House File 255 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 255 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 4) A BILL FOR An Act modifying requirements related to teacher intern 1 license programs and licenses and authorizations issued 2 by the board of educational examiners and establishing a 3 temporary initial teaching license to be issued by the board 4 of educational examiners to applicants who complete an 5 alternative teacher certification program. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh

H.F. 255 Section 1. Section 256.16, subsection 1, Code 2023, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . m. If a higher education institution 3 providing practitioner preparation offers a program that is 4 designed to assist students in attaining a teacher intern 5 license from the board of educational examiners, the program 6 shall require participants to satisfy all of the following 7 requirements before completing the program: 8 (1) A participant in the program must have graduated from 9 an accredited or state-approved college or university and must 10 meet the requirements for an endorsement area approved by the 11 board of educational examiners for a teacher intern license. 12 (2) A participant in the program must submit with the 13 application to the program a copy of an offer of employment 14 from a school. 15 (3) A participant in the program must complete the required 16 pedagogy training. 17 (4) A participant in the program must work under the 18 supervision of a teacher leader assigned by the school district 19 or accredited nonpublic school, including during co-teaching 20 and planning time. 21 Sec. 2. Section 272.2, subsection 13, Code 2023, is amended 22 to read as follows: 23 13. Adopt rules to provide for nontraditional preparation 24 options for licensing persons who hold a bachelor’s degree 25 or higher from an accredited or state-approved college or 26 university, who do not meet other requirements for licensure. 27 The rules shall, at a minimum, require the board to do all of 28 the following: 29 a. Issue a teacher intern license to an applicant who has 30 enrolled in a program established pursuant to section 256.16, 31 subsection 1, paragraph “m” . 32 b. Allow a licensee who has attained a teacher intern 33 license pursuant to paragraph “a” to apply for an initial 34 teaching license if the school that employed the licensee 35 -1- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 6

H.F. 255 during the licensee’s completion of the program established 1 pursuant to section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph “m” , and 2 the higher education institution that operated the program, 3 recommend that the licensee be allowed to apply for an initial 4 teaching license. 5 Sec. 3. Section 272.2, Code 2023, is amended by adding the 6 following new subsection: 7 NEW SUBSECTION . 26. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 8 17A that allow an individual seeking a career and technical 9 secondary authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued 10 the secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 11 employment with a school. 12 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 272.17 Temporary initial license for 13 applicants who complete an alternative teacher certification 14 program. 15 1. The board shall grant a temporary initial teaching 16 license to an applicant who meets all of the following 17 requirements: 18 a. The applicant shall hold a bachelor’s degree from an 19 accredited college or university. 20 b. The applicant shall successfully complete an alternative 21 teacher certification program that includes all of the 22 following: 23 (1) The required content training in the area in which the 24 applicant seeks to be licensed. 25 (2) Pedagogy training, including an examination, that 26 teaches effective instructional delivery, classroom management 27 and organization, assessment, instructional design, and 28 professional learning and leadership. 29 2. To be considered an alternative teacher certification 30 program for purposes of this section, an alternative teacher 31 certification program shall meet all of the following 32 requirements: 33 a. The alternative teacher certification program must 34 operate in at least five states. 35 -2- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 6

H.F. 255 b. The alternative teacher certification program must have 1 been in operation for at least ten years. 2 3. An individual who successfully completes an alternative 3 teacher certification program and who is granted a temporary 4 initial teaching license by the board under this section is 5 authorized to teach the subjects and grade levels that the 6 individual successfully completed during the alternative 7 teacher certification program. 8 4. The board shall treat an individual who successfully 9 completes an alternative teacher certification program and who 10 is granted a temporary initial teaching license by the board 11 under this section in the same manner as an individual who 12 completes a traditional teacher preparation program and who 13 receives an initial teaching license, including during the 14 process of converting the temporary initial teaching license 15 to a standard teaching license. 16 Sec. 5. Section 272.28, Code 2023, is amended to read as 17 follows: 18 272.28 Licensure beyond a temporary initial license or an 19 initial license. 20 1. Requirements for teacher licensure beyond a temporary 21 initial license or an initial license shall include successful 22 completion of a beginning teacher mentoring and induction 23 program approved by the state board of education pursuant to 24 section 284.5 ; or two years of successful teaching experience 25 in a school district with an approved career paths, leadership 26 roles, and compensation framework or approved comparable system 27 as provided in section 284.15 ; or evidence of not less than 28 three years of successful teaching experience at any of the 29 following: 30 a. An accredited nonpublic school in this state. 31 b. A preschool program approved by the United States 32 department of health and human services. 33 c. Preschool programs at school districts approved to 34 participate in the preschool program under chapter 256C . 35 -3- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 6

