HF 2178 (LSB 5834YH (1) 89)

HOUSE FILE 2178

BY  FISHER

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to practitioner preparation programs, including the duration of the student teaching experience, and including applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph d, Code 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   d.  Require that each student admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program participate in pre-student teaching field experiences that include both observation and participation in teaching activities in a variety of school settings. These pre-student teaching field experiences shall comprise a total of at least fifty hours in duration, at least ten hours of which shall occur prior to a student’s acceptance in an approved practitioner preparation program. The student teaching experience shall be a minimum of fourteen weeks in duration during the student’s final year of the practitioner preparation program; provided, however, that higher education institutions providing practitioner preparation shall reduce the duration of the student teaching experience for a student who has worked as a substitute teacher pursuant to an authorization issued by the board of educational examiners under section 272.31, subsection 4, by the amount of weeks the student worked as a substitute teacher. The program shall make every reasonable effort to offer the student teaching experience prior to a student’s last semester, or equivalent, in the program, and to expand the student’s student teaching opportunities beyond one semester or the equivalent.
    Sec. 2.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to students admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or after July 1, 2021.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to practitioner preparation programs, including the duration of the student teaching experience.
   Current law provides that all higher education institutions providing practitioner preparation are to require students admitted to the higher education institution’s practitioner preparation program to participate in a student teaching experience for a minimum of 14 weeks during the student’s final year of the program. The bill requires the higher education institutions providing these programs to reduce the duration of the student teaching experience for certain specified students who have worked as substitute teachers by the amount of weeks the students worked as substitute teachers.
   The bill applies to students admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or after July 1, 2021.