Background:

Professional Educator Standards Board. The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) is a 12-member board that adopts rules and creates policies for the preparation and certification of educators. The PESB's duties include:

establishing policies and practices for the approval of programs of courses, requirements, and other activities leading to educator certification, such as for teachers and school administrators; and
specifying the types and kinds of educator certificates to be issued and the conditions for certification.

Teacher Certificates. There are two levels of certification for classroom teachers: residency and professional. To obtain a residency teacher certificate, applicants must complete an approved teacher preparation program and pass a basic skills test and a content knowledge test. To obtain a professional teacher certificate, applicants must either: (1) have at least two years of successful teaching experience and complete the ProTeach Portfolio, an external, uniform assessment adopted by the PESB; or (2) have at least three years of experience and become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (National Board), which offers a voluntary advanced teaching credential.

The PESB must require professional certification no earlier than the fifth year following the year that the teacher first completes provisional status, with an automatic two-year extension upon enrollment.

Administrator Certificates. There are also two levels of certification for administrators (principals and program administrators): residency and professional. To obtain a residency administrator certificate, applicants must complete an approved administrator preparation program, have documented successful school-based experience in an instructional role with students, and hold or have held a valid residency or professional teacher or educational staff associate certificate. To obtain a professional administrator certificate, applicants must hold a residency administrator certificate, complete an approved professional administrator certificate program, and complete coursework in issues of abuse. In addition, principal applicants must have documentation of three contracted school years of employment as a principal or assistant principal.

Administrators are not required to earn a professional certificate. There is currently no national administrator certificate.

Certificate Renewal. There are a variety of options available for certificate renewal, depending on the type of certificate and when it was issued. For example, teachers with a residency certificate may renew the first three-year certificate for an additional two years if they attempt and fail the ProTeach Portfolio.

Some professionally certified teachers and administrators renew their certificates by creating four annual Professional Growth Plans (PGPs) over a five-year period. A PGP is a plan that an educator intends to implement for growth over the coming year. Some teachers can use the PGP option or accumulate 150 clock hours in five years, or combine these options to renew their professional certificate.

In addition, teachers who earned a professional certificate by obtaining a National Board Certificate may renew the certificate by renewing the National Board Certificate.

Credit and Clock Hours. College quarter hour credits (and equivalent credits) earned by teachers and administrators are eligible for application to the salary schedule if the course content meets specified requirements, for example: pertains to the individuals' current or expected assignment or is required to obtain advanced levels of certification. Ten-clock hours of approved continuing education or in-service training are equivalent to one college quarter credit.

Summary:

Residency Certificate Renewal. By September 1, 2017, the PESB must adopt rules allowing teachers and principals with at least two years of experience, who hold or have held a residency certificate and have not achieved the professional certificate, to renew their residency certificate in five-year intervals based on completion of 10 credits or 100-clock hours.

Optional Professional Certification. The PESB is no longer directed to require professional teacher certification.

The Professional Educator Collaborative. The Professional Educator Collaborative is established to make recommendations to improve and strengthen state policies, programs, and pathways that lead to highly effective educators at each level of the public school system.

The collaborative must examine issues related to educator recruitment, certification, retention, professional learning and development, leadership, and evaluation for effectiveness. The examination must consider what barriers and deterrents hinder the recruitment and retention of professional educators, including those from underrepresented populations. The collaborative must also consider what incentives and supports could be provided at each stage of an educator's career to produce a more effective educational system.

The members of the collaborative must include representatives of the Legislature, education agencies, educator preparation programs, and educator associations, as listed. Staff support must be provided by the PESB, and from other state agencies if requested. The collaborative is required to contract with a nonprofit, nonpartisan institute that meets certain requirements.

By November 1, 2018, the collaborative must submit a preliminary report to the Legislature that makes recommendations on specific educator certificate types, tiers, and renewal issues. By November 1, 2019, the collaborative must submit a final report to the Legislature that makes additional recommendations.

House	94	0
Senate	49	0