• Starting January 1, 2018, allowing Initial and Professional Educators to use professional growth goals and work in Educator Effectiveness as another option to renew or advance their license.
• Allowing educator preparation programs flexibility in their admissions policies by removing specific testing (Praxis CORE) and GPA requirements from rule.
• Allowing teacher and pupil services candidates to demonstrate content knowledge with a 3.0 or higher GPA in license area or by successfully completing a content-based portfolio.
• Removing the master’s degree requirement for the Library Media Specialist License and make it a stand-alone license based on completion of a major.
• Creating a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps teaching license allowing someone who has been certified as a JROTC instructor by a branch of the military to teach JROTC courses in a high school.
Summary of, and comparison with, existing or proposed federal regulations: N/A
Comparison with rules in adjacent states: N/A
Summary of factual data and analytical methodologies:
PI 34 contains the current administrative rules governing the licensure of school personnel. Section 115.425, Wis. Stats., and PI 34.36, Wis. Admin. Code, provide the duties of the Professional Standards Council for Teachers, which advises the State Superintendent of Public Instruction on matters pertaining to the licensure of teachers. In its advisory capacity, the Professional Standards Council reviews and makes recommendations for administrative rules related to teacher preparation, licensure and regulation. The PSC developed a strategic plan for addressing school staffing challenges in Wisconsin with the goal of developing, supporting, and retaining teachers, and some of those recommendations were used in this rule development. Such strategies include fewer licenses with greater flexibility, easing the licensing process for out-of-state license holders, reducing the testing burden, and expanding pathways into the profession. Without this emergency rule, the current rule would still be in effect and the Department would continue to administer school personnel licensure as it exists in PI 34. Analysis and supporting documents used to determine effect on small business or in preparation of economic impact report: N/A
Anticipated costs incurred by private sector: N/A
Effect on small business:
The proposed rules will have no significant economic impact on small businesses, as defined in s. 227.114 (1) (a), Stats. Agency contact person: (including email and telephone)
Carl Bryan
Budget and Policy Analyst
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
(608) 267-9127
Place where comments are to be submitted and deadline for submission:
Comments should be submitted to Carl Bryan, Department of Public Instruction, 125 S. Webster Street, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841 or at adminrules@dpi.wi.gov. The Department will publish a hearing notice in the Administrative Register which will provide information on the deadline for the submission of comments. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 1. PI 34.01 (18g) is created to read:
PI 34.01 (18g) “Educator effectiveness plan” means a plan created by an individual to meet the requirements of an educator effectiveness evaluation system developed by the department under s. 115.415 (2), Stats., or a school district under ch. PI 47. SECTION 2. PI 34.01 (53) is repealed.
SECTION 3. PI 34.14 (1) (intro.) is amended to read:
34.14 (1) Diversity of students. The SCD shall create and implement an explicit plan with adequate resources to recruit, admit and retain a diverse student body as follows:.
SECTION 4. PI 34.14 (1) (a) (intro.) is renumbered PI 34.14 (1m) and is amended to read:
PI 34.14 (1m) The SCD shall establish standards for admission to initial programs. that include all of the following:
SECTION 5. PI 34.14 (1) (a) 1. to 3. and (b) are repealed.
SECTION 6. PI 34.15 (2) (a) 3. a. is amended to read:
PI 34.15 (2) (a) 3. a. Content knowledge shall be determined by passing scores on standardized tests approved by the state superintendent which shall include the state's model academic standards.the candidate meeting one of the following requirements:
i) having a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for courses in the subject area or position,
ii) passing scores on standardized tests approved by the state superintendent which shall include the state's model academic standards, or
iii) successfully completing a content-based portfolio designed by the SCD.
SECTION 7. PI 34.17 (4) (a) (intro.) and (b) are amended to read:
PI 34.17 (4) (a) ToExcept as provided under par. (e), to move to the professional educator level, an initial educator shall design and complete a professional development plan that demonstrates increased proficiency and which reflects the standards in subch. II that have been identified by the team in sub. (3) for improvement. The plan shall include:
…
(b) SuccessfulExcept as provided under par. (e), successful completion of the professional development plan shall be documented. The documentation may include but is not limited to evidence of whole group and individual student performance as measured by state, local, formal and informal assessments; lesson plans; supervisor and mentor comments of classroom performance; journals documenting samples of pupil errors and analysis of teacher interpretations of errors; ongoing documentation of classroom management techniques and results; and curriculum adaptations for children with disabilities or other exceptionalities with related outcome measures. The professional development plan may also include evidence that identifies professional development activities related to the professional development goals. The evidence may be in the form of samples of pupil work, letters of recommendation; evidence of attending professional meetings, workshops, conferences or seminars; administrative or supervisory evaluations; peer evaluations; journals, diaries or published articles; action research projects and results; college, university or technical college course work; or evidence of in-district work assignments outside of the classroom.
