the specific 
1.21 	academic areas of deficiency in which the person did not achieve a qualifying score. 
1.22 	School districts must provide similar, appropriate, and timely remedial assistance that 
1.23 	includes a formal diagnostic component to those persons employed by the district who 
1.24 	completed their teacher education program, who did not achieve a qualifying score on 
2.1 	the skills examination, including those persons for whom English is a second language 
2.2 	and persons under section 122A.23, subdivision 2, paragraph (h), who completed their 
2.3 	teacher's education program outside the state of Minnesota, and who received a temporary, 
2.4 	one-year license to teach in Minnesota. The Board of Teaching shall report annually to the 
2.5 	education committees of the legislature on the total number of teacher candidates during 
2.6 	the most recent school year taking the skills examination, the number who achieve a 
2.7 	qualifying score on the examination, the number who do not achieve a qualifying score on 
2.8 	the examination, the distribution of all candidates' scores, the number of candidates who 
2.9 	have taken the examination at least once before, and the number of candidates who have 
2.10 	taken the examination at least once before and achieve a qualifying score.
2.11 	(c) A person who has completed an approved teacher preparation program and 
2.12 	obtained a temporary, one-year teaching license, but has not passed the skills exam, may 
2.13 	have the board renew the temporary one-year license if the licensee:
2.14 	(1) provides evidence of participating in an approved remedial assistance program 
2.15 	through a school district or postsecondary institution that includes a formal diagnostic 
2.16 	component in the specific subject areas the licensee did not pass;
2.17 	(2) attempts to pass the skills exam during the one-year licensure period; and
2.18 	(3) the school district employing the licensee requests that the licensee continue to 
2.19 	teach for that district under a temporary license.
2.20 	(d) The Board of Teaching must grant continuing licenses only to those persons who 
2.21 	have met board criteria for granting a continuing license, which includes passing the skills 
2.22 	examination in reading, writing, and mathematics.
2.23 	(d) (e) All colleges and universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare 
2.24 	persons for teacher licensure must include in their teacher preparation programs a common 
2.25 	core of teaching knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended 
2.26 	for teacher licensure. This common core shall meet the standards developed by the 
2.27 	interstate new teacher assessment and support consortium in its 1992 "model standards for 
2.28 	beginning teacher licensing and development." Amendments to standards adopted under 
2.29 	this paragraph are covered by chapter 14. The board of teaching shall report annually to 
2.30 	the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates 
2.31 	on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this paragraph during the 
2.32 	most recent school year.
2.33 	(f) Notwithstanding this subdivision or other law to the contrary, beginning 
2.34 	September 1, 2014, a teacher is not required to pass an examination of skills in reading, 
2.35 	writing, and mathematics before the board grants the teacher an initial teaching license to 
3.1 	provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, or special 
3.2 	education programs.

3.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section, except paragraph (f), is effective the day 
3.4 	following final enactment. Paragraph (f) is effective beginning September 1, 2014.

3.5 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 122A.23, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
3.6 		Subd. 2.Applicants licensed in other states. (a) Subject to the requirements of 
3.7 	sections 122A.18, subdivision 8, and 123B.03, the Board of Teaching must issue a teaching 
3.8 	license or a temporary teaching license under paragraphs (b) to (e) to an applicant who holds 
3.9 	at least a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and holds 
3.10 	or held a similar out-of-state teaching license that requires the applicant to successfully 
3.11 	complete a teacher preparation program approved by the issuing state, which includes 
3.12 	field-specific teaching methods and student teaching or essentially equivalent experience.
3.13 	(b) The Board of Teaching must issue a teaching license to an applicant who:
3.14 	(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components 
3.15 	required by the Board of Teaching; and
3.16 	(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and 
3.17 	grade levels if the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less 
3.18 	than a similar Minnesota license.
3.19 	(c) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules and paragraph (h), must 
3.20 	issue up to three one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who holds or held 
3.21 	an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field and grade levels, where 
3.22 	the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade level less than a similar 
3.23 	Minnesota license, but has not successfully completed all exams and human relations 
3.24 	preparation components required by the Board of Teaching.
3.25 	(d) The Board of Teaching, consistent with board rules, must issue up to three 
3.26 	one-year temporary teaching licenses to an applicant who:
3.27 	(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components 
3.28 	required by the Board of Teaching; and
3.29 	(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license to teach the same content field 
3.30 	and grade levels, where the scope of the out-of-state license is no more than one grade 
3.31 	level less than a similar Minnesota license, but has not completed field-specific teaching 
3.32 	methods or student teaching or equivalent experience.
3.33 	The applicant may complete field-specific teaching methods and student teaching 
3.34 	or equivalent experience by successfully participating in a one-year school district 
4.1 	mentorship program consistent with board-adopted standards of effective practice and 
4.2 	Minnesota graduation requirements.
4.3 	(e) The Board of Teaching must issue a temporary teaching license for a term of 
4.4 	up to three years only in the content field or grade levels specified in the out-of-state 
4.5 	license to an applicant who:
4.6 	(1) successfully completed all exams and human relations preparation components 
4.7 	required by the Board of Teaching; and
4.8 	(2) holds or held an out-of-state teaching license where the out-of-state license is 
4.9 	more limited in the content field or grade levels than a similar Minnesota license.
4.10 	(f) The Board of Teaching must not issue to an applicant more than three one-year 
4.11 	temporary teaching licenses under this subdivision.
4.12 	(g) The Board of Teaching must not issue a license under this subdivision if the 
4.13 	applicant has not attained the additional degrees, credentials, or licenses required in a 
4.14 	particular licensure field.
4.15 	(h) The Board of Teaching must require Until September 1, 2014, an applicant for 
4.16 	a teaching license or a temporary teaching license under this subdivision to must pass 
4.17 	a skills examination in reading, writing, and mathematics before the board issues the 
4.18 	applicant a continuing teaching license. Consistent with section 122A.18, subdivision 2, 
4.19 	paragraph (c), and notwithstanding other provisions of this subdivision, the board may 
4.20 	issue a temporary, one-year teaching license to an otherwise qualified applicant who has 
4.21 	not passed the skills exam and the board may renew this temporary license if the school 
4.22 	district employing the applicant requests that the applicant continue to teach for that 
4.23 	district under a temporary license.  Notwithstanding this subdivision or other law to the 
4.24 	contrary, beginning September 1, 2014, a teacher is not required to pass an examination of 
4.25 	skills in reading, writing, and mathematics before the board grants the teacher a continuing 
4.26 	license to provide direct instruction to pupils in prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, 
4.27 	or special education programs.

