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SF 40

1st Engrossment - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 01/27/2011 11:28am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
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A bill for an act
relating to education; amending teacher licensure provisions; establishing
an alternative teacher preparation program and limited-term teacher license;
requiring reports; amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, sections 122A.16;
122A.23, subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
chapter 122A; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.24.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.16, is amended to read:


122A.16 HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER DEFINED.

(a) A qualified teacher is one holding a valid license, under this chapter, to perform
the particular service for which the teacher is employed in a public school.

(b) For the purposes of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a highly qualified
teacher is one who holds a valid license under this chapternew text begin , including section 122A.245,
among other sections,
new text end to perform the particular service for which the teacher is employed
in a public school or who meets the requirements of a highly objective uniform state
standard of evaluation (HOUSSE).

All Minnesota teachers teaching in a core academic subject area, as defined by the
federal No Child Left Behind Act, in which they are not fully licensed may complete the
following HOUSSE process in the core subject area for which the teacher is requesting
highly qualified status by completing an application, in the form and manner described by
the commissioner, that includes:

(1) documentation of student achievement as evidenced by norm-referenced test
results that are objective and psychometrically valid and reliable;

(2) evidence of local, state, or national activities, recognition, or awards for
professional contribution to achievement;

(3) description of teaching experience in the teachers' core subject area in a public
school under a waiver, variance, limited license or other exception; nonpublic school; and
postsecondary institution;

(4) test results from the Praxis II content test;

(5) evidence of advanced certification from the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards;

(6) evidence of the successful completion of course work or pedagogy courses; and

(7) evidence of the successful completion of high quality professional development
activities.

Districts must assign a school administrator to serve as a HOUSSE reviewer to
meet with teachers under this paragraph and, where appropriate, certify the teachers'
applications. Teachers satisfy the definition of highly qualified when the teachers receive
at least 100 of the total number of points used to measure the teachers' content expertise
under clauses (1) to (7). Teachers may acquire up to 50 points only in any one clause (1)
to (7). Teachers may use the HOUSSE process to satisfy the definition of highly qualified
for more than one subject area.

(c) Achievement of the HOUSSE criteria is not equivalent to a license. A teacher
must obtain permission from the Board of Teaching in order to teach in a public school.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.23, subdivision 1, is amended to read:


Subdivision 1.

Preparation equivalency.

When a license to teach is authorized to
be issued to any holder of a diploma or a degree of a Minnesota state university, or of the
University of Minnesota, or of a liberal arts university, or a technical training institution,
such license may also, in the discretion of the Board of Teaching or the commissioner of
education, whichever has jurisdiction, be issued to any holder of a diploma or a degree
of a teacher training institution of equivalent rank and standing of any other state. The
diploma or degree must be granted by virtue of the completion of a course in teacher
preparation essentially equivalent in content to that required by such Minnesota state
university or the University of Minnesota or a liberal arts university in Minnesota or a
technical training institution as preliminary to the granting of a diploma or a degree of the
same rank and class.new text begin An applicant who holds a diploma or degree that is not essentially
equivalent may fulfill any missing requirement by taking and passing a comprehensive
examination testing the subject area of the missing coursework.
new text end

Sec. 3.

new text begin [122A.245] ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM
AND LIMITED-TERM TEACHER LICENSE.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Requirements. new text end

new text begin (a) The Board of Teaching must approve qualified
alternative teacher preparation programs under this section that are a means to acquire a
two-year limited-term license and to prepare for acquiring a standard entrance license.
Alternative teacher preparation programs are composed of (1) school districts or charter
schools and (2) either:
new text end

new text begin (i) a college or university with a board-approved alternative teacher preparation
program;
new text end

new text begin (ii) a nonprofit corporation formed for an education-related purpose and subject to
chapter 317A with a board-approved teacher preparation program; or
new text end

new text begin (iii) a board-approved teacher preparation program within a district.
new text end

new text begin (b) Prior to participation in this program, a candidate must:
new text end

new text begin (1) have a bachelor's degree;
new text end

new text begin (2) pass the reading, writing, and mathematics skills examination under section
122A.18; and
new text end

new text begin (3) obtain qualifying scores on the relevant board-approved content area and
pedagogy tests.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Characteristics. new text end

new text begin An alternative teacher preparation program under this
section must include:
new text end

new text begin (1) a minimum 200-hour instructional phase that provides intensive preparation
before that person assumes classroom responsibilities;
new text end

new text begin (2) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on best teaching practices
to increase student proficiency and growth measured against state academic standards;
new text end

new text begin (3) strategies to combine pedagogy and best teaching practices to better inform
teachers' classroom instruction;
new text end

new text begin (4) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of the program participant to determine
the participant's specific needs throughout the program and to support the participant
in successfully completing the program;
new text end

new text begin (5) intensive, ongoing, and multiyear professional learning opportunities that can
accelerate initial educators' professional growth and that include developing dispositions
and practices that support student learning, orientations to the workplace, a network of
peer support, seminars and workshops, and mentoring focused on standards of professional
practice and continual professional growth; and
new text end

new text begin (6) a requirement that program participants demonstrate to the school district or
charter school under subdivision 5 that they are making satisfactory progress toward
acquiring a standard entrance license from the Board of Teaching.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Program approval. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching must approve alternative
teacher preparation programs under this section based on board-adopted criteria that
reflect best practices for alternative teacher preparation programs consistent with this
section. The board must permit licensure candidates to demonstrate pedagogy and content
standards in school-based settings and through other nontraditional means.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Employment conditions. new text end

new text begin Where applicable, teachers with a limited-term
license under this section are members of and subject to the terms of the local collective
bargaining agreement between the local representative of the teachers and the school
board.
new text end

new text begin A collective bargaining agreement must not limit or prohibit employment of teachers
licensed under this section.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Approval for standard entrance license. new text end

new text begin A school district or
charter school must evaluate the performance of the teacher candidate consistent with
board-adopted performance measures and using the Minnesota state standards of effective
practice for teachers established in rule and submit to the board an evaluation report
recommending whether or not to issue the teacher candidate a standard entrance license.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Applicants trained in other states. new text end

new text begin A person who, in another state, has
successfully completed an alternative teacher preparation program from a university,
college, or nonprofit corporation that has been approved under subdivision 1 may apply
for a standard entrance license under subdivision 7. A candidate under this subdivision
must have two years of teaching experience prior to applying for the standard license.
The candidate must request from the local site where the candidate taught a formal
performance evaluation using methodology identical or substantially similar to the
Minnesota state standards of effective practice for teachers and a report recommending
whether or not to issue the teacher candidate a standard entrance license.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Standard entrance license. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching must issue a standard
entrance license to a teacher candidate under this section who successfully performs
throughout the program, has successfully completed all necessary examinations and
content area and pedagogy tests, and is recommended for licensure under subdivision 5
or 6.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 8. new text end

new text begin Highly qualified or qualified teacher. new text end

new text begin A person holding a valid
limited-term license under this section is a highly qualified teacher and the teacher of
record under section 122A.16.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 9. new text end

new text begin Reports. new text end

new text begin The Board of Teaching must submit an interim report on the
efficacy of this program to the K-12 education policy and finance committees of the
legislature by February 15, 2013, and a final report by February 15, 2015.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2011-2012 school year and
later.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 122A.24, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective August 1, 2011.
new text end