1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; making technical changes related to teacher licensure;
1.3 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, sections 122A.06, subdivision 6; 
1.4 	122A.07, by adding a subdivision; 122A.09, subdivision 10; 122A.181, subdivision 
1.5 	4; 122A.183, subdivision 2.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 122A.06, subdivision 6, is 
1.8 	amended to read:
1.9 		Subd. 6.Shortage area. "Shortage area" means:
1.10 	(1) licensure fields and economic development regions reported by the commissioner 
1.11 	of education or the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board as experiencing 
1.12 	a teacher shortage; and
1.13 	(2) individuals who would reduce the shortage of teachers who reflect the racial or ethnic 
1.14 	diversity of students in economic development regions where there is a shortage of licensed 
1.15 	teachers who reflect the racial or ethnic diversity of students in the region.

1.16 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 122A.07, is amended by adding a 
1.17 	subdivision to read:
1.18 		Subd. 6.Public employer compensation reduction prohibited. The public employer 
1.19 	of a member shall not reduce the member's compensation or benefits for the member's 
1.20 	absence from employment when engaging in the business of the board.

2.1 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 122A.09, subdivision 10, is amended 
2.2 	to read:
2.3 		Subd. 10.Permissions. (a) Notwithstanding subdivision 9 and sections 14.055 and 
2.4 	14.056, the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board may grant waivers to its 
2.5 	rules upon application by a school district or a charter school for purposes of implementing 
2.6 	experimental programs in learning or management.
2.7 	(b) To enable a school district or a charter school to meet the needs of students enrolled 
2.8 	in an alternative education program and to enable licensed teachers instructing those students 
2.9 	to satisfy content area licensure requirements, the Professional Educator Licensing and 
2.10 	Standards Board ~~annually~~ may permit a licensed teacher teaching in an alternative education 
2.11 	program to instruct students in a content area for which the teacher is not licensed, consistent 
2.12 	with paragraph (a).
2.13 	(c) A special education license permission issued by the Professional Educator Licensing 
2.14 	and Standards Board for a primary employer's low-incidence region is valid in all 
2.15 	low-incidence regions.
2.16 	(d) A candidate that has obtained career and technical education certification may apply 
2.17 	for a Tier 1 license under section 122A.181. Consistent with section 136F.361, the 
2.18 	Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must strongly encourage approved 
2.19 	college or university-based teacher preparation programs throughout Minnesota to develop 
2.20 	alternative pathways for certifying and licensing high school career and technical education 
2.21 	instructors and teachers, allowing such candidates to meet certification and licensure 
2.22 	standards that demonstrate their content knowledge, classroom experience, and pedagogical 
2.23 	practices and their qualifications based on a combination of occupational testing, professional 
2.24 	certification or licensure, and long-standing work experience.

2.25 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 122A.181, subdivision 4, is amended 
2.26 	to read:
2.27 		Subd. 4.Application. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board 
2.28 	must accept applications for a Tier 1 teaching license beginning July 1 of the school year 
2.29 	for which the license is requested ~~and~~. The board must adopt rules providing for a district 
2.30 	or charter school to request a waiver of the July 1 date.
2.31 	(b) The board must issue, issue pending review by the board, or deny the Tier 1 teaching 
2.32 	license within 30 days of receiving the completed application.

3.1 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 122A.183, subdivision 2, is amended 
3.2 	to read:
3.3 		Subd. 2.Coursework. A candidate for a Tier 3 license must meet the coursework 
3.4 	requirement by demonstrating one of the following:
3.5 	(1) completion of a Minnesota-approved teacher preparation program;
3.6 	(2) completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program that includes field-specific 
3.7 	student teaching equivalent to field-specific student teaching in Minnesota-approved teacher 
3.8 	preparation programs. The field-specific student teaching requirement does not apply to a 
3.9 	candidate that has two years of teaching experience;
3.10 	(3) ~~submission of a content-specific~~ a recommendation for licensure via portfolio from 
3.11 	the board specific to the licensure area of the portfolio;
3.12 	(4) a professional teaching license from another state, evidence that the candidate's 
3.13 	license is in good standing, and two years of teaching experience; or
3.14 	(5) three years of teaching experience under a Tier 2 license and evidence of summative 
3.15 	teacher evaluations that did not result in placing or otherwise keeping the teacher on an 
3.16 	improvement process pursuant to section 122A.40, subdivision 8, or section 122A.41, 
3.17 	subdivision 5.