Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB888 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0888
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 888
8	8	F1, F5 3lr2114
9	9	CF 3lr2115
10	10	By: Delegates Solomon, Henson, D. Jones, Love, and Shetty
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2023
12	12	Assigned to: Ways and Means
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Education – Prekindergarten Alternative Teacher Preparation Program – 2
19	19	Authorization and Reporting 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing prekindergarten alternative teacher preparation 4
22	22	programs; altering certain reporting requirements to include reports on 5
23	23	prekindergarten alternative teacher preparation programs; altering the high staff 6
24	24	qualifications for ensuring the program quality of eligible prekindergarten providers 7
25	25	beginning in a certain year; and generally relating to prekindergarten alternative 8
26	26	teacher programs. 9
27	27
28	28	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
29	29	Article – Education 11
30	30	Section 5–401(a) and (b), 5–413(a), and 7–1A–01(a), (c), (d), and (e) 12
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
32	32	(2022 Replacement Volume) 14
33	33
34	34	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
35	35	Article – Education 16
36	36	Section 5–408(a)(3), 5–413(b)(12), 6–120(a) and (b), 6–126(a), and 7–1A–04(a)(1)(i) 17
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
38	38	(2022 Replacement Volume) 19
39	39
40	40	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
41	41	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
42	42
43	43	Article – Education 22
44	44
45	45	5–401. 23
46	46
47	47	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 24
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 888
49	49
50	50
51	51	(b) “Board” means the Accountability and Implementation Board. 1
52	52
53	53	5–408. 2
54	54
55	55	(a) In order to meet its obligation to track whether the Blueprint for Maryland’s 3
56	56	Future is progressing according to plan, the Board shall: 4
57	57
58	58	(3) Monitor and review the performance of each teacher preparation 5
59	59	program at an institution of higher education [and], AN alternative teacher preparation 6
60	60	program, AND A PREKINDERGARTE N ALTERNATIVE TEACHE R PREPARATION 7
61	61	PROGRAM ; 8
62	62
63	63	5–413. 9
64	64
65	65	(a) On or before July 1 each year, beginning in 2022 and ending in 2031, the 10
66	66	Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center, in consultation with the Department and the 11
67	67	Maryland Higher Education Commission, shall submit a report to the Board, the Governor, 12
68	68	and in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly 13
69	69	on the progress made in increasing the preparation and diversity of teacher candidates and 14
70	70	new teachers in the State as required by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. 15
71	71
72	72	(b) The report required under subsection (a) of this section shall include: 16
73	73
74	74	(12) Trends in the number of teacher candidates of color hired by local school 17
75	75	systems disaggregated by higher education institution [and], alternative teacher 18
76	76	preparation program, AND PREKINDERGARTEN ALTERNATIVE TEACHER 19
77	77	PREPARATION PROGRAM and the systems, IF APPLICABLE, in which those new teachers 20
78	78	were hired; and 21
79	79
80	80	6–120. 22
81	81
82	82	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 23
83	83
84	84	(2) “Alternative teacher preparation program” means a pro gram 24
85	85	[established] THAT: 25
86	86
87	87	(I) IS ESTABLISHED by a county board [and approved] OR 26
88	88	INSTITUTION OF HIGHE R EDUCATION; 27
89	89
90	90	(II) IS APPROVED by the State Superintendent [that:]; AND 28
91	91
92	92	[(i)] (III) 1. Leads to a participant receiving a Resident Teacher 29
93	93	Certificate issued by the Department; and 30
94	94
95	95	[(ii)] 2. Includes teaching assignments with supervision and 31
96	96	mentoring by a qualified teacher. 32 HOUSE BILL 888 3
97	97
98	98
99	99
100	100	(3) “ELIGIBLE PREKINDERGAR TEN PROVIDER ” HAS THE MEANING 1
101	101	STATED IN § 7–1A–01 OF THIS ARTICLE. 2
102	102
103	103	[(3)] (4) “Partner school” means a local school system, ELIGIBLE 3
104	104	PREKINDERGARTEN PROV IDER, nonpublic school, or nonpublic special education school 4
105	105	that has a written partnership agreement with an institution of higher education [or], 5
106	106	alternative teacher preparation program, OR PREKINDERGARTEN A LTERNATIVE 6
107	107	TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM to provide a teacher training practicum for 7
108	108	participants enrolled in a teacher preparation program at the institution of higher 8
109	109	education [or], alternative teacher preparation program, OR PREKINDERGARTEN 9
