AB235: Bill Text

LRB-1680/2

PG:cjs:rs

2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE

2009 Assembly BILL 235

April 29, 2009 - Introduced by Representatives Fields, Honadel, Grigsby, Davis, Vukmir, Kerkman, Ripp, Bies, Knodl, Brooks, Spanbauer, Gunderson, Townsend, Vos, Dexter and Ballweg, cosponsored by Senators Plale, Olsen, Darling and Hopper. Referred to Committee on Education.

AB235,1,3 An Act to amend 115.28 (7) (a), 118.19 (3) (a), 118.19 (6) and 118.19 (8); and to create 118.19 (14) of the statutes; relating to: the issuance of licenses to teach mathematics or science.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill establishes an alternative route for obtaining a teaching license. The bill directs the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to issue a one-year, nonrenewable license to teach mathematics, general science, biology, chemistry, or physics in grades 6 to 12 to any person who is certified by a national alternative teacher certification organization that was established with federal funds; has a teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification program designed for professionals who want to change careers; requires candidates to hold a bachelor's degree and pass professional teaching and subject area examinations and a criminal background check; and provides a teacher mentoring program.

Upon completion of a one-year mentoring program operated by a school district or by an organization described above, an applicant who holds the one-year, nonrenewable license is eligible for a regular initial teaching license that authorizes the holder to teach mathematics, general science, biology, chemistry, or physics in grades 6 to 12. The bill prohibits DPI from issuing more than 200 such licences to such applicants in any school year and from issuing such a license to such an applicant after June 30, 2015.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB235, s. 1 Section 1. 115.28 (7) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB235,2,7 115.28 (7) (a) License all teachers for the public schools of the state, make rules establishing standards of attainment and procedures for the examination and licensing of teachers within the limits prescribed in ss. 118.19 (2) and, (3), and (14), 118.192 and 118.195, prescribe by rule standards and procedures for the approval of teacher preparatory programs leading to licensure, file in the state superintendent's office all papers relating to state teachers' licenses and register each such license.

AB235, s. 2 Section 2. 118.19 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB235,3,5 118.19 (3) (a) No license to teach in any public school may be issued unless the applicant possesses a bachelor's degree including such professional training as the department by rule requires, except as permitted under par. (b), sub. (14), and ss. 115.28 (17) (a) and 118.192. Notwithstanding s. 36.11 (16), no teacher preparatory program in this state may be approved by the state superintendent under s. 115.28 (7) (a), unless each student in the program is required to complete student teaching consisting of full days for a full semester following the daily schedule and semester calendar of the cooperating school. No license to teach in any public school may be granted to an applicant who completed a professional training program outside this state unless the applicant completed student teaching consisting of full days for a full semester following the daily schedule and semester calendar of the cooperating school or the equivalent, as determined by the state superintendent. The state superintendent may grant exceptions to the student teaching requirements under this paragraph when the midyear calendars of the institution offering the teacher preparatory program and the cooperating school differ from each other and would prevent students from attending classes at the institution in accordance with the institution's calendar. The state superintendent shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection.

AB235, s. 3 Section 3. 118.19 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB235,3,12 118.19 (6) In granting certificates or licenses for the teaching of courses in economics, social studies or agriculture, adequate instruction in cooperative marketing and consumers' cooperatives shall be required. In Except as permitted in sub. (14), in granting certificates or licenses for the teaching of courses in science or social studies, adequate instruction in the conservation of natural resources shall be required.

AB235, s. 4 Section 4. 118.19 (8) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB235,3,18 118.19 (8) The Except as permitted in sub. (14), the state superintendent may not grant to any person a license to teach unless the person has received instruction in the study of minority group relations, including instruction in the history, culture and tribal sovereignty of the federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands located in this state.

AB235, s. 5 Section 5. 118.19 (14) of the statutes is created to read:

AB235,4,3 118.19 (14) (a) The department shall issue a one-year, nonrenewable license to teach mathematics, general science, biology, chemistry, or physics in grades 6 to 12 to any person who is certified by a national alternative teacher certification organization that was established with federal funds; has a teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification program designed for professionals who want to change careers; requires candidates for the program to hold a bachelor's degree, pass a professional teaching knowledge examination and a subject area examination, and pass a criminal background investigation; and provides a teacher mentoring program.

AB235,4,11 (b) The department shall issue an initial educator license under s. PI 34.17, Wis. Adm. Code, to teach mathematics, general science, biology, chemistry, or physics in grades 6 to 12 to any person who has held a license issued under par. (a) for one year and has successfully completed during that year a one-year mentoring program operated by a school district or by an organization described in par. (a). The department may issue no more than 200 licenses under this paragraph in any school year. The department may not issue a license under this paragraph after June 30, 2015.

AB235,4,13 (c) Notwithstanding sub. (10) (b) 1., the department is not required to conduct a background investigation of an applicant for a license under par. (b).

AB235,4,14 (End)