OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB556

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB556 Compare Versions

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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 556 By: Mann
5858
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6161
6262
6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to teacher certification; directing
6666 the Teacher Certification Division of the State
6767 Department of Education to be placed un der the
6868 authority of the Commission for Educational Quality
6969 and Accountability during certain time period;
7070 directing division employees to make certain reports
7171 and recommendations to the Commission until certain
7272 date; providing for contractual succession;
7373 specifying effectiveness of certain rules; amending
7474 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -104, as last amended by
7575 Section 2, Chapter 445, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
7676 2024, Section 3-104), which relates to the powers and
7777 duties of the State Board of Education; directing the
7878 Commission to have authority in matters pertaining to
7979 the licensure and certification of certain purposes
8080 until certain date; directing the Commission to
8181 enforce rules regarding the issuance and revocation
8282 of certain certificates and to charge and colle ct
8383 certain fees until certain date; prohibiting the
8484 Commission from issuing a certificate to and
8585 requiring revocation of a certificate from certain
8686 individuals until certain date; authorizing the
8787 Commission to expend certain funds until certain
8888 date; authorizing the Commission to revoke
8989 certificates of certain persons for failing or
9090 refusing to make certain reports until certain date;
9191 updating statutory language and references; amending
9292 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -116.2, which relates to the
9393 Commission for Educational Quality and
9494 Accountability; updating statutory references;
9595 directing the Commission to assume certain duties
9696 during certain time period; providing for
9797 promulgation of rules; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
9898 Sections 6-101, 6-108, 6-108.1, 6-122.3, as last
9999 amended by Section 162, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 , 6-
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151151 122.5, 6-122.6, 6-122.7, 6-122.8, 6-122.9, 6-122.10,
152152 6-122.11, as amended by Section 2, Chapter 220,
153153 O.S.L. 2022, 6-133, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
154154 349, O.S.L. 2023, 6-154.1, 6-187, as last amended by
155155 Section 164, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 , 6-189, as
156156 amended by Section 1, Chapte r 92, O.S.L. 2024, 6-190,
157157 as last amended by Section 1, Chapter 122, O.S.L.
158158 2024, 11-103.1a, and 1210.567 (70 O.S. Supp. 2024,
159159 Sections 6-122.3, 6-122.11, 6-133, 6-187, 6-189, and
160160 6-190), which relate to teachers; directing the
161161 Commission to have authority over the issuance,
162162 suspension, and revocation of certain certificates to
163163 teach until certain date; directing the State Board
164164 of Education to have authority over the issuance,
165165 suspension, and revocation of certain certificates to
166166 teach beginning on certain date; requiring renewal
167167 notice to be provided by the Commission until certain
168168 date and the Board beginning on certain date;
169169 directing the Commission to issue alternative
170170 placement teaching certificates until certain date
171171 and directing the Board to issue such certificates
172172 beginning on certain date; directing the Commission
173173 to establish certain professional development
174174 component until certain date and directing the Board
175175 to establish such component beginning on certain
176176 date; allowing the Commission to grant certain
177177 exceptions to certification requirements until
178178 certain date and directing the Board to grant such
179179 exceptions beginning on certain date; directing the
180180 Commission to promul gate rules authorizing certain
181181 adjunct teachers until certain date and directing the
182182 Board to promulgate such rules beginning on certain
183183 date; directing the Commission to issue certain
184184 nonrenewable, temporary, provisional, and standard
185185 certificates until c ertain date and directing the
186186 Board to issue such certificates beginning on ce rtain
187187 date; updating statutory references; updating
188188 statutory language; providing for codification;
189189 providing an effective date; and declaring an
190190 emergency.
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193193
194194
195195 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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246246
247247 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
248248 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6 -500 of Title 70, unless there
249249 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
250250 A. Upon the effective date of this act and until March 31,
251251 2027, the Teacher Certifi cation Division of the State Department of
252252 Education shall be placed under the authority of the Commission for
253253 Educational Quality and Accountability. Except as otherwise
254254 provided for in this section, the transfer shall include all records
255255 associated with the Teacher Certification Division.
