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Proposed Rule Revisions for Educator Preparation and Accountability (REPA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Updated: Thursday, January 07, 2010
Media Contact: IDOE
Why we need to revise current licensing regulations
- Research indicates that teachers are the primary influence on students'
academic achievement, but our current policies don‟t ensure that we‟re
putting the best qualified teachers in the classroom. In the coming years,
as experienced teachers retire, Indiana faces a critical teacher shortage,
especially in vital subjects like math and science.
- The National Council on Teacher Quality gave Indiana a "D" for its policies effecting teacher quality. Indiana ranks low in our ability to identify and retain effective teachers as well as our ability to weed out the worst teachers.
- Of all the new teaching certifications in 2008-09, 7% were Math and 6% were Science certifications.
- Within 5 years, 25% of mathematics teachers, 25% of science teachers, and 36% of Career and Tech teachers will be eligible to retire. Within 10 years retirement projections are 36%, 36%, and 52% respectively.
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Current regulations waste teachers‟ time and money, but are not effective in the goal of making them better teachers.
- Currently, the Indiana Administrative Code contains references to several prior licensing systems that place contrasting and ineffective requirements on license holders.
- Too many requirements for initial licensure and for license renewal are not connected to student achievement or educators‟ ability to teach.
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Existing rules handcuff principals and administrators and limit opportunities to make staffing and professional-development decisions that will improve student achievement.
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Revising our licensing rules will help put Indiana in a top position to receive federal Race to the Top grant money.
- “States, for example, that limit alternative routes to certification for teachers and principals, or cap the number of charter schools, will be at a competitive disadvantage. And states that explicitly prohibit linking data on achievement or student growth to principal and teacher evaluations will be ineligible for reform dollars until they change their laws.” -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, July 24, 2009
The goals of changes in licensing regulations
- Increase teachers’ content knowledge and instructional skill.
- Increase student achievement to meet
state goals.
- 90 percent of students will pass both math and language arts portions of the ISTEP exam.
- 25 percent of students will pass advanced coursework (such as advanced placement classes) with high scores.
- 90 percent of students will graduate high school.
- Increase administrators’ flexibility to make innovative changes to improve student achievement.
- Clean up the bureaucratic red tape that slows down teacher and administrator efforts to relicense and improve instructional quality.
- Update regulations and remove redundancies and outdated provisions.
Updated Proposed Licensing Changes (Updated Jan. 07, 2010)
- Requires Emphasis on Content-Knowledge. Changes revise the licensing requirements to emphasize teachers’ content knowledge.
- Elementary teachers (K to 6) must earn a baccalaureate degree consisting of an education major with a content-area minor OR a content-area major with an education minor.
- Secondary teachers (grades 5 to 12) must receive a baccalaureate degree consisting of any applicable content-area major — as well as a minor in education.
- Opens Door to Non-Traditional Administrators. Changes allow school boards to hire superintendents outside of the traditional education system.
- A school’s governing body may apply to the Professional Standards Board for a temporary superintendent license for a nontraditional superintendent for a period of time determined by the school’s governing body.
- If granted, these temporary superintendent licenses would only be valid within the employing school district.
- Requires Testing of Every New Teacher Before Entering the Classroom. Changes require all teaching candidates to pass certain tests to demonstrate competence in content-area knowledge and pedagogy (including the PRAXIS II exams).
- PRAXIS I tests are no longer required for licensure after June 2011. Instead, teaching applicants are required to demonstrate basic skills before being admitted to schools of education.
- Allows Current Teachers to Add Content Areas More Easily. Changes allow teachers to add content areas to their licenses by passing a content-area exam that tests subject knowledge.
- Changes Novice-Teacher Programs. Changes eliminate portfolio and mentor program for new teachers. Mentor programs are a local option. Related changes:
- Create a simplified Beginning Teacher Residency Program, in which a building-level administrator are responsible for assessing a new teacher’s effectiveness and developing a plan for professional improvement.
- Allows Current Teachers to use In-service Credits for License Renewal. Changes make tuition-based course requirements for teachers to renew their licenses optional as verified by the building level administrator. Educators have the option to use in-service credits and professional development programs verified by a building-level administrator for renewal. This could save teachers as much as $1,400 every five years in tuition costs.
- Only activities and courses directly related to student achievement will count toward renewal.
- Simplifies Licensing Process for Out-of-State Teachers & Career Changers. Changes reduce licensing barriers for out-of-state teachers and other highly knowledgeable adults looking to enter the teaching profession. Related changes:
- Out-of-State Candidates: Requires these applicants to have two years of expertise in good standing to receive a proficient practitioner license. Otherwise, they will receive an initial practitioner license.
- Changing Professions: A teaching candidate with a baccalaureate degree may obtain an Education minor and pass a content-knowledge test for licensure.
- Eases Restrictions on License Suspensions/Revocations. Changes allow IDOE to accept license surrenders for suspensions/revocations. This allows the Department to receive surrenders from license-holders who are facing criminal charges and allows the Department to provide a quicker response for license revocations.
When and how will educators be subject to these changes?
- New rules go into effect July 31, 2010.
- Students in schools of education graduating prior to 2013 are not affected by licensing changes.
For a complete listing of proposed changes to licensing regulations, see the attached fact sheets:
