Relating to practitioner preparation programs, including field experiences and the assessments administered to students admitted to practitioner preparation programs, and including applicability provisions

This bill relates to practitioner preparation programs, including field experiences and the assessments administered to students admitted into practitioner preparation programs. Current law requires the state board of education to adopt rules requiring all higher education institutions providing practitioner preparation to, prior to a student’s completion of the practitioner preparation program, administer either subject assessments designed by a nationally recognized testing service or a valid and reliable subject-area-specific, performance-based assessment centered on student learning. The bill strikes this requirement and makes conforming changes. Current law also requires that each student admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program participate in field experiences of at least hours in duration, a minimum of hours of which occurring prior to the student’s acceptance into the program, which include both observation and participation in teaching activities in a variety of school settings. The bill provides that these field experiences must take place before the student begins student teaching and must be at least 100 hours in duration, a minimum of hours of which occurring prior to the student’s acceptance into the program. This portion of the bill applies to students admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or after the effective date of the bill.