1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for enhanced reading 
  1.3             requirements for certain teachers; providing for 
  1.4             literacy specialist licensure; providing for 
  1.5             rulemaking; amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, sections 
  1.6             122A.06, subdivision 4; 122A.18, subdivision 2a, by 
  1.7             adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2003 
  1.8             Supplement, section 122A.09, subdivision 4. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 122A.06, 
  1.11  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 4.  [COMPREHENSIVE, SCIENTIFICALLY BASED READING 
  1.13  INSTRUCTION.] ~~"Comprehensive, scientifically based reading~~ 
  1.14  ~~instruction" includes instruction and practice in phonemic~~ 
  1.15  ~~awareness, phonics and other word-recognition skills, and guided~~ 
  1.16  ~~oral reading for beginning readers, as well as extensive silent~~ 
  1.17  ~~reading, vocabulary instruction, instruction in comprehension,~~ 
  1.18  ~~and instruction that fosters understanding and higher-order~~ 
  1.19  ~~thinking for readers of all ages and proficiency~~ 
  1.20  ~~levels.~~  "Comprehensive, scientifically based reading 
  1.21  instruction" includes a program or collection of instructional 
  1.22  practices with a proven record of success and with reliable, 
  1.23  trustworthy, and valid evidence to support the conclusion that 
  1.24  when these methods are used with learners, they can be expected 
  1.25  to achieve, at a minimum, satisfactory progress in reading 
  1.26  achievement.  The program or collection of practices must 
  1.27  include, at a minimum, instruction in five areas of reading:  
  2.1   phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text 
  2.2   comprehension. 
  2.3      Comprehensive, scientifically based reading instruction 
  2.4   also includes and integrates instructional strategies for 
  2.5   continuously assessing and diagnosing the learner's reading 
  2.6   progress and needs in order to design and implement ongoing 
  2.7   interventions so that learners of all ages and proficiency 
  2.8   levels can read and comprehend text as well as apply higher 
  2.9   level thinking skills. 
  2.10     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2003 Supplement, section 
  2.11  122A.09, subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  2.12     Subd. 4.  [LICENSE AND RULES.] (a) The board must adopt 
  2.13  rules to license public school teachers and interns subject to 
  2.14  chapter 14. 
  2.15     (b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to 
  2.16  successfully complete a skills examination in reading, writing, 
  2.17  and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher licensure.  
  2.18  Such rules must require college and universities offering a 
  2.19  board-approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial 
  2.20  assistance to persons who did not achieve a qualifying score on 
  2.21  the skills examination, including those for whom English is a 
  2.22  second language. 
  2.23     (c) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher 
  2.24  preparation programs.  The board, upon the request of a 
  2.25  postsecondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a 
  2.26  licensed graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist 
  2.27  in resolving a dispute between the person and a postsecondary 
  2.28  institution providing a teacher preparation program when the 
  2.29  dispute involves an institution's recommendation for licensure 
  2.30  affecting the person or the person's credentials.  At the 
  2.31  board's discretion, assistance may include the application of 
  2.32  chapter 14. 
  2.33     (d) The board must provide the leadership and shall adopt 
  2.34  rules for the redesign of teacher education programs to 
  2.35  implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum that 
  2.36  focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective.  
  3.1   The board shall implement new systems of teacher preparation 
  3.2   program evaluation to assure program effectiveness based on 
  3.3   proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program 
  3.4   outcomes. 
  3.5      (e) The board must adopt rules requiring successful 
  3.6   completion of an examination of general pedagogical knowledge 
  3.7   and examinations of licensure-specific teaching skills.  The 
  3.8   rules shall be effective on the dates determined by the board 
  3.9   but not later than September 1, 2001.  
  3.10     (f) The board must adopt rules requiring teacher educators 
  3.11  to work directly with elementary or secondary school teachers in 
  3.12  elementary or secondary schools to obtain periodic exposure to 
  3.13  the elementary or secondary teaching environment. 
  3.14     (g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to 
  3.15  candidates for initial licenses. 
