House File 4 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 4 BY WHEELER , HOLT , STONE , DUNWELL , MOMMSEN , FISHER , COLLINS , MOORE , VONDRAN , WULF , SHIPLEY , BRADLEY , DEYOE , GRABER , RINKER , WILLS , JOHNSON , GUSTAFSON , GEHLBACH , NORDMAN , YOUNG , OSMUNDSON , HENDERSON , WOOD , WINDSCHITL , GRASSLEY , BOSSMAN , and GERHOLD A BILL FOR An Act modifying requirements related to teacher intern 1 license programs and licenses and authorizations issued 2 by the board of educational examiners and establishing a 3 temporary initial teaching license to be issued by the board 4 of educational examiners to applicants who complete an 5 alternative teacher certification program. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 4 Section 1. Section 256.16, subsection 1, Code 2023, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . m. If a higher education institution 3 providing practitioner preparation offers a program that is 4 designed to assist students in attaining a teacher intern 5 license from the board of educational examiners, the program 6 shall require participants to satisfy all of the following 7 requirements before completing the program: 8 (1) A participant in the program must have graduated from 9 an accredited or state-approved college or university and must 10 meet the requirements for an endorsement area approved by the 11 board of educational examiners for a teacher intern license. 12 (2) A participant in the program must have at least three 13 years of post-baccalaureate work experience. 14 (3) A participant in the program must submit with the 15 application to the program a copy of an offer of employment 16 from a school. 17 (4) A participant in the program must have completed the 18 required pedagogy training. 19 (5) A participant in the program must work under the 20 supervision of a teacher leader assigned by the school district 21 or accredited nonpublic school, including during co-teaching 22 and planning time. 23 (6) A participant in the program must complete at least 24 fifteen additional hours of coursework. 25 Sec. 2. Section 272.2, subsection 1, Code 2023, is amended 26 by adding the following new paragraph: 27 NEW PARAGRAPH . d. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection 28 establishing criteria for applicants for licenses who have 29 completed an accredited or state-approved teacher preparation 30 program and who are applying for the applicant’s first Iowa 31 teaching license shall not require the applicant to be an Iowa 32 resident if the applicant provides the board with a copy of an 33 offer of employment as a teacher from a school located in this 34 state. 35 -1- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 1/ 6
H.F. 4 Sec. 3. Section 272.2, subsection 13, Code 2023, is amended 1 to read as follows: 2 13. Adopt rules to provide for nontraditional preparation 3 options for licensing persons who hold a bachelor’s degree 4 or higher from an accredited or state-approved college or 5 university, who do not meet other requirements for licensure. 6 The rules shall, at a minimum, require the board to do all of 7 the following: 8 a. Issue a teacher intern license for instruction in grades 9 six through twelve to an applicant who has enrolled in a 10 program established pursuant to section 256.16, subsection 1, 11 paragraph “m” . 12 b. Allow a licensee who has attained a teacher intern 13 license pursuant to paragraph “a” to apply for an initial 14 teaching license if the school that employed the licensee 15 during the licensee’s completion of the program established 16 pursuant to section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph “m” , and 17 the higher education institution that operated the program, 18 recommend that the licensee be allowed to apply for an initial 19 teaching license. 20 Sec. 4. Section 272.2, Code 2023, is amended by adding the 21 following new subsection: 22 NEW SUBSECTION . 26. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 23 17A that allow an individual seeking a career and technical 24 secondary authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued 25 the secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 26 employment with a school. 27 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 272.17 Temporary initial license for 28 applicants who complete an alternative teacher certification 29 program. 30 1. The board shall grant a temporary initial teaching 31 license to an applicant who meets all of the following 32 requirements: 33 a. The applicant shall hold a bachelor’s degree from an 34 accredited college or university. 35 -2- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 2/ 6
H.F. 4 b. The applicant shall successfully complete an alternative 1 teacher certification program that includes all of the 2 following: 3 (1) The required content training in the area in which the 4 applicant seeks to be licensed. 5 (2) Pedagogy training, including an examination, that 6 teaches effective instructional delivery, classroom management 7 and organization, assessment, instructional design, and 8 professional learning and leadership. 9 2. To be considered an alternative teacher certification 10 program for purposes of this section, an alternative teacher 11 certification program shall meet all of the following 12 requirements: 13 a. The alternative teacher certification program must 14 operate in at least five states. 15 b. The alternative teacher certification program must have 16 been in operation for at least ten years. 17 3. An individual who successfully completes an alternative 18 teacher certification program and who is granted a temporary 19 initial teaching license by the board under this section is 20 authorized to teach the subjects and grade levels that the 21 individual successfully completed during the alternative 22 teacher certification program. 23 4. The board shall treat an individual who successfully 24 completes an alternative teacher certification program and who 25 is granted a temporary initial teaching license by the board 26 under this section in the same manner as an individual who 27 completes a traditional teacher preparation program and who 28 receives an initial teaching license, including during the 29 process of converting the temporary initial teaching license 30 to a standard teaching license. 31 Sec. 6. Section 272.28, Code 2023, is amended to read as 32 follows: 33 272.28 Licensure beyond a temporary initial license or an 34 initial license. 35 -3- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 3/ 6
