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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5436
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION.
SUMMARY
This bill makes numerous changes to the education laws related to
educator certification and educator preparation programs. It:
1. simplifies the steps required to receive an initial educator
certification for those going through an alternative route to
certification (ARC) program (§§ 1 & 6);
2. prohibits granting any new provisional educator certificates and
makes the initial certification valid for 10 years (§ 1);
3. establishes new criteria for a professional educator certificate
including permitting an alternate pathway to professional
licensure instead of the master’s degree requirement (§ 1);
4. broadens grades covered by certain teaching endorsements (§§ 2
& 4);
5. requires, beginning July 1, 2025, that elementary education
teacher preparation programs be aligned with National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
standards and competencies for early childhood educators (§ 3);
6. simplifies the process for certified teachers to gain an additional
endorsement (i.e., “cross-endorsement”) (§ 5);
7. creates the Connecticut Educator Preparation and Certification
Board (CEPCB) and tasks it with numerous duties including
developing proposals for regulations and legislation to submit to
the State Board of Education (SBE) for approval (§§ 10 & 11); 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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8. repeals, effective July 1, 2025, numerous state regulations for
educator certification and educator preparation programs (§ 15);
and
9. makes changes to certain alternative route to certification (ARC)
programs and other minor and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024, except the section repealing the
regulations is effective July 1, 2025.
§§ 1 & 6 — CHANGES TO EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION
Initial Educator Certification
The bill simplifies the steps required to receive an initial educator
certification for those going through an ARC program. It requires SBE
to issue an initial educator certification to a candidate with a bachelor’s
degree or advanced degree from an accredited higher education
institution who completes one of the following pathways:
1. successfully completed an SBE-approved educator preparation
program, or
2. successfully completed an ARC program pursuant to state law,
or
3. is an educator from another state and meets one of a list of
requirements in Connecticut law (see below).
An out-of-state teacher can satisfy the pathway requirement for
certification if he or she:
1. graduated from a teacher preparation program at an accredited
institution in another state or an SBE-approved ARC program,
but has not successfully completed the Connecticut teacher
assessments;
2. has taught in another state with an appropriate certificate for at
least two years and meets the Connecticut certification
requirements except for successful completion of the teacher
assessments; 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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3. was hired by a charter school after July 1 in any school year for a
teaching position so long as the person could reasonably be
expected to complete the requirements in the 90-day temporary
certification law (see BACKGROUND) ;
4. received a satisfactory score on the appropriate educator subject
area assessment or exam in another state, provided SBE approves
the assessments or exams as being at least equivalent with
Connecticut’s;
5. taught in a state that participates in the enhanced educator
reciprocity agreement with Connecticut; or
6. holds a military spouse permit.
The ARC pathway can be successfully completed by one of four types
of ARC program authorized in law:
1. for school administrators (CGS § 10-145p);
2. for school support staff (CGS § 10-145t);
3. for persons from alternate professions (e.g., paraeducators,
veterans, professors employed or previously employed at a
higher education institution) (CGS § 10-145w); and
4. summer and weekend and evening ARC program ( for target
groups including teachers in shortage areas and former teachers
with expired certification who want to return to the profession)
(CGS § 10-155d).
Current law permits teacher certification through ARC programs, but
requires these candidates to also satisfy the requirements of a temporary
90-day certificate or a resident teacher certificate (see BACKGROUND).
The bill eliminates this requirement.
SBE Authority to Waive Requirements
The bill grants SBE the authority to waive the requirements of (1)
completing an educator preparation program, (2) completing an ARC 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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program, or (3) being a certified educator from another state who meets
certain Connecticut requirements. Under the bill, SBE may waive these
requirements to issue an initial educator certificate to any person who
presents a combination of education and experience that the state board
determines is the equivalent of the education and experience required
under the bill.
Initial Certifications Valid for 10 Years
The bill makes an initial educator certification valid for 10 years,
rather than three as under the current law. (However, the bill leaves in
place the three-year initial permit for those who successfully taught
when holding a temporary 90-day certificate.)
The bill extends existing initial educator certificates that have not
expired on July 1, 2024 (the bill’s effective date) for a period of 10 years
from their issue date, and makes any new certificates issued on or after
July 1, 2024, valid for 10 years.
By law, the commissioner may extend initial certifications for an
additional year at a superintendent’s or local assessment team’s request.
The bill prohibits the commissioner from granting this extension more
than three times to any person.
