Establishing a new license to be issued by the board of educational examiners

This bill establishes a new license to be issued by the board of educational examiners. The bill requires the board of educational examiners to grant a temporary initial teaching license to an applicant who is at least years old, holds a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, successfully completes an alternative teacher certification program, and successfully completes a praxis subject assessment. The bill describes what an alternative teacher certification program must include. The bill requires an individual who has been granted a temporary initial teaching license by the board to complete a one-year clinical experience program during the individual’s first year in the classroom when the individual is employed as a full-time teacher. The bill requires the provider of the program to provide the clinical experience to the individual at no cost to the state, a school district, a nonpublic school, or a charter school, and provide instruction in certain specified areas. The bill establishes requirements for in-state and out-of-state alternative teacher certification programs. The bill provides that an individual who successfully completes an alternative teacher certification program and who is granted a temporary initial teaching license is authorized to teach the subjects and grade levels that the individual successfully completed during the program. The bill requires the board to treat an individual who successfully completes an alternative teacher certification program and who is granted a temporary initial teaching license in the same manner as an individual who completes a traditional teacher preparation program and who receives an initial teaching license, including during the process of converting the temporary initial teaching license to a standard teaching license. The bill prohibits an individual who successfully completes an alternative teacher certification program and who is granted a temporary initial teaching license from teaching a special education course or being a special education teacher during the time the individual maintains the temporary initial teaching license. The bill requires a school district, nonpublic school, or a charter school who hires an individual holding a temporary initial teaching license to submit a plan to the board that describes how the school will provide the individual with opportunities to obtain exposure to classroom management and instructional techniques, including meaningful exposure to special education. The bill requires the board to submit an annual report to the general assembly by December of each year regarding the status of the temporary initial teaching license program.