256256 B. Upon the effective date of this act, all employees of the
257257 Teacher Certification Division of the State Department of Education,
258258 shall remain under the State Department of Education and shall,
259259 until March 31, 2027, ma ke reports and recommendations regarding
260260 teacher certification to the Commission.
261261 C. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
262262 shall succeed to any contractual r ights and responsibilities
263263 incurred by the Teacher Certification Division of the State
264264 Department of Education.
265265 D. The rules of the State Board of Education relating to
266266 certification of teachers in this state that are in effect on the
267267 effective date of th is act, shall be enforceable by the Commission
268268 for Educational Quality and Acc ountability until March 31, 2027.
269269
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319319
320320 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -104, as
321321 last amended by Section 2, Chapter 445, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Sup p.
322322 2024, Section 3-104), is amended to read as follows:
323323 Section 3-104. A. The supervision of the public school system
324324 of Oklahoma shall be vested in the State Board of Education and,
325325 subject to limitations otherwise provided by law, the State Board of
326326 Education shall:
327327 1. Adopt policies and make rules for the operation of the
328328 public school system of the state;
329329 2. Appoint, prescribe the duties, and fix the compensation of a
330330 secretary, an attorney, and all other personnel necessary for the
331331 proper performance of the functions of the State Board of Education.
332332 The secretary shall not be a member of the Board;
333333 3. Submit to the Governor a departmental budget based upon
334334 major functions of the State Department of Education as prepared by
335335 the Superintendent of Pu blic Instruction and supported by detailed
336336 data on needs and proposed operatio ns as partially determined by the
337337 budgetary needs of local school districts filed with the State Board
338338 of Education for the ensuing fiscal year. Appropriations therefor
339339 shall be made in lump-sum form for each major item in the budget as
340340 follows:
341341 a. State Aid to schools,
342342 b. the supervision of all other functions of general and
343343 special education including general control, free
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395395 textbooks, school lunch, Indian education, and all
396396 other functions of the Board and an amount sufficient
397397 to adequately staff and admi nister these services, and
398398 c. the Board shall determine the details by which the
399399 budget and the appropriations are administered.
400400 Annually, the Board shall make preparations to
401401 consolidate all of the functions of the Department in
402402 such a way that the budget can be based on two items,
403403 administration and aid to schools. A maximum amount
404404 for administration shall be designated as a part of
405405 the total appropriation;
406406 4. On the first day of December preceding each regular session
407407 of the Legislature, prepare and d eliver electronically to the
408408 Governor and the Legislature a report for the year ending June 30
409409 immediately preceding the regular session of the Legislature. The
410410 report shall contain:
411411 a. detailed statistics and other information concerning
412412 enrollment, attendance, expenditures including State
413413 Aid, and other pertinent data for all public schools
414414 in this state,
415415 b. reports from each and every division within the State
416416 Department of Education as submitted by the
417417 Superintendent of Public Instruction and any other
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469469 division, department, institution, or other agency
470470 under the supervision of the Board,
471471 c. recommendations for the improvement of the public
472472 school system of the state,
473473 d. a statement of the receipts and expenditures of the
474474 State Board of Education for the past year, and
475475 e. a statement of plans and recommendations for the
476476 management and improvement of public schools and such
477477 other information relating to the educational
478478 interests of the state as may be deemed necessary and
479479 desirable;
480480 5. Provide for the for mulation and adoption of curricula,
481481 courses of study, and other instructional aids necessary for the
482482 adequate instruction of pupils in the public schools;
483483 6. Have Beginning April 1, 2027, have authority in matters
484484 pertaining to the licensure and certification of persons for
485485 instructional, supervisory, and administrative positions and
486486 services in the public schools of the state subject to the
487487 provisions of Section 6 -184 of this title, and beginning April 1,
488488 2027, shall formulate rules governing the issuance and revocation of
489489 certificates for superintendents of schools, principals,
490490 supervisors, librarians, clerical employees, school nurses, school
491491 bus drivers, visiting teachers, cla ssroom teachers, and for other
492492 personnel performing instructional, administrative, and supervisory
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544544 services, but not including members of boards of education and other
545545 employees who do not work directly with pupils, and may charge and
546546 collect reasonable fe es for the issuance of such certificates .