  3.16     (h) The board must design and implement an assessment 
  3.17  system which requires a candidate for an initial license and 
  3.18  first continuing license to demonstrate the abilities necessary 
  3.19  to perform selected, representative teaching tasks at 
  3.20  appropriate levels. 
  3.21     (i) The board must receive recommendations from local 
  3.22  committees as established by the board for the renewal of 
  3.23  teaching licenses. 
  3.24     (j) The board must grant life licenses to those who qualify 
  3.25  according to requirements established by the board, and suspend 
  3.26  or revoke licenses pursuant to sections 122A.20 and 214.10.  The 
  3.27  board must not establish any expiration date for application for 
  3.28  life licenses.  
  3.29     (k) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed 
  3.30  teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in 
  3.31  their renewal requirements further preparation in the areas of 
  3.32  using positive behavior interventions and in accommodating, 
  3.33  modifying, and adapting curricula, materials, and strategies to 
  3.34  appropriately meet the needs of individual students and ensure 
  3.35  adequate progress toward the state's graduation rule.  
  3.36     (l) In adopting rules to license public school teachers who 
  4.1   provide health-related services for disabled children, the board 
  4.2   shall adopt rules consistent with license or registration 
  4.3   requirements of the commissioner of health and the 
  4.4   health-related boards who license personnel who perform similar 
  4.5   services outside of the school. 
  4.6      (m) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed 
  4.7   teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in 
  4.8   their renewal requirements further reading preparation, 
  4.9   consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4.  The rules do 
  4.10  not take effect until they are approved by law.  The Board of 
  4.11  Teaching may adopt rules to exempt teachers whose assignments do 
  4.12  not include direct classroom instruction. 
  4.13     (n) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed 
  4.14  teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in 
  4.15  their renewal requirements further preparation in understanding 
  4.16  the key warning signs of early-onset mental illness in children 
  4.17  and adolescents. 
  4.18     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 122A.18, 
  4.19  subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
  4.20     Subd. 2a.  [READING STRATEGIES.] (a) All colleges and 
  4.21  universities approved by the Board of Teaching to prepare 
  4.22  persons for classroom teacher licensure must include in their 
  4.23  teacher preparation programs ~~reading best practices that enable~~ 
  4.24  ~~classroom teacher licensure candidates to know how to teach~~ 
  4.25  ~~reading, such as phonics or other~~ research-based best practices 
  4.26  in reading, consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4, that 
  4.27  enable the licensure candidate to know how to teach reading in 
  4.28  the candidate's content areas. 
  4.29     (b) Board-approved teacher preparation programs for 
  4.30  teachers of elementary education must require instruction in the 
  4.31  application of comprehensive, scientifically based, and balanced 
  4.32  reading instruction programs~~.~~ that: 
  4.33     (1) teach learners to read using foundational knowledge, 
  4.34  practices, and strategies consistent with section 122A.06, 
  4.35  subdivision 4, so that all students will achieve continuous 
  4.36  progress in reading; and 
  5.1      (2) teach specialized instruction in reading strategies, 
  5.2   interventions, and remediations that enable learners of all ages 
  5.3   and proficiency levels to become proficient readers. 
  5.4      Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 122A.18, is 
  5.5   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  5.6      Subd. 2c.  [LITERACY SPECIALIST LICENSURE.] No later than 
  5.7   July 1, 2005, the Board of Teaching must adopt rules providing 
  5.8   for the licensure of literacy specialists for a school or 
  5.9   district.  Candidates for licensure must successfully complete 
  5.10  training in comprehensive, scientifically based reading 
  5.11  instruction consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4, and 
  5.12  a graduate level degree in reading or literacy. 
  5.13     Sec. 5.  [REVISOR INSTRUCTION.] 
  5.14     In the next edition of Minnesota Statutes, the revisor of 
  5.15  statutes shall change the headnote of Minnesota Statutes, 
  5.16  section 122A.18, subdivision 2b, from "Reading specialist." to 
  5.17  "Teacher of reading licensure endorsement."