Summary of any public comments and feedback on the statement of scope for the proposed rule that the agency received at a preliminary public hearing and comment period held and a description of how and to what extent the agency took those comments into account and drafting the proposed rule:
The Department held a preliminary public hearing and comment period on November 9, 2023, and received no comments on the statement of scope for the proposed rule.
Comparison with rules in adjacent states:
Illinois: Illinois does not have an equivalent permit in this area. However, educators may be able to obtain a five-year Professional Educator License with an endorsement indicating grade level and content area. Additional endorsements can be added as the educator completes state requirements.
Iowa: The initial two-year license for educators in Iowa requires completion of an educator preparation program with an endorsement indicating grade level and content area.
Michigan: Michigan does not have an equivalent permit in this area. However, Michigan offers a Professional Teaching Certificate as a license option. Teachers are eligible to apply for this license after 3-years of teaching under an initial Michigan teaching license or for experienced educators transferring licensure from another state. This is a 5-year license.
Minnesota: Minnesota does not have an equivalent permit in this area. However, a Tier 1 professional educator license is available as a joint application between a school district and the applicant. The district must show the district or charter school has posted the teacher position but was unable to hire an acceptable teacher with a Tier 2, 3, or 4 license for the position. The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree to teach outside career and technical education or career pathways courses of study. This is a 1-year renewable license. The license holder must complete a content exam and report the results to the hiring district or charter school within one year of the issuance of the license.
Summary of factual data and analytical methodologies:
Chapter PI 34 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code contains the rules governing educator licensure, including the requirements for obtaining a Tier I, professional teaching permit to teach kindergarten through grade 12 in one of the following subject areas: American sign language, art, computer science, foreign language, mathematics, music, science, and technology education. In order to obtain a professional teaching permit under s. PI 34.034, an applicant must, in part, meet the professional work experience requirements under s. 118.192 (2), Stats., in a subject area corresponding to the applicant's degree; satisfactorily completed an alternate teacher training program consisting of approximately 100 hours of formal instruction in the application of modern curricula in the subject area sought by the applicant; and received a passing score on a standardized examination as determined by the state superintendent. The proposed rule updates ch. PI 34 to align with statute and clarify relevant work experience, what comprises 100 hours of formal instruction, standardized exam requirements, renewal criteria, and specifications for school districts requesting the license. Without a rule change, the department will be required to implement rules for educator licensure as they currently exist in PI 34 which may result in confusion for license applicants. 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
Legislative Policy Coordinator
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
(608) 266-3275
Place where comments are to be submitted and deadline for submission:
Comments should be submitted to Carl Bryan, Department of Public Instruction, 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. RULE TEXT
Section 1. PI 34.034 is repealed and recreated to read:
PI 34.034 Tier I, professional teaching permit.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Entity,” for the purposes of this section, means an entity as defined under s. PI 34.006 (3) and is headquartered in Wisconsin. (c) “Professional work experience” means verified experience that occurred through full-time employment in a field outside of education and in the subject area for which the bachelor's degree was awarded.
(2) Authorization.
(a) As provided in par. (b), a permit issued under this section authorizes the permit holder to teach in the school district which requested the permit under sub. (3) and is not valid in another school district.
(b) A permit issued under this section authorizes the permit holder to teach in the following subject areas and grade ranges:
1. Music for grades K-12.
2. Art for grades K-12.
3. Foreign language for grades K-12.
4. Computer science for grades 4-12.
5. Math for grades 4-12.
6. Science for grades 4-12.
(3) Eligibility. The state superintendent may issue a permit under this section to an applicant who meets all of the following requirements:
(a) Holds a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education with a major in one of the following:
1. Engineering for a license under sub. (2) (b) 4., 5., or 6.
2. Music for a license under sub. (2) (b) 1.
3. Art for a license under sub. (2) (b) 2.
4. Foreign language for a license under sub. (2) (b) 3.
5. Computer science for a license under sub. (2) (b) 4.
6. Mathematics for a license under sub. (2) (b) 5.
7. Science for a license under sub. (2) (b) 6.
(b) Demonstrated five years of professional work experience as defined under sub. (1) (b).
(c) Demonstrated competency in the subject area by having a passing score on a standardized test approved by the state superintendent.
(d) Completed an alternative teacher training program under sub. (4), as defined under sub. (3) (e).
(e) Provided a request to issue the license from the district administrator or designee of the employing school district accompanied by verification from the employing school district that an educator with a valid tier II, III, or IV license will be supervising the applicant.
(4) Alternative teacher training program. An entity seeking approval from the state superintendent to provide an alternative teacher training program under s. 118.192 (1), Stats., shall: (a) Provide a minimum of 100 hours of formal instruction aligned to license program content guidelines under s. PI 34.001 (14) and teacher standards under PI 34.002. (b) Be taught by instructors who meet requirements under s. PI 34.014 (2) (a) through (c). (5) Duration. A permit issued under this section is valid for two years unless the license holder leaves employment with the school district which requested the license under sub. (3) prior to the expiration of the license.
(6) Advancement. The state superintendent may advance a permit issued under this section to a five-year renewable permit if the permit holder successfully completed teaching under the initial permit's 2-year term and is recommended by the school district which requested the license under sub. (3).
Section 3. Effective Date:
The rules contained in this order shall take effect on the first day of the month following publication in the Wisconsin Administrative Register as provided in s. 227.22 (2) (intro.), Stats. Dated this _____ day of ____________, 2024