547547 Beginning on the effective date of this act and until March 31,
548548 2027, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
549549 shall have authority in matters pertaining to the licensure and
550550 certification of pers ons for instructional, supervisory, and
551551 administrative positions and services in the public schools of th is
552552 state provided for in this paragraph. Beginning on the effective
553553 date of this act and until March 31, 2027, the Commission shall
554554 enforce rules promulgated by the State Board of Education governing
555555 the issuance and revocation of certificates and may charge and
556556 collect reasonable fees for the issuance of such certificates
557557 pursuant to this paragraph :
558558 a. beginning April 1, 2027, the State Department of
559559 Education shall not issue a certificate to and shall
560560 revoke the certificate of any person who has been
561561 convicted, whether upon a verdict or plea of guilty or
562562 upon a plea of nolo contendere, or received a
563563 suspended sentence or any probationary term for a
564564 crime or an attempt to commit a crime provided for in
565565 Section 843.5 of Title 21 o f the Oklahoma Statutes if
566566 the offense involved sexual abuse or sexual
567567 exploitation as those terms are defined in Section 1 -
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619619 1-105 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes, Section
620620 741, 843.1, if the offense included sexual abuse or
621621 sexual exploitation, 865 et seq., 885, 888, 891, 1021,
622622 1021.2, 1021.3, 1040.13a, 1087, 1088, 1111.1, 1114, or
623623 1123 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes or who
624624 enters this state and who has been convicted, received
625625 a suspended sentence, or received a deferred judgment
626626 for a crime or attempted crime which, if committed or
627627 attempted in this state, would be a crime or an
628628 attempt to commit a crime provided for in any of the
629629 laws. Beginning on the effective date of this act and
630630 until March 31, 2027, the Commission for Educational
631631 Quality and Accountability shall not issue a
632632 certificate to and shall revoke the certificate of
633633 persons pursuant to the provisions of this
634634 subparagraph, and
635635 b. beginning April 1, 2027, all funds collected by the
636636 State Department of Education for the issuance of
637637 certificates to instructional, supervisory, and
638638 administrative personnel in the public schools of the
639639 state shall be deposited in the “Teachers’
640640 Certification Fund” in the State Treasury and may be
641641 expended by the State Board of Education to finance
642642 the activities of the State Department of Education
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694694 necessary to administer the program, for consultative
695695 services, publication costs, actual and necessary
696696 travel expenses as provided in the State Travel
697697 Reimbursement Act incurred by persons performing
698698 research work, and other expenses found necessary by
699699 the State Board of Education for the improvement of
700700 the preparation and certification of teachers in this
701701 state. Beginning on the effec tive date of this act
702702 and until March 31, 2027, the Commission for
703703 Educational Quality and Accountability shall be
704704 authorized to expend funds collected for the issuance
705705 of certificates to instructional, supervisory, and
706706 administrative personnel in the publ ic schools of this
707707 state for the reasons provided for in this
708708 subparagraph. Provided, any unobligated balance in
709709 the Teachers’ Certification Fund in excess of Ten
710710 Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) on June 30 of any fiscal
711711 year shall be transferred to the Gene ral Revenue Fund
712712 of this state. Until July 1, 1997, the State Board of
713713 Education shall have authority for approval of teacher
714714 education programs. The State Board of Education
715715 shall also have authority for the administration of
716716 teacher residency and profe ssional development,
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768768 subject to the provisions of the Oklahoma Teacher
769769 Preparation Act;
770770 7. Promulgate rules governing the classification, inspection,
771771 supervision, and accrediting of all public nursery, kindergarten,
772772 elementary, and secondary schools, and on-site educational services
773773 provided by public school districts or state -accredited private
774774 schools in partial hospitalization programs, day treatment programs,
775775 and day hospital programs as defined in this section, Section 3-
776776 104.7 of this title, and Section 603.4 175.20 of Title 10 of the
777777 Oklahoma Statutes for persons between the a ges of three (3) and
778778 twenty-one (21) years of age in the state. However, no school shall
779779 be denied accreditation solely on the basis of average daily
780780 attendance.