Repealing the Provisional Educator Certification and New Criteria
for Professional Certification
Under current law Connecticut has three levels of teacher
certification: initial, provisional, and professional.
The bill eliminates the SBE’s and the education commissioner’s
authority to issue and reissue provisional certificates effective July 1,
2024. Under the bill, anyone holding a provisional certificate who is not
eligible to advance to the professional certificate is eligible for an initial
certificate.
Beginning July 1, 2026, the bill allows those holding initial certificates
(or those with existing provisional certificates) to apply for a
professional certificate rather than a provisional certificate. To qualify
for a professional certification a candidate must: 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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1. have completed at least 50 school months (five years) of
successful teaching for one or more boards of education or
approved nonpublic schools in Connecticut while holding an
initial educator or provisional educator certificate;
2. have satisfactorily completed the teacher education and
mentoring program, as required under state law; and
3. either (a) hold a master’s degree or higher in an appropriate
subject matter area or (b) complete an alternate pathway to
professional licensure jointly approved by SBE and the Educator
Preparation and Certification Board (see § 10).
Beginning July 1, 2026, upon receipt of a proper application, SBE
must issue a professional educator certificate to any person who satisfies
these qualifications. For good cause, SBE may waive the requirement for
a master’s degree or completion of an alternative pathway to
professional licensure.
Under current law, to qualify for a professional certificate a candidate
must hold or have held a provisional educator certificate and must have
a master’s degree in an appropriate subject matter area, as determined
by SBE, related to the teacher’s certification endorsement area.
Under current law, to qualify for a provisional certificate a candidate
must either (1) have taught for one year in a public school and
completed the beginning educator program or (2) have taught for at
least three years within the last 10 years in a public school in another
state or for a private school in any state, including Connecticut,
approved by the appropriate governing body for that state, and whose
superintendent or supervising agent attests the educator meets the
preparation and eligibility requirements of a Connecticut initial
certification. Additionally, under current law, an educator who holds a
provisional certificate can apply to renew it.
Under the bill, the provisional holder may apply for a professional
certificate when the provisional one expires. Also under the bill, a
provisional permit holder who is not eligible for a professional 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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certification is eligible for an initial certification.
The bill eliminates language that permits granting provisional
certifications for certain teachers who have taught in another state or in
private schools in Connecticut and meet certain conditions.
The bill makes other minor and conforming changes including
removing obsolete provisions.
§§ 2 & 4 — BROADENING GRADES COVERED BY C ERTAIN
TEACHING ENDORSEMENT S
The bill retroactively allows an educator endorsement to teach
elementary grades one to six, inclusive, issued prior to July 1, 2024, to
be valid for grades prekindergarten to six, inclusive. Also, any new
elementary endorsement issued on or after July 1, 2024, will also be valid
for grades prekindergarten to six, inclusive.
Under current law certain elementary endorsements are allowed to
be valid for kindergarten through grade six, inclusive, depending on
various factors including when they were issued.
The bill also makes the following endorsements for grades seven to
12 valid for grades four to 12, regardless of when they were issued:
biology, business, chemistry, earth science, English, French, German,
general science, history and social studies, Italian, Latin and classical
humanities, Mandarin Chinese, mathematics, Portuguese, physics,
Russian, Spanish, and any other world language.
Revised Endorsements Do Not Require Applications (§ 4)
On and after July 1, 2024, any person who holds an initial,
provisional, or professional educator certificate, and whose
endorsement has been revised according to the changes described above
(§ 2), will not be required to apply for a revised endorsement. The
educator will be allowed to provide instruction in any course in which
the subject matter content of the course corresponds with the revised
endorsement.
Beginning July 1, 2026, the SBE will assign the revised endorsement 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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upon an educator’s certificate being issued or reissued, as appropriate.
§ 3 — ELEMENTARY EDUCATIO N TEACHER PREPARATIO N
PROGRAMS
The bill requires, beginning July 1, 2025, that any elementary
education teacher preparation program be aligned with any
professional standards and competencies for early childhood educators
developed by NAEYC.
§ 5 — SUBJECT AREA ASSESS MENTS AND CROSS
ENDORSEMENTS
On and after July 1, 2024, the bill allows any person who holds an
initial, provisional, or professional educator certificate and scores a
satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate SBE-approved subject area
assessment to be issued a cross endorsement in the relevant certification
endorsement area. The bill specifies that this provision does not apply
to the endorsement areas of special education, teaching English to
speakers of other languages, bilingual, or school library media
specialist.
