House File 526 - Introduced



                                  HOUSE FILE       
                                  BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

                                  (SUCCESSOR TO HF 212)

    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to educator licensing by requiring an annual
  2    review of administrative rules adopted by the board of
  3    educational examiners and directing the board of educational
  4    examiners to convene an educator licensing review working
  5    group.
  6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  7 TLSB 2299HV 81
  8 kh/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  272.29  ANNUAL ADMINISTRATIVE
  1  2 RULES REVIEW.
  1  3    The executive director shall annually review the
  1  4 administrative rules adopted pursuant to this chapter and
  1  5 related state laws.  The executive director shall annually
  1  6 submit the executive director's findings and recommendations
  1  7 in a report to the board and the chairpersons and ranking
  1  8 members of the senate and house standing committees on
  1  9 education and the joint appropriations subcommittee on
  1 10 education by January 15.
  1 11    Sec. 2.  EDUCATOR LICENSING REVIEW WORKING GROUP.
  1 12    1.  The board of educational examiners, in consultation
  1 13 with the department of education, shall convene a working
  1 14 group to identify and recommend measures to improve Iowa's
  1 15 current teacher and administrator preparation and licensing
  1 16 practices.  The working group shall review the current teacher
  1 17 and administrator preparation and licensing processes to
  1 18 identify essential standards to maintain quality preparation
  1 19 and licensing requirements for teachers and administrators.
  1 20 The review shall also do the following:
  1 21    a.  Identify state laws and agency rules that are no longer
  1 22 essential to maintain quality.
  1 23    b.  Compare Iowa's teacher and administrator preparation
  1 24 and licensing practices with those of neighboring states, and
  1 25 identify those areas where Iowa's practices differ from, or
  1 26 are consistent with, the practices of the states neighboring
  1 27 Iowa.
  1 28    c.  Identify potential barriers preventing teacher and
  1 29 administrator candidates from neighboring states from applying
  1 30 for licensure in Iowa.
  1 31    d.  Review federal laws and regulations relating to
  1 32 teachers and teacher licensure in order to ensure compliance
  1 33 with federal laws and regulations, especially those relating
  1 34 to highly qualified teachers.
  1 35    2.  The working group shall consist of teachers,
  2  1 administrators, and representatives of the department of
  2  2 education, the state board of education, the board of
  2  3 educational examiners, and practitioner preparation
  2  4 institutions.
  2  5    3.  The working group shall submit its findings and
  2  6 recommendations to the chairpersons and ranking members of the
  2  7 senate and house standing education committees and the joint
  2  8 appropriations subcommittee on education by January 15, 2006.
  2  9                           EXPLANATION
  2 10    This bill requires the executive director of the board of
  2 11 educational examiners to annually review the administrative
  2 12 rules adopted by the board and to submit the executive
  2 13 director's findings and recommendations to certain members of
  2 14 the general assembly by January 15.  The bill also directs the
  2 15 board of educational examiners, in consultation with the
  2 16 department of education, to convene an educator licensing
  2 17 review working group to improve Iowa's current teacher and
  2 18 administrator preparation and licensing practices by
  2 19 identifying standards essential for the maintenance of quality
  2 20 preparation and licensure requirements for teachers and
  2 21 administrators, identifying state laws and agency rules that
  2 22 are no longer essential to maintain quality, comparing Iowa's
  2 23 teacher and administrator preparation and licensing practices
  2 24 with those of neighboring states, identifying potential
  2 25 barriers preventing teacher and administrator candidates from
  2 26 neighboring states from applying for licensure in Iowa, and
  2 27 reviewing federal laws and regulations relating to teacher
  2 28 licensure to ensure compliance with the federal laws and
  2 29 regulations.
  2 30    The working group must submit its findings and
  2 31 recommendations to the chairpersons and ranking members of the
  2 32 senate and house standing education committees and the joint
  2 33 appropriations subcommittee on education by January 15, 2006.
  2 34 LSB 2299HV 81
  2 35 kh:nh/sh/8