781781 Any school district which maintains an elementary school and
782782 faces the necessity of relocating its school facilities because of
783783 construction of a lake, either by state or federal authority, which
784784 will inundate the school facilities, shall be entitled to receive
785785 probationary accreditation from the State Board of Education for a
786786 period of five (5) y ears after June 12, 1975, and any school
787787 district, otherwise qualified, shall be entitled to receive
788788 probationary accreditation from the State Board of Education for a
789789 period of two (2) consecutive years to attain the minimum average
790790 daily attendance. The Head Start and public nurseries or
791791 kindergartens operated from community action agency funds shall not
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843843 be subjected to the accrediting rules of the State Board of
844844 Education. Neither will the State Board of Education make rules
845845 affecting the operation of the public nurseries and kindergartens
846846 operated from federal funds secured through community action
847847 agencies even though they may be operating in the public schools of
848848 the state. However, any of the Head Start or public nurseries or
849849 kindergartens operated under federal regulations may make
850850 application for accrediting from the State Board of Education but
851851 will be accredited only if application for the approval of the
852852 programs is made. The status of no school district shall be changed
853853 which will reduce it t o a lower classification until due notice has
854854 been given to the proper authorities thereof and an opportunity
855855 given to correct the conditions which otherwise would be the cause
856856 of such reduction.
857857 Private and parochial schools may be accredited and classified
858858 in like manner as public schools or, if an accrediting association
859859 is approved by the State Board of Education, by procedures
860860 established by the State Board of Education to ac cept accreditation
861861 by such accrediting association, if application is made to the State
862862 Board of Education for such accrediting;
863863 8. Be the legal agent of this state to accept, in its
864864 discretion, the provisions of any Act of Congress appropriating or
865865 apportioning funds which are now, or may hereafter be, provided for
866866 use in connection with any phase of the system of public education
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918918 in Oklahoma. It shall prescribe such rules as it finds necessary to
919919 provide for the proper distribution of such funds in acco rdance with
920920 the state and federal laws;
921921 9. Be and is specifically hereby desi gnated as the agency of
922922 this state to cooperate and deal with any officer, board, or
923923 authority of the United States Government under any law of the
924924 United States which may requir e or recommend cooperation with any
925925 state board having charge of the administration of public schools
926926 unless otherwise provided by law;
927927 10. Be and is hereby designated as the “State Educational
928928 Agency” state educational agency referred to in Public Law 39 6 of
929929 the 79th Congress of the United States, as amended, which law states
930930 that the act may be cited known as the “National Richard B. Russell
931931 National School Lunch Act” Act, and the State Board of Education is
932932 hereby authorized and directed to accept the t erms and provisions of
933933 the act and to enter into such agreements, not in conflict with the
934934 Constitution of Oklahoma or the Constitution and Statutes of the
935935 United States, as may be necessary or appropriate to secure for this
936936 state the benefits of the schoo l lunch program established and
937937 referred to in the act;
938938 11. Have authority to secure and administer the benefits of the
939939 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, Public Law 396 of the
940940 79th Congress of the United States, as amended, in this state and is
941941 hereby authorized to employ or appoint and fix the compensation of
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993993 such additional officers or employees and to incur such expenses as
994994 may be necessary for the accomplishment of the above purpose, and
995995 administer the distribution of any state funds approp riated by the
996996 Legislature required as federal matching to reimburse on childre n’s
997997 meals;
998998 12. Accept and provide for the administration of any land,
999999 money, buildings, gifts, donation donations, or other things of
10001000 value which may be offered or bequeathed to the schools under the
10011001 supervision or control of the Board;
10021002 13. Have authority to require persons having administrative
10031003 control of all school districts in Oklahoma to make such regular and
10041004 special reports regarding the activities of the schools in the
10051005 districts as the Board may deem needful for the proper exercise of
10061006 its duties and functions. Such authority shall include the right of
10071007 the State Board of Education to withhold all state funds under its
10081008 control, to withhold official recognition including accr editing,
10091009 until such required reports have been filed and accepted in the
10101010 office of the Board and , beginning April 1, 2027, to revoke the
10111011 certificates of persons failing or refusing to make such reports .
10121012 Beginning on the effective date of this act and until March 31,
10131013 2027, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
10141014 shall have the authority to revoke the certificates of persons
10151015 failing or refusing to make reports required by this paragraph ;
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10671067 14. Have general supervision of the school lunch pro gram. The
10681068 State Board of Education may sponsor workshops for personnel and
10691069 participants in the school lunch program and may develop, print, and
10701070 distribute free of charge or sell any materials, books, and
10711071 bulletins to be used in the school lunch programs. There is hereby
10721072 created in the State Treasury a revolving fund for the Board, to be
10731073 designated the “School Lunch Workshop Revolving Fund ”. The fund
10741074 shall consist of all fees derived from or on behalf of any
10751075 participant in any such workshop sponsored by t he State Board of
10761076 Education, or from the sale of any materials, books, and bulletins,
10771077 and funds shall be disbursed for expenses of such workshops and for
10781078 developing, printing, and distributing of the materials, books, and
10791079 bulletins relating to the school l unch program. The fund shall be
10801080 administered in accordance with Section 155 o f Title 62 of the
10811081 Oklahoma Statutes;
10821082 15. Prescribe all forms for school district and county officers
10831083 to report to the State Board of Education where required. The State
10841084 Board of Education shall also prescribe a list of appropriation
10851085 accounts by which the funds of school districts shall be budgeted,
10861086 accounted for, and expended; and it shall be the duty of the State
10871087 Auditor and Inspector in prescribing all budgeting, accounting, a nd
10881088 reporting forms for school funds to conform to such lists;
10891089 16. Provide for the establishment of a uniform system of pupil
10901090 and personnel accounting, records, and reports;
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11421142 17. Have authority to provide for the health and safety of
11431143 school children and sc hool personnel while under the jurisdiction of
11441144 school authorities;
11451145 18. Provide for the supervision of the transportation of
11461146 pupils;
11471147 19. Have authority, upon request of the local school board, to
11481148 act in behalf of the public schools of the state in the pur chase of
11491149 transportation equipment;
11501150 20. Have authority and is hereby required to perform all duties
11511151 necessary to the administration of the public school system in
11521152 Oklahoma as specified in the Oklahoma School Code; and, in addition
11531153 thereto, those duties not specifically mentioned herein if not
11541154 delegated by law to any other agency or official;
11551155 21. Administer the State Public Common School Building
11561156 Equalization Fund established by Section 32 of Article X of the
11571157 Oklahoma Constitution. Any monies as may be app ropriated or
11581158 designated by the Legislature, other than ad valorem taxes, any
11591159 other funds identified by the State Department of Education, which
11601160 may include, but not be limited to, grants -in-aid from the federal
11611161 government for building purposes, the proceed s of all property that
11621162 shall fall to the state by escheat, penalties for unlawful holding
11631163 of real estate by corporations, and capital gains on assets of the
11641164 permanent school funds, shall be deposited in the State Public
11651165 Common School Building Equalization Fund. The fund shall be used to
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12171217 aid school districts and charter schools in a cquiring buildings,
12181218 subject to the limitations fixed by Section 32 of Article X of the
12191219 Oklahoma Constitution. It is hereby declared that redbud school
12201220 grants disbursed from the State Public Common School Building
12211221 Equalization Fund shall be used for the same purposes as a building
12221222 fund, as provided for in Section 1 -118 of this title. It is hereby
12231223 declared that the term “school districts” as used in Section 32 of
12241224 Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution shall mean school districts
12251225 and eligible charter schools as defined in subsection B of this
12261226 section. The State Board of Education shall disburse redbud school
12271227 grants annually from the State Public Common School Building
12281228 Equalization Fund to public schools and eligible charter schools
12291229 pursuant to subsection B of this section. The Board shall
12301230 promulgate rules for the implementation of disbursing redbud school
12311231 grants pursuant to this section. The State Board of Education shall
12321232 prescribe rules for making grants of aid from, and for otherwise
12331233 administering, the fu nd pursuant to the provisions of this
12341234 paragraph, and may employ and fix the duties and compensation of
12351235 technicians, aides, clerks, stenographers, attorneys, and other
12361236 personnel deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of this
12371237 paragraph. The cost of administering the fund shall be paid from
12381238 monies appropriated to the State Board of Education for the
12391239 operation of the State Department of Education. From monies
12401240 apportioned to the fund, the State Department of Education may