§ 7 — ARC PROGRAMS FOR SC HOOL SUPPORT STAFF
As part of the existing law authorizing approval of ARC programs
for people employed as school support staff, the bill allows the State
Department of Education (SDE) to approve programs that partner with
an institution of higher education that is regionally accredited or has an
equivalent accreditation, to provide a dual degree-plus-certification
program for participants who hold an associate degree. Under current
law, these programs are required to be open only to those who already
have a bachelor’s degree.
When making decisions on whether to approve these programs, the
bill also requires SDE to give priority to the programs that provide
participants flexibility in remaining in their school support staff
positions while pursuing an initial educator certificate, other than in the
period when the participants are completing the one-year residency
requirement.
Under the law, the programs are required to have each participant 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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complete a one-year residency that requires participants to serve in a
full-time position requiring professional certification for 10 school
months for a school board under a certified administrator’s or teacher’s
supervision.
§ 8 — ARC PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY EXPANDED
The bill expands the definition of who may participate in an existing
ARC program for people in alternate professions. By law, all
participants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited
institution and be a person from an alternate profession, which means a
person who:
1. is a paraeducator,
2. is a veteran,
3. holds an SBE-issued charter school educator permit, or
4. is or was employed as a professor at an accredited institution of
higher education.
The bill expands the definition to include someone who has
completed at least five years of work experience requiring the consistent
exercise of discretion and independent judgment in the field related to
the person’s chosen relevant teaching endorsement area.
§ 9 — ADVISORY COUNCIL FO R TEACHER PROFESSION AL
STANDARDS
The bill removes from the duties of the Advisory Council for Teacher
Professional Standards (1) advising on matters related to teacher
certification and preparation and (2) reviewing and commenting on
regulations and standards for approving teacher preparation programs.
By law, the council is charged with advising SBE, the governor, and the
Education Committee on teacher (1) recruitment and retention, (2)
professional development, and (3) assessment, evaluation, and
discipline.
§ 10 — CREATION OF THE CON NECTICUT EDUCATOR
PREPARATION AND CERT IFICATION BOARD (CEPCB) 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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The bill creates the CEPCB, which it deems responsible for
modernizing and aligning educator preparation and certification to
ensure that policies attract and retain effective and diverse professionals
to work in Connecticut’s public schools.
The board must develop standards and proposals for regulations or
legislation relating to educator preparation and certification that reflect
the teaching profession and respond to emerging understandings of
effective, evidence-based practices.
Additionally, the standards and proposals must address the
following objectives:
1. building streamlined, flexible pathways in the educator
profession that are grounded in a commitment to educator
effectiveness,
2. enabling educators to broaden their scope of practice to meet
more students’ needs,
3. ensuring educator preparation programs are accountable for
both the quality training experiences and outcomes for
candidates,
4. creating a system to help educators continuously improve their
practice that supports and rewards educators who demonstrate
mastery,
5. supporting improved data transparency regarding the state’s
distribution of educators and educator vacancies and
accountability for remedying observed inequities, and
6. treating educators as professionals and lifelong learners who
need access to high-quality professional learning and
mentorships throughout their careers.
Board Members and Appointing Authorities
The board consists of 26 members. In addition to the appointed
members (see table below), the board includes the following officials or 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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their designees: the education commissioner, the early childhood
commissioner, and the Technical Education and Career System
superintendent.
Table: Connecticut Educator Preparation and Certification Board
Appointed Members
Appointing Authority Members
Eight public school classroom teachers who are classroom teachers
throughout their term
Connecticut Education Association
Four:
• one elementary teacher,
• one middle school teacher,
• one high school teacher, and
• one special education teacher
American Federation of Teachers-
Connecticut
Three:
• one elementary teacher,
• one middle school teacher, and
• one high school teacher
Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council One appointee
Six representatives from an SBE-approved educator preparation program
American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education Connecticut Chapter
Three, including at least two
representatives from educator preparation
programs of public institutions of higher
education
Connecticut Conference of Independent
Colleges
Two appointees
Education commissioner One representative of an ARC program
Five administrators employed by a local or regional school board
Connecticut Association of Public School
Superintendents
Two:
• one school superintendent for a rural
district, and
• one school superintendent for an
urban district
Connecticut Association of Schools Two, including one representative of a
suburban district
Connecticut Federation of School
Administrators
One appointee
Additional appointees
Governor One representative of the Governor's
Workforce Council 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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Appointing Authority Members
Connecticut Association of Boards of
Education
One appointee
Increasing Educator Diversity Policy
Oversight Council
One representative from the Increasing
Educator Diversity Policy Oversight
Council
SBE One representative from SBE who is a
nonvoting member
Initial Appointments, Vacancies, Bylaws, and Board Chair
All initial board appointments must be made by August 1, 2024. The
appropriate appointing authority must fill any vacancy by 10 days
following the vacancy. Members serve three-year terms. The board must
establish bylaws for its own operation and management.