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

4.29 	Sec. 3. TEACHER LICENSURE ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
 4.30 	(a) A Teacher Licensure Advisory Task Force is established to make 
4.31 	recommendations to the Board of Teaching, the education commissioner, and the education 
4.32 	committees of the legislature on requirements for: teacher applicants to demonstrate 
4.33 	mastery of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills through nationally normed 
4.34 	assessments, a basic skills portfolio, or accredited college coursework, among other 
5.1 	methods of demonstrating basic skills mastery; and an alternative licensure pathway for 
5.2 	nonnative English speakers seeking licensure to teach in a language immersion program.
5.3 	(b) Task force recommendations on how teacher candidates demonstrate basic skills 
5.4 	mastery must encompass the following criteria:
5.5 	(1) assessment content must be relevant to the teacher's subject area licensure;
5.6 	(2) the scope of assessment content must be documented in sufficient detail to 
5.7 	correspond to a similarly detailed description of relevant public school curriculum;
5.8 	(3) the scope of assessment content must be publicly available and readily accessible 
5.9 	on the Web site of the Board of Teaching and all Minnesota public teacher preparation 
5.10 	programs and institutions;
5.11 	(4) the Board of Teaching and all Minnesota public teacher preparation programs 
5.12 	and institutions, upon request, must make available to the public at cost a written review 
5.13 	of the scope of assessment content;
5.14 	(5) if applicable, the Board of Teaching and all Minnesota public teacher preparation 
5.15 	programs and institutions annually must post on their Web site up-to-date longitudinal 
5.16 	summary data showing teacher candidates' overall passing rate and the passing rate for 
5.17 	each demographic group of teacher candidates taking a basic skills assessment in that 
5.18 	school year and in previous school years;
5.19 	(6) reliable evidence showing assessment content is not culturally biased;
5.20 	(7) the Board of Teaching and all Minnesota public teacher preparation programs 
5.21 	and institutions must appropriately accommodate teacher candidates with documented 
5.22 	learning disabilities; and
5.23 	(8) if applicable, give timely, detailed feedback to teacher candidates who do not 
5.24 	pass the basic skills assessment sufficient for the candidate to target specific areas of 
5.25 	deficiency for appropriate remediation.
5.26 	(c) The Teacher Licensure Advisory Task Force shall be composed of the following 
5.27 	members:
5.28 	(1) two members of the Board of Teaching appointed by the board's executive 
5.29 	director;
5.30 	(2) two representatives from the Department of Education appointed by the 
5.31 	commissioner of education;
5.32 	(3) two house members appointed by the speaker of the house, one from the minority 
5.33 	party and one from the majority party;
5.34 	(4) two state senators appointed by the senate rules committee, one from the 
5.35 	minority party and one from the majority party;
6.1 	(5) one elementary school principal from rural Minnesota appointed by the 
6.2 	Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association and one secondary school principal 
6.3 	from the seven-county metropolitan area appointed by the Minnesota Secondary School 
6.4 	Principals Association;
6.5 	(6) one licensed and practicing public elementary school teacher and one licensed 
6.6 	and practicing secondary school teacher appointed by Education Minnesota;
6.7 	(7) one teacher preparation faculty member each from the University of Minnesota 
6.8 	system appointed by the system president, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities 
6.9 	system appointed by the system chancellor, and the Minnesota Private Colleges and 
6.10 	Universities system appointed by the Minnesota Private Colleges Council;
6.11 	(8) one member of the nonpublic education council appointed by the council; and
6.12 	(9) one representative of Minnesota charter schools appointed by the Minnesota 
6.13 	Charter Schools Association.
6.14 	(d) The executive director of the Board of Teaching must convene the task force by 
6.15 	August 1, 2013. Task force members are not eligible for compensation or reimbursement 
6.16 	for expenses related to task force activities. The executive director of the board and the 
6.17 	commissioner of education must provide technical assistance to task force members 
6.18 	upon request.
6.19 	(e) By February 1, 2014, task force members must submit to the Board of Teaching, 
6.20 	the education commissioner, and the education committees of the legislature their written 
6.21 	recommendations on requirements for teacher applicants to demonstrate mastery of basic 
6.22 	reading, writing, and mathematics skills and for an alternative licensure pathway for 
6.23 	nonnative English speakers seeking licensure to teach in a language immersion program.

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