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David
Blount, Editor
Teacher preparation and licensure issues have received considerable
attention in Virginia in recent years. The legislature has
played an active role, primarily through some funding initiatives
and direction to the Board of Education (BOE) and State Council
of Higher Education (SCHEV).
In the late 1980s, the Department of Education (DOE) sponsored
several initiatives to engage classroom teachers as clinical
supervisors of teacher trainees and as mentors for new teachers.
The Governor’s Commission on Champion Schools in the
mid 1990s recognized the importance of increasing classroom
experiences for prospective teachers and the need for teacher
mentor programs. In 1995, the General Assembly approved HJ
629, requesting the Board of Education and the State Council
of Higher Education to develop a plan for strengthening teacher
education and induction, by training and supporting experienced
teachers as clinical supervisors for trainees and mentors
for beginning teachers (the legislature subsequently approved
funding of nearly $3 million for clinical faculty and mentor
teacher programs). In 1996, HJ
247 directed a study of an alternative pathway to teacher
licensure for individuals with knowledge of computer technology.
Following up the next year, the legislature approved HB
1848, which, among other things, directed colleges and
universities to ensure graduates had certain technology skills
and particularly, that students in teacher-training programs
receive instruction in the effective use of educational technology
designed to meet standards in the BOE’s six-year technology
plan. In 1998, the legislature approved a recommendation of
the Commission on the Future of Public Education in HB
432, which required the BOE to develop leadership standards
and training for superintendents and principals and that their
licensure be contingent on acquiring the skills established
in those standards.
In 1999, the General Assembly approved HB 2710 and SB
1145, dubbed the Education Accountability and Quality
Enhancement Act of 1999. These measures made a variety of
changes concerning teacher preparation, evaluation and employment.
For this discussion, several provisions are noteworthy:
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School boards are required to fill teaching positions
with licensed instructional personnel qualified in the
relevant subject areas;
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Licensure regulations must require persons seeking initial
and renewed licenses to complete study/receive training
in instructional methods designed to promote student achievement
and preparation for the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests;
principals must have received training in employee performance
evaluation and documentation as a licensure requirement,
beginning September, 2000;
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Colleges and universities are required to use a professional
teacher’s examination for those wishing to enter teacher
education programs and to report on pass rates of graduates
taking the state teacher licensure examination;
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School boards are required to provide mentor teachers
to probationary teachers ($300,000 in state funding provided);
also guidelines for the state Mentor Teacher Program are
established (approved in June, 2000, by the BOE); and
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The National Teacher Certification Reward Program is
established and funded to provide additional annual stipends
to teachers achieving and maintaining national certification
($5,000 in the certificate’s first year and then
$2,500 annually).
Also in 1999, the budget and SJ
384 provided direction and funding ($50,000) for the development
of a plan providing flexibility for school divisions in hiring
nontraditional classroom teachers who do not hold teaching
licenses, with particular attention to alternative licensure
programs in Texas and New Jersey. The new Commission on Educational
Accountability also was directed to examine ways to create
additional incentives for teachers to achieve national certification,
and in 2000, another measure was approved requesting the DOE
to examine creating mentorships to encourage teachers to obtain
national certification.
Also in 2000, HB
473 and SB
289 provided for licensure by reciprocity for individuals
holding a valid out-of-state teaching license and national
certification. SB
113 allowed school boards to issue nonrenewable, three-year
“local eligibility licenses” designed in large part
to help alleviate teacher shortages. Applicants for such a
license must hold a baccalaureate degree and have appropriate
experience.
On several occasions in recent years, the General Assembly
has strengthened teacher licensure by requiring completion
of additional study as a condition of licensure. These efforts
include HB
1330 in 1996, which required study of attention deficit
disorder; in 1998, HB
432 required study of improving communication between
schools and families, ways to increase family involvement
in student learning at home and in school, and the Standards
of Learning; and HB
1287 required study of gifted education, particularly
the use of multiple criteria to identify gifted students.