110	110	ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM . 10
111	111
112	112	(5) “PREKINDERGARTEN ALTER NATIVE TEACHER PREPA RATION 11
113	113	PROGRAM” MEANS A PROGRAM ESTA BLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT , A COUNTY 12
114	114	BOARD, AN INSTITUTION OF HI GHER EDUCATION , OR A NONPROFIT ORGAN IZATION 13
115	115	AND APPROVED BY THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT THAT : 14
116	116
117	117	(I) FOCUSES ON EARLY CHIL DHOOD COURSEWORK ; 15
118	118
119	119	(II) REQUIRES A PARTICIPAN T TO COMPLETE A RESI DENCY: 16
120	120
121	121	1. WITH AN ELIGIBLE PREK INDERGARTEN PROVIDER 17
122	122	OR A PROGRAM EQUIVAL ENT TO THE PROGRAM O FFERED BY AN ELIGIB LE 18
123	123	PREKINDERGARTEN PROV IDER; AND 19
124	124
125	125	2. THAT MAY INCLUDE : 20
126	126
127	127	A. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODULES; 21
128	128
129	129	B. STACKABLE CREDENTIALS ; OR 22
130	130
131	131	C. STATE CREDENTIAL PROG RAM ALIGNMENT ; AND 23
132	132
133	133	(III) LEADS TO A PARTICIPAN T RECEIVING A RESIDENT 24
134	134	TEACHER CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT . 25
135	135
136	136	(b) (1) Each participant in an undergraduate and a graduate teacher 26
137	137	preparation program shall complete a teacher training practicum as a requirement for 27
138	138	graduation. 28
139	139
140	140	(2) An alternative teacher preparation program AND A 29
141	141	PREKINDERGARTEN ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM shall require 30
142	142	each participant to successfully complete a teacher training practicum. 31 4 HOUSE BILL 888
143	143
144	144
145	145
146	146	6–126. 1
147	147
148	148	(a) (1) This subsection applies to [individuals] AN INDIVIDUAL who [have] 2
149	149	HAS graduated from a teacher preparation program approved by the Department [or], an 3
150	150	alternative teacher preparation program, OR A PREKINDERGARTEN ALTERNATIVE 4
151	151	TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM . 5
152	152
153	153	(2) Beginning on July 1, 2025, to qualify for an initial certificate an 6
154	154	individual shall: 7
155	155
156	156	(i) Subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, pass a nationally 8
157	157	recognized, portfolio–based assessment of teaching ability; 9
158	158
159	159	(ii) Pass a rigorous State–specific examination of mastery of reading 10
160	160	instruction and content for the grade level the individual will be teaching; and 11
161	161
162	162	(iii) Satisfactorily complete any other requirements established by 12
163	163	the State Board. 13
164	164
165	165	(3) An individual who graduates from a teacher preparation program in 14
166	166	the State who passed a nationally recognized, portfolio–based assessment as a requirement 15
167	167	to graduate under § 6–121 of this subtitle may not be required to take the assessment more 16
168	168	than one time. 17
169	169
170	170	7–1A–01. 18
171	171
172	172	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 19
173	173
174	174	(c) “Eligible prekindergarten provider” includes an: 20
175	175
176	176	(1) Eligible public provider; and 21
177	177
178	178	(2) Eligible private provider. 22
179	179
180	180	(d) (1) “Eligible private provider” means a community–based early learning 23
181	181	program that: 24
182	182
183	183	(i) Is licensed in the State; 25
184	184
185	185	(ii) Does not charge more tuition for full–day prekindergarten than 26
186	186	the cost of quality; and 27
187	187
188	188	(iii) Meets the requirements under § 7–1A–04 of this subtitle. 28
189	189
190	190	(2) “Eligible private provider” includes the Ulysses Currie Head Start 29
191	191	Program under § 5–231 of this article. 30 HOUSE BILL 888 5
192	192
193	193
194	194
195	195	(e) “Eligible public provider” means an early learning program that: 1
196	196
197	197	(1) Is provided by a county board at a public school; and 2
198	198
199	199	(2) Meets the requirements under § 7–1A–04 of this subtitle. 3
200	200
201	201	7–1A–04. 4
202	202
203	203	(a) All eligible prekindergarten providers shall include structural elements that 5
204	204	are evidence–based and nationally recognized as important for ensuring program quality, 6
205	205	including: 7
206	206
207	207	(1) Beginning in the 2025–2026 school year: 8
208	208
209	209	(i) High staff qualifications, including teachers who, at a minimum, 9
210	210	hold: 10
211	211
212	212	1. State certification for teaching in early childhood 11
213	213	education; or 12
214	214
215	215	2. A bachelor’s degree in any field and are pursuing 13
216	216	residency through the Maryland Approved PREKINDERGARTEN Alternative TEACHER 14
217	217	Preparation Program, which includes early childhood coursework, clinical practice, and 15
218	218	evidence of pedagogical content knowledge; and 16
219	219
220	220	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 17
221	221	1, 2023. 18
222	222