H.F. 4 1. Requirements for teacher licensure beyond a temporary 1 initial license or an initial license shall include successful 2 completion of a beginning teacher mentoring and induction 3 program approved by the state board of education pursuant to 4 section 284.5 ; or two years of successful teaching experience 5 in a school district with an approved career paths, leadership 6 roles, and compensation framework or approved comparable system 7 as provided in section 284.15 ; or evidence of not less than 8 three years of successful teaching experience at any of the 9 following: 10 a. An accredited nonpublic school in this state. 11 b. A preschool program approved by the United States 12 department of health and human services. 13 c. Preschool programs at school districts approved to 14 participate in the preschool program under chapter 256C . 15 d. Shared visions programs receiving grants from the child 16 development coordinating council under section 256A.3 . 17 e. Preschool programs receiving moneys from the school 18 ready children grants account of the early childhood Iowa fund 19 created in section 256I.11 . 20 2. A teacher from an accredited nonpublic school or another 21 state or country is exempt from the requirement of subsection 1 22 if the teacher can document three years of successful teaching 23 experience and meet or exceed the requirements contained in 24 rules adopted under this chapter for endorsement and licensure. 25 EXPLANATION 26 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 27 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 28 This bill modifies requirements related to teacher intern 29 license programs and licenses and authorizations issued by 30 the board of educational examiners (BOEE) and establishes a 31 temporary initial teaching license to be issued by the BOEE to 32 applicants who complete an alternative teacher certification 33 program. 34 The bill provides that if a higher education institution 35 -4- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 4/ 6
H.F. 4 providing practitioner preparation offers a program that is 1 designed to assist students in attaining a teacher intern 2 license from the BOEE, the program shall require participants 3 to satisfy certain specified requirements. 4 Current law requires the BOEE to adopt rules to provide 5 for nontraditional preparation options for licensing persons 6 who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college 7 or university and who do not meet other requirements for 8 licensure. The bill provides that the rules shall require 9 the BOEE to issue a teacher intern license to an applicant 10 who has completed a program offered by a higher education 11 institution providing practitioner preparation that is designed 12 to assist students in attaining a teacher intern license. The 13 bill requires the BOEE to allow a licensee who has attained 14 a teacher intern license under such a program to apply for 15 an initial teaching license if the school that employed 16 the licensee during the program and the higher education 17 institution recommend that the licensee be allowed to apply. 18 Current law authorizes the BOEE to issue a regional exchange 19 teaching license to an applicant who has completed a teacher 20 preparation program outside of the state and who is applying 21 for the applicant’s first Iowa teaching license if, among 22 other requirements, the applicant is a resident of the state. 23 The bill removes the requirement that such an applicant be a 24 resident of this state if the applicant provides the BOEE with 25 a copy of an offer of employment as a teacher from a school 26 located in this state. 27 The bill requires the BOEE to adopt rules that allow 28 an individual seeking a career and technical secondary 29 authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued the 30 secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 31 employment with a school. 32 The bill requires the BOEE to grant a temporary initial 33 teaching license to an applicant who holds a bachelor’s degree 34 from an accredited college or university and successfully 35 -5- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 5/ 6
H.F. 4 completes an alternative teacher certification program. The 1 bill describes what an alternative teacher certification 2 program must include. 3 The bill establishes requirements for alternative teacher 4 certification programs, including that the program must operate 5 in at least five states and must have been in operation for at 6 least 10 years. 7 The bill provides that an individual who successfully 8 completes an alternative teacher certification program and who 9 is granted a temporary initial teaching license is authorized 10 to teach the subjects and grade levels that the individual 11 successfully completed during the program. 12 The bill requires the BOEE to treat an individual who 13 successfully completes an alternative teacher certification 14 program and who is granted a temporary initial teaching license 15 in the same manner as an individual who completes a traditional 16 teacher preparation program and who receives an initial 17 teaching license, including during the process of converting 18 the temporary initial teaching license to a standard teaching 19 license. 20 Code section 272.28 establishes requirements for teacher 21 licensure beyond an initial license. Pursuant to current 22 Code section 272.28, the requirements for teacher licensure 23 beyond an initial license include successful completion of a 24 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program; two years 25 of successful teaching experience in a school district with 26 an approved career paths, leadership roles, and compensation 27 framework; or evidence of not less than three years of 28 successful teaching experience with certain specified programs. 29 The bill modifies Code section 272.28 to impose these same 30 requirements on individuals attempting to obtain teacher 31 licensure beyond a temporary initial teaching license. 32 -6- LSB 1706YH (3) 90 jda/jh 6/ 6