The chairperson and vice chairperson of the board must be elected
from among the voting members of the board.
Annual Report to the Education Committee
The board must develop, by January 1, 2026, and annually after that,
an annual report that includes a detailed summary of the substance and
disposition of any standards and proposals for regulations or legislation
the board or SBE develops under the bill (see § 11). The board must
submit the annual report to the Education Committee.
§ 11 — CEPCB AND SBE CONSID ER AND APPROVE OR REJECT
EACH OTHER’S PROPOSA LS
The bill gives CEPCB and SBE each the authority to develop
standards and proposals (i.e., “proposals”) for regulations and
legislation relating to educator preparation and certification. The bill
creates a process where each board sends the proposals it has developed
to the other board to be either approved or rejected within 60 days after
receiving them (e.g., CEPCB sends its proposals to SBE, and SBE sends
its proposals to CEPCB).
If either board approves the proposals, then for proposals that (1)
require regulations, SBE must adopt regulations consistent with the
approved proposal and (2) require legislation, the proposal will be 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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submitted to the Education Committee for consideration.
§ 12 — CEPCB DUTIES
The bill requires CEPCB to develop proposals for regulations and
legislation by July 1, 2025, regarding the following:
1. criteria for assessing proposals from school boards, regional
educational service centers (RESCs), and educator preparation
programs for alternative pathways for educators to (a) progress
from initial certificate to professional certificate or (b) be issued a
cross endorsement that will allow educators to teach in content
areas or grades beyond their initial certification areas;
2. how well degrees from SBE-approved educator preparation
programs will align with the revised endorsement areas under §
2;
3. the adequacy and relevance of existing certification subject
endorsement areas;
4. implementation of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator
Preparation standards for educator preparation programs;
5. the necessity of the temporary 90-day certificate; and
6. the design and development of a state-wide data dashboard that
enables longitudinal monitoring of educator workforce data.
Collecting, Reviewing, and Evaluating Data
Additionally, the bill requires, annually, beginning July 1, 2026, the
board to:
1. collect and review (a) state-specific data, including, at least,
qualitative data on stakeholders’ experiences and quantitative
data from SDE on educator vacancies, shortage areas, and the
educator preparation program dashboard, and (b) data on
applicable national policy developments on educator
preparation, certification, and employment; 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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2. evaluate whether any changes are needed to the educator
preparation and certification frameworks; and
3. develop, as necessary, evidence-based standards and proposals
for regulations and legislation to strengthen existing systems.
§ 13 — CEPCB REVIEW OF CONTENT KN OWLEDGE AND
ENDORSEMENT AREAS
The bill also requires CEPCB to:
1. review educator preparation and certification regulations and
statutes for obsolete or conflicting provisions,
2. review how the state assesses whether educator certification
candidates demonstrate minimum content knowledge within
their endorsement areas as required by state law, and
3. develop recommendations for alternatives for certification
candidates to demonstrate content knowledge.
By January 31, 2025, the board must submit its findings, as well as
any legislative recommendations, to SBE and the Education Committee.
Also, the bill requires CEPCB to:
1. review certification endorsement areas to develop endorsement
area adequacy and relevance standards, including whether to
expand grade ranges for endorsement areas;
2. explore alternative pathways for cross endorsements; and
3. consider whether ARC program providers should have
candidate admission criteria authority for their programs.
By July 1, 2025, the board must submit a report on its findings, as well
as any legislative recommendations, to SBE and the Education
Committee.
§ 14 — CEPCB TO DEVELOP STA NDARDS FOR REVIEWING
EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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The bill requires the CEPCB to develop standards for educator
preparation program and ARC program review criteria for new or
continuing programs. The standards must require that (1) these
programs obtain continuing program approval every seven years, and
(2) the methodology for continuing program approval be (a) based on
final accreditation decisions of the Council for the Accreditation of
Educator Preparation and (b) classified in these categories: approval,
provisional, probationary, or denial of approval. The board must
complete the standards by July 1, 2026.