In 1999, HB 2263 required proficiency in the use of educational
technology for instruction, while HB 2710 and SB
1145 , as noted above, required persons seeking initial
licensure, after July 1, 2003, to complete study in instructional
methods tailored to promote student achievement and effective
preparation for the SOL tests, and persons renewing licenses,
after July 1, 2004, to receive training in the same.
While there is no specific legislative directive for studying
teacher licensure or preparation, future initiatives could
come forward in conjunction with the various efforts to address
the continued short supply of public school teachers and administrators.
1994 – HB 328 (administrators required to teach),
HB 1056 (independent Professional Standards Board), HJ 172
(study of retired military as teachers)
1995 – HJ 629
1996 – HB 1330, HJ 196 (Commission on the Future
of Public Education), HJ 247
1997 – HB 1848, HB 2594 (fees for license renewal)
1998 – HB 432, HB 1287, SB 166 (leadership standards
and training), HJ 117 (study of one-year internship requirement),
HJ 250 (add-on endorsement in gifted education)
1999 – HB 1726 (mentor teachers), HB 1975 (employment
of qualified personnel), HB 2087 (national certification stipends),
HB 2263, HB 2710 and SB 1145, SB 932 (standards for long-term
substitute teachers), SB 1307 (teachers of blind and visually
impaired), SJ 286 (incentives for national certification),
SJ 384, SJ 498 (Commission on Educational Accountability)
2000 – HB 473, HB 1041 (national certification
and license renewal), SB 113, SB 289, HJ 203 (study of teacher
peer review process), SJ 93 (national certification and mentorships
study)
2001 – HB 2123 (teacher’s exam passing scores)
Other states have addressed teacher training and licensure
issues quite extensively in recent years. West Virginia provides
$1,000 to nationally certified teachers, Kentucky provides
an additional $2,000, while South Carolina provides $7,500.
Delaware also pays teachers achieving national certification
an additional 12% bonus. Kentucky also has a goal of having
one nationally certified teacher in each public school by
2020.
Georgia now requires proficiency with computers as a condition
of licensure and license renewal. Kentucky is establishing
an alternate route to licensure for retired military personnel
and providing additional compensation for teachers serving
as classroom mentors.
Florida’s “EDUCATE 2000” legislation streamlined
certification requirements and created the Mentor Teacher
School Program. By 2002, Florida will have new license exams,
and the state has deleted the requirement that retired military
personnel must have served 20 years in order to achieve teacher
certification.
In Delaware, the Professional Standards Board has been charged
with proposing regulations on teacher education and certification.
A three-tier licensure system has been created (initial, continuing
and advanced). South Carolina has directed its Board of Education
to establish requirements for middle school certification
and to examine teacher reciprocity.
Various measures have been introduced in the 107th Congress
that address teacher licensure and teacher preparation. Among
them are S. 101, dubbed the Quality Teachers for All Act,
which would require that information about licensure requirements
be provided to parents, and that teachers not teach subjects
outside their area of knowledge. S. 164, the Technology for
Teachers Act of 2001, directs funding for teacher preparation
programs emphasizing the knowledge and use of technology by
teachers. S. 474 amends the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA) to provide for mentor teachers and to carry out
programs that establish or expand programs for alternative
routes to licensure.
In addressing teacher quality issues, the President has
proposed combining the funding of nearly 90 federal education
programs, including the Class Size Reduction program and the
Eisenhower Professional Development program, into performance-based
grants to states and localities.
http://www.sreb.org/main/LegAction/legactionindex.asp
http://thomas.loc.gov
http://www.ed.gov/inits/nclb/part5.html
http://www.nsba.org/sbn/
DOE
Division of Teacher Education and Licensure
Click here for a policy issue briefing on “Training,
Certification, and Licensure.”
Click cepi@vcu.edu to provide
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