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12921292 reserve not more than one -half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) for
12931293 purposes of administering the fund;
12941294 22. Recognize that the Director of the Department of
12951295 Corrections shall be the administrative authority for the schools
12961296 which are maintained in the state reformatories and shall appoint
12971297 the principals and teachers in such schools. Provided, that rules
12981298 of the State Board of Education for the classification, inspection,
12991299 and accreditation of public schools shall be ap plicable to such
13001300 schools; and such schools shall comply with standards set rules
13011301 adopted by the State Board of Education; and
13021302 23. Have authority to administer a revolving fund which is
13031303 hereby created in the State Treasury, to be designated the
13041304 “Statistical Services Revolving Fund ”. The fund shall consist of
13051305 all monies received from the various school districts of the state,
13061306 the United States Government, and other sources for the purpose of
13071307 furnishing or financing statistical services and for any other
13081308 purpose as designated by the Legislature. The State Board of
13091309 Education is hereby authorized to enter into agreements with school
13101310 districts, municipalities, the United States Government,
13111311 foundations, and other agencies or individuals for services,
13121312 programs, or research projects. The Statistical Services Revolving
13131313 Fund shall be administered in accordance with Section 155 of Title
13141314 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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13661366 B. 1. The redbud school grants shall be determined by the
13671367 State Department of Education as follows:
13681368 a. divide the county four -mill levy revenue by four to
13691369 determine the nonchargea ble county four-mill revenue
13701370 for each school district,
13711371 b. determine the amount of new revenue generated by the
13721372 five-mill building fund levy as authorized by Section
13731373 10 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution for each
13741374 school district as reported in the Oklahoma Cost
13751375 Accounting System for the preceding fiscal year,
13761376 c. add the amounts calculated in subparagraphs a and b of
13771377 this paragraph to determine the nonchargeable millage
13781378 for each school district,
13791379 d. add the nonchargeable millage in each district
13801380 statewide as calculated in subparagraph c of this
13811381 paragraph and divide the total by the average daily
13821382 membership in public schools statewide based on the
13831383 preceding school year ’s average daily membership,
13841384 according to the provisions of Section 18 -107 of this
13851385 title. This amount is the statewide nonchargeable
13861386 millage per student, known as the baseline local
13871387 funding per student,
13881388 e. all eligible charter schools shall be included in
13891389 these calculations as unique school districts,
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14411441 separate from the school district that m ay sponsor the
14421442 eligible charter school, and the total number of
14431443 districts shall be used to determine the statewide
14441444 average baseline local funding per student,
14451445 f. for each school district or eligible charter school
14461446 which is below the baseline local funding per student,
14471447 the Department shall subtract the baseline local
14481448 funding per student from the average nonchargeable
14491449 millage per student of the school district or eligible
14501450 charter school to determine the nonchargeable millage
14511451 per student shortfall for each dis trict, and
14521452 g. the nonchargeable millage per student shortfall for a
14531453 school district or eligible charter school shall be
14541454 multiplied by the average daily membership of the
14551455 preceding school year of the eligible school district
14561456 or eligible charter school. This amount shall be the
14571457 redbud school grant amount for the school district or
14581458 eligible charter school.
14591459 2. For fiscal year 2022, monies for the redbud school grants
14601460 shall be expended from the funds apportioned pursuant to Section 426
14611461 of Title 63 of the Oklah oma Statutes. For fiscal year 2023 and each
14621462 subsequent fiscal year, monies for the redbud school grants shall be
14631463 appropriated pursuant to Section 426 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma
14641464 Statutes, not to exceed three -fourths (3/4) of the tax collected in
14651465
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15161516 the preceding fiscal year pursuant to Section 426 of Title 63 of the
15171517 Oklahoma Statutes as determined by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. For
15181518 fiscal year 2023 and each subsequent fiscal year, if such
15191519 appropriated funds are insufficient to fund the redbud school
15201520 grants, then an additional apportionment of funds shall be made from
15211521 sales tax collections as provided by subsection D of Section 1353 of
15221522 Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes. If both fun ds are insufficient,
15231523 the Department shall promulgate rules to permit a decrease to the
15241524 baseline local funding per student to the highest amount allowed
15251525 with the funding available.