§ 15 — REPEALED REGULATIONS
Effective July 1, 2025, the bill repeals the numerous SBE educator
preparation program and certification regulations shown in the table
below.
Table: SBE Education Preparation and Certification Regulations Repealed, by
Citation and Topic
Regulation Citation Topic
10-145d-9(b) to -145d-9(e) Procedures for educator preparation program approval
10-145d-9(g)(1), 10-145d-9(i) SBE authority to approve or deny request for continuing
approval; just cause authority to change approval status
10-145d-10(a) to -145d-10(b)(9),
10-145d-10(c) to -145d-10(g),
10-145d-11
Educator preparation program standards and approval
standards, including student admission standards
10-145d-400a(a) to -145d-
400a(d)
Code of professional responsibilities for teachers
including to the students, the profession, and the
community
10-145d-401(a), 10-145d-401(c) Personnel required to have certification (selected
provisions)
10-145d-402 Application forms
10-145d-403(b), 10-145d-403(g) Application documentation and materials required
(selected provisions)
10-145d-404 to -145d-406 Assessment requirements, exceptions; acceptability of
course work
10-145d-407(a), 10-145d-407(b),
10-145d-407(d), 10-145d-407(f),
Responsibilities of employing agents of school boards 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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Regulation Citation Topic
10-145d-407(h), 10-145d-407(i) (selected provisions)
10-145d-409 to -145d-415 Recommendation from an approved institution; validity
of certifications issued prior to July 1, 1989; certification
types; initial, interim, 90-day temporary, and provisional
educator certifications
10-145d-417 Professional educator certificate
10-145d-419 Limited extended authorization for early childhood
10-145d-420(f) Waiver of requirement that substitute teacher have a
bachelor’s degree
10-145d-421(b), 10-145d-422 Requirements of a durational shortage area permit;
durational shortage area permit reissue
10-145d-423(a) Coaching permits (obsolete provision)
10-145d-426 Adult education authorization
10-145d-427 Reissuance and extension of certificates
10-145d-434, 10-145d-435(b) Validity of certificates specific to elementary grades and
kindergarten
10-145d-436 to -145d-438 Elementary level: Initial, provisional, and professional
educator certification requirements
10-145d-441 to -145d-443 Foreign languages pre-K through grade 8: Initial,
provisional, and professional educator certification
requirements
10-145d-444 to -145d-448 Middle grades (grades 4-6 or 5 & 6 depending on school
grade structure): Initial, provisional, and professional
educator certification requirements
10-145d-449 to -145d-453 Secondary grades (grades 7-12): Initial, provisional, and
professional educator certification requirements
10-145d-472 to -145d-474 Teaching English to speakers of other languages: Initial,
provisional, and professional educator certification
requirements
10-145d-476 to -145d-479 Bilingual education: Initial, provisional, and professional
educator certification requirements
10-145d-481, 10-145d-482(c),
10-145d-482(d), 10-145d-483,
Remedial reading and remedial language arts: Validity of
certificates; initial educator certification requirements
(selected provisions); provisional and professional 2024HB-05436-R000369-BA.docx
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Regulation Citation Topic
10-145d-484 educator certification requirements
10-145d-535 to -145d-537 Special education: Blind, partially sighted, or hearing
impaired: Initial, provisional, and professional educator
certification requirements
10-145d-539 to -145d-542 Comprehensive special education: Validity of
certificates; initial, provisional, and professional educator
certification requirements
10-145d-608 and 10-145d-609 Discontinued endorsements (previously issued, but no
longer available)
BACKGROUND
Temporary 90-Day Certificate
Those seeking a temporary 90-day certificate must (1) hold a
bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a major either in,
or closely related to, the teacher endorsement area being sought or in
the case of a secondary or special subject endorsement, possess at least
the minimum number of credit hours in the subject area required by
law; (2) have passed the appropriate teacher assessment; and (3)
successfully completed a state-approved ARC program.
The following are additional requirements for the 90-day certificate:
(1) the local board must make a written request for the 90-day certificate
to SDE that includes an attestation of a special plan to supervise the 90-
day certificate holder and (2) the applicant must possess an overall
college GPA of at least a B and present supporting evidence of
appropriate experience working with children. The law permits the
education commissioner to waive the last two requirements for good
cause.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 32 Nay 12 (03/20/2024)