H.F. 255 d. Shared visions programs receiving grants from the child 1 development coordinating council under section 256A.3 . 2 e. Preschool programs receiving moneys from the school 3 ready children grants account of the early childhood Iowa fund 4 created in section 256I.11 . 5 2. A teacher from an accredited nonpublic school or another 6 state or country is exempt from the requirement of subsection 1 7 if the teacher can document three years of successful teaching 8 experience and meet or exceed the requirements contained in 9 rules adopted under this chapter for endorsement and licensure. 10 EXPLANATION 11 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 12 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 13 This bill modifies requirements related to teacher intern 14 license programs and licenses and authorizations issued by 15 the board of educational examiners (BOEE) and establishes a 16 temporary initial teaching license to be issued by the BOEE to 17 applicants who complete an alternative teacher certification 18 program. 19 The bill provides that if a higher education institution 20 providing practitioner preparation offers a program that is 21 designed to assist students in attaining a teacher intern 22 license from the BOEE, the program shall require participants 23 to satisfy certain specified requirements. 24 Current law requires the BOEE to adopt rules to provide 25 for nontraditional preparation options for licensing persons 26 who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college 27 or university and who do not meet other requirements for 28 licensure. The bill provides that the rules shall require 29 the BOEE to issue a teacher intern license to an applicant 30 who has completed a program offered by a higher education 31 institution providing practitioner preparation that is designed 32 to assist students in attaining a teacher intern license. The 33 bill requires the BOEE to allow a licensee who has attained 34 a teacher intern license under such a program to apply for 35 -4- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 4/ 6

H.F. 255 an initial teaching license if the school that employed 1 the licensee during the program and the higher education 2 institution recommend that the licensee be allowed to apply. 3 The bill requires the BOEE to adopt rules that allow 4 an individual seeking a career and technical secondary 5 authorization to apply, and if eligible, be issued the 6 secondary authorization prior to accepting an offer of 7 employment with a school. 8 The bill requires the BOEE to grant a temporary initial 9 teaching license to an applicant who holds a bachelor’s degree 10 from an accredited college or university and successfully 11 completes an alternative teacher certification program. The 12 bill describes what an alternative teacher certification 13 program must include. 14 The bill establishes requirements for alternative teacher 15 certification programs, including that the program must operate 16 in at least five states and must have been in operation for at 17 least 10 years. 18 The bill provides that an individual who successfully 19 completes an alternative teacher certification program and who 20 is granted a temporary initial teaching license is authorized 21 to teach the subjects and grade levels that the individual 22 successfully completed during the program. 23 The bill requires the BOEE to treat an individual who 24 successfully completes an alternative teacher certification 25 program and who is granted a temporary initial teaching license 26 in the same manner as an individual who completes a traditional 27 teacher preparation program and who receives an initial 28 teaching license, including during the process of converting 29 the temporary initial teaching license to a standard teaching 30 license. 31 Code section 272.28 establishes requirements for teacher 32 licensure beyond an initial license. Pursuant to current 33 Code section 272.28, the requirements for teacher licensure 34 beyond an initial license include successful completion of a 35 -5- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 5/ 6

H.F. 255 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program; two years 1 of successful teaching experience in a school district with 2 an approved career paths, leadership roles, and compensation 3 framework; or evidence of not less than three years of 4 successful teaching experience with certain specified programs. 5 The bill modifies Code section 272.28 to impose these same 6 requirements on individuals attempting to obtain teacher 7 licensure beyond a temporary initial teaching license. 8 -6- LSB 1706HV (2) 90 jda/jh 6/ 6