15261526 3. As used in this section, “eligible charter school ” shall
15271527 mean a charter school which is sponsored pursuant to the provisions
15281528 of the Oklahoma Charter S chools Act. Provided, however, eligible
15291529 charter school shall not include a statewide virtual charter school
15301530 sponsored by the Statewide Charter School Board but shall only
15311531 include those which provide in -person or blended instruction, as
15321532 provided by Section 1 -111 of this title, to not less than two -thirds
15331533 (2/3) of students as the primary means of instructional service
15341534 delivery.
15351535 4. The Department shall develop a program to acknowle dge the
15361536 redbud school grant recipients and shall include elected members of
15371537 the House of Representatives and Senate who represent the school
15381538 districts and eligible charter schools.
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15901590 5. The Department shall create a dedicated page on its website
15911591 listing annual redbud school grant recipients, amount awarded to
15921592 each recipient, and other pertinent information about the Redbud
15931593 School Funding Act.
15941594 6. The Department shall provide the chair of the House
15951595 Appropriations and Budget Committee and the chair of the Sena te
15961596 Appropriations Committee no later than February 1 of each year with
15971597 an estimate of the upcoming year ’s redbud school grant allocation as
15981598 prescribed by this section.
15991599 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -116.2, is
16001600 amended to read as follows:
16011601 Section 3-116.2. A. Effective January 1, 2013, there is hereby
16021602 created the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability.
16031603 The membership of the Commission shall consist of:
16041604 1. The Secretary of Education, who shall serve as the chair of
16051605 the Commission;
16061606 2. One member appointed by the Governor, with t he advice and
16071607 consent of the Senate, representing business and industry from an
16081608 Oklahoma employer with five hundred (500) or fewer employees;
16091609 3. One member, appointed by the Gov ernor, with the advice and
16101610 consent of the Senate, who is a parent of a child enrolled in a
16111611 public school in this state;
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16631663 4. One member, appointed by the Governor, with the advice and
16641664 consent of the Senate, who is an administrator of a public school
16651665 district;
16661666 5. One member, appointed by the Governor, with the advice and
16671667 consent of the Senate, who shall represent higher education teacher
16681668 education programs;
16691669 6. One member appointed by the Governor, with the advice and
16701670 consent of the Senate, who shall be an a ctive classroom teacher in
16711671 kindergarten through grade six; and
16721672 7. One member appointed by the Governor, with the advice and
16731673 consent of the Senate, who shall be an active classroom teacher in
16741674 grades seven through twelve.
16751675 The terms of the initial appointed members shall commence on
16761676 January 1, 2013, and shall end on June 30, 2014. Th e terms of
16771677 subsequently appointed members shall commence on July 1 of each year
16781678 following the election of the Governor thereafter and shall be for
16791679 four (4) years. If a vacancy o ccurs, the vacancy shall be filled
16801680 for the unexpired term in the same manner as the office was
16811681 previously filled.
16821682 B. A quorum of the Commission, which shall consist of four
16831683 members, shall be present in order for the Commission to transact
16841684 any business. Members shall be reimbursed for travel in the
16851685 performance of their official dut ies in accordance with the State
16861686 Travel Reimbursement Act.
16871687
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17381738 C. Prior to July 1, 2013, the Commission shall meet to organize
17391739 and plan for the assumption of the powers and duties o f the
17401740 Education Oversight Board and the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher
17411741 Preparation.
17421742 D. Beginning July 1, 2013, the Commission shall assume the
17431743 following duties:
17441744 1. Oversee implementation of the provisions of Enrolled House
17451745 Bill No. 1017 of the 1st Extra ordinary Session of the 42nd Oklahoma
17461746 Legislature;
17471747 2. Implementation of the p rovisions of the Oklahoma Teacher
17481748 Preparation Act as provided for in law;
17491749 3. Make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on
17501750 methods to achieve an aligned, seamless syst em from preschool
17511751 through postsecondary education; and
17521752 4. Set performance levels and corresponding cut scores pursuant
17531753 to the Oklahoma School Testing Program Act and as provided for in
17541754 Section 1210.541 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title.
17551755 E. Beginning July 1, 2013, the Commission shall govern the
17561756 operation of the Offic e of Educational Quality and Accountability
17571757 created in Section 3 -117 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes this
17581758 title.
