1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for a reading 
  1.3             specialist licensure; amending requirements for 
  1.4             elementary school teacher licenses; providing for 
  1.5             rulemaking; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, sections 
  1.6             122A.06, by adding a subdivision; 122A.09, subdivision 
  1.7             4; and 122A.18, subdivision 2a, and by adding a 
  1.8             subdivision. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.06, is 
  1.11  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 4.  [COMPREHENSIVE, SCIENTIFICALLY BASED READING 
  1.13  INSTRUCTION.] "Comprehensive, scientifically based reading 
  1.14  instruction" means effective reading instruction that includes 
  1.15  teaching children to break apart and manipulate the sounds in 
  1.16  words (phonemic awareness), teaching them that these sounds are 
  1.17  represented by letters of the alphabet which can then be blended 
  1.18  together to form words (phonics) and having them practice what 
  1.19  they have learned by reading aloud with guidance and feedback 
  1.20  (guided oral reading).  It should also include applying varied 
  1.21  and ongoing reading comprehension strategies to guide and 
  1.22  improve reading comprehension throughout elementary and 
  1.23  secondary education. 
  1.24     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.09, 
  1.25  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.26     Subd. 4.  [LICENSE AND RULES.] (a) The board must adopt 
  1.27  rules to license public school teachers and interns subject to 
  2.1   chapter 14. 
  2.2      (b) The board must adopt rules requiring a person to 
  2.3   successfully complete a skills examination in reading, writing, 
  2.4   and mathematics as a requirement for initial teacher licensure.  
  2.5   Such rules must require college and universities offering a 
  2.6   board approved teacher preparation program to provide remedial 
  2.7   assistance to persons who did not achieve a qualifying score on 
  2.8   the skills examination, including those for whom English is a 
  2.9   second language. 
  2.10     (c) The board must adopt rules to approve teacher 
  2.11  preparation programs.  The board, upon the request of a 
  2.12  post-secondary student preparing for teacher licensure or a 
  2.13  licensed graduate of a teacher preparation program, shall assist 
  2.14  in resolving a dispute between the person and a post-secondary 
  2.15  institution providing a teacher preparation program when the 
  2.16  dispute involves an institution's recommendation for licensure 
  2.17  affecting the person or the person's credentials.  At the 
  2.18  board's discretion, assistance may include the application of 
  2.19  chapter 14. 
  2.20     (d) The board must provide the leadership and shall adopt 
  2.21  rules for the redesign of teacher education programs to 
  2.22  implement a research based, results-oriented curriculum that 
  2.23  focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective.  
  2.24  The board shall implement new systems of teacher preparation 
  2.25  program evaluation to assure program effectiveness based on 
  2.26  proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program 
  2.27  outcomes. 
  2.28     (e) The board must adopt rules requiring successful 
  2.29  completion of an examination of general pedagogical knowledge 
  2.30  and examinations of licensure-specific teaching skills.  The 
  2.31  rules shall be effective on the dates determined by the board, 
  2.32  but not later than September 1, 2001. 
  2.33     (f) The board must adopt rules requiring teacher educators 
  2.34  to work directly with elementary or secondary school teachers in 
  2.35  elementary or secondary schools to obtain periodic exposure to 
  2.36  the elementary or secondary teaching environment. 
  3.1      (g) The board must grant licenses to interns and to 
  3.2   candidates for initial licenses. 
  3.3      (h) The board must design and implement an assessment 
  3.4   system which requires a candidate for an initial license and 
  3.5   first continuing license to demonstrate the abilities necessary 
  3.6   to perform selected, representative teaching tasks at 
  3.7   appropriate levels. 
  3.8      (i) The board must receive recommendations from local 
  3.9   committees as established by the board for the renewal of 
  3.10  teaching licenses. 
  3.11     (j) The board must grant life licenses to those who qualify 
  3.12  according to requirements established by the board, and suspend 
  3.13  or revoke licenses pursuant to sections 122A.20 and 214.10.  The 
  3.14  board must not establish any expiration date for application for 
  3.15  life licenses.  
  3.16     (k) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed 
  3.17  teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in 
  3.18  their renewal requirements further preparation in the areas of 
  3.19  using positive behavior interventions and in accommodating, 
  3.20  modifying, and adapting curricula, materials, and strategies to 
  3.21  appropriately meet the needs of individual students and ensure 
  3.22  adequate progress toward the state's graduation rule.  ~~The rules~~ 
  3.23  ~~adopted under this paragraph apply to teachers who renew their~~ 
  3.24  ~~licenses in year 2001 and later.~~ 
  3.25     (l) In adopting rules to license public school teachers who 
  3.26  provide health-related services for disabled children, the board 
  3.27  shall adopt rules consistent with license or registration 
  3.28  requirements of the commissioner of health and the 
  3.29  health-related boards who license personnel who perform similar 
  3.30  services outside of the school. 
  3.31     (m) The board must adopt rules that require all licensed 
  3.32  teachers who are renewing their continuing license to include in 
  3.33  their renewal requirements further reading preparation, 
  3.34  consistent with section 122A.06, subdivision 4. 
  3.35     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective for teachers 
  3.36  who renew their licenses in year 2004 and later. 
  4.1      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.18, 
  4.2   subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
  4.3      Subd. 2a.  [READING STRATEGIES.] (a) All colleges and 
  4.4   universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare 
  4.5   persons for classroom teacher licensure must include in their 
  4.6   teacher preparation programs reading best practices that enable 
  4.7   classroom teacher licensure candidates to know how to teach 
  4.8   reading, such as phonics or other research-based best practices. 
  4.9      (b) Colleges and universities offering board-approved 
  4.10  teacher preparation programs must require instruction in the 
  4.11  application of comprehensive, scientifically based reading 
  4.12  instruction programs, as defined in section 122A.06, subdivision 
  4.13  4. 
  4.14     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective for candidates 
  4.15  for initial licensure in year 2004 and later. 
  4.16     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.18, is 
  4.17  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  4.18     Subd. 2b.  [READING SPECIALIST.] The board of teaching must 
  4.19  adopt rules providing for the licensure of reading teachers.