SECTION 8. PI 34.17 (4) (e) is created to read:
PI 34.17 (4) (e) Beginning on January 1, 2018, an initial educator may satisfy the requirements under pars. (a) and (b) by completing the professional practice goals contained in the individual’s educator effectiveness plan, as verified by the employing school district or school districts, for each of the school years the individual was employed by a school district as an educator in the past five years or since July 1, 2014, whichever is less.
SECTION 9. PI 34.17 (5) is amended to read:
PI 34.17 (5) Out of state applicants. An initial educator license may be issued to an applicant who completes an approved program from out of state, who has fewer than 5 years of successful experience in an early childhood through adolescence school setting in his or her respective teaching, pupil services or administrative license, and who has met the competency test requirements under s. PI 34.15 (2) (a) 3. a. An initial educator teaching license may also be issued to an applicant who completed a program in another state and received a passing score, as determined by the state superintendent, on the edTPA student teacher performance assessment. The applicant shall provide evidence that the requirements under s. PI 34.15 (4) have been met before qualifying for a professional educator license. SECTION 10. PI 34.18 (1) (e) is created to read:
PI 34.18 (1) (e) To applicants who have received a passing score on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards assessment. Any deficiencies in meeting the standards in s. PI 34.15 (4) shall be completed prior to renewal of the professional educator license. SECTION 11. PI 34.18 (2) (a) (intro.) and (b) and (c) (intro.) are amended to read:
PI 34.18 (2) (a) AExcept as provided in par. (g), a professional educator shall complete a professional development plan that demonstrates increased proficiency and which reflects the standards in subch. II, as appropriate, including:
…
(b) SuccessfulExcept as provided in par. (g), successful completion of the professional development plan shall be documented. The documentation may include, but is not limited to, evidence of whole group and individual student performance as measured by state, local, formal and informal assessments; lesson plans; supervisor and mentor comments of classroom performance; journals documenting samples of pupil errors and analysis of teacher interpretations of errors; ongoing documentation of classroom management techniques and results; and curriculum adaptations for children with disabilities or other exceptionalities with related outcome measures. The professional development plan may also include evidence that identifies professional development activities related to the professional development goals. The evidence may be in the form of samples of pupil work, letters of recommendation; evidence of attending professional meetings, workshops, conferences or seminars; administrative or supervisory evaluations; peer evaluations; journals, diaries or published articles; action research projects and results; college, university or technical college course work; or evidence of in-district work assignments outside of the classroom.
(c) AtExcept as provided in par. (g), at the initiation of the professional educator, successful completion of the professional development plan shall be verified by a majority of the professional development team and communicated to the state superintendent. The professional development team shall be composed as follows:
SECTION 12. PI 34.18 (2) (g) is created to read:
PI 34.18 (2) (g) Beginning on January 1, 2018, an individual who holds a professional educator license under sub. (1) (a), (1) (b), or (1) (c) may renew the license by completing the professional practice goals contained in the individual’s educator effectiveness plan, as verified by the employing school district or school districts, for each of the school years the individual was employed by a school district as an educator in the past five years or since July 1, 2014, whichever is less.
SECTION 13. PI 34.21 is repealed and recreated to read:
PI 34.21 License with Stipulations.
(1) The state superintendent may issue a one-year, renewable license with stipulations that authorizes the license holder to teach in the subject area of the license or work in the pupil services area of the license. A license may be issued under this subsection if an individual meets any of the following requirements:
(a) The individual has completed an approved educator preparation program in another state but has not met all of the requirements in this chapter for licensure as an initial or professional educator.
(b) For an individual seeking a license to work as a speech and language pathologist in a school setting, the individual holds a valid speech language pathologist licensed issued by the department of safety and professional services.
