Midcareer professionals and others pursuing a nontraditional route to teacher licensure will be able to earn a two-year license, renewable for a third year, and become eligible for full licensure, under a new law signed March 7 by Gov. Mark Dayton.
Sponsored by Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) and Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista), the law takes effect Aug. 1, 2011.
The law includes quality assurances, such as content-specific examinations and performance assessments of teachers in both standard and alternative pathways to licensure, and grants the Board of Teaching authority to rescind an alternative teacher preparation program that fails to meet those or other requirements laid out in the law.
Alternative licensure candidates who meet all criteria will be granted a two-year limited license which the board may renew for an additional year, and may prepare for a standard teaching license. Candidates must have a 3.0 or higher grade point average or a waiver from the board; pass basic reading, writing and math skills exams; and obtain qualifying scores on board-approved content and pedagogy exams.
Teachers with out-of-state licensure from accredited programs will also have a streamlined route to Minnesota licensure.
HF63/
SF40*/CH5
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