17591759 F. 1. Beginning July 1, 2014, the Commission shall assume the
17601760 following duties of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
17611761 according to the provisions of the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act:
17621762
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18131813 a. approval and accreditation of teacher education
18141814 programs, and
18151815 b. assessment of candidates for licensure and
18161816 certification.
18171817 2. To implement the provisions of this subsection the
18181818 Commission shall:
18191819 a. include the State Board of Education in the process,
18201820 b. review and assess approved, accredited , and new
18211821 programs of teacher education, and
18221822 c. encourage studies and resea rch designed to improve
18231823 teacher education.
18241824 G. Upon the effective date of this act and until March 31,
18251825 2027, the Commission shall assume the following duties:
18261826 1. Authorization in matters pertaining to the licensure and
18271827 certification of persons for instruc tional, supervisory, and
18281828 administrative positions and services in the public s chools of this
18291829 state;
18301830 2. Enforcement of rules promulgated by the State Board of
18311831 Education governing the issuance and revocation of certificates to
18321832 teach; and
18331833 3. The charging and collection of reasonable fees for the
18341834 issuance of certificates to teach.
18351835 H. The Commission shall promulgate rules to implement the
18361836 provisions of this act.
18371837
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18871887
18881888 SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -101, is
18891889 amended to read as follows:
18901890 Section 6-101. A. Except as provided in subsection E of this
18911891 section, no person shall be permitted to teach in any school
18921892 district of the state without a written contract, except as provided
18931893 herein for substitute teachers and except teachers of classes in
18941894 adult education. Except as provided in subsection J of this
18951895 section, the board of education of each school district, wherein
18961896 school is expected to be conducted for the ensuing year, shall
18971897 employ and contract in writing with qualified teachers for and in
18981898 the name of the district. One copy of the contract shall be filed
18991899 with the clerk of the board of education and one copy shall be
19001900 retained by the teacher.
19011901 B. Except as otherwise provided by subsections J and K of this
19021902 section and any other law, no board of education shall have
19031903 authority to enter into any written contract with a teacher who does
19041904 not hold an Oklahoma criminal history record check as required by
19051905 Section 6-190 of this title and who does not hold a valid
19061906 certificate issued or recogni zed by the Commission for Educational
19071907 Quality and Accountability until March 3 1, 2027, and beginning April
19081908 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education authorizing the teacher to
19091909 teach the grades or subject matter for which the teacher is
19101910 employed. Any board of education paying or authorizing the payment
19111911 of the salary of any teacher not holding a certificate, as required
19121912
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19631963 herein, shall be adjudged to be guilty of a fraudulent expenditure
19641964 of public funds and members voting for such payment shall be held
19651965 jointly responsible for the return of the amount of any public
19661966 monies thus expended, u pon suit brought by the district attorney or
19671967 by any interested citizen in the district where such funds have been
19681968 expended.
19691969 C. It shall be the duty of the superintendent of scho ols under
19701970 whose supervision teachers have been contracted to teach to certify
19711971 to the treasurer of the contracting district the names of the
19721972 teachers holding valid certificates and student teachers with whom
19731973 contracts have been made and the names of substit ute teachers
19741974 employed in accordance with law. The treasurer shall not registe r
19751975 any warrant issued in payment of salary to any teacher whose name is
19761976 not included in such list and shall be liable on the official bond
19771977 for the treasurer for the amount of any warrant registered in
19781978 violation of the provisions of this section.
19791979 D. Whenever any person shall enter into a contract with any
19801980 school district in Oklahoma this state to teach in such school
19811981 district the contract shall be binding on the teacher and on the
19821982 board of education until the teacher legally has been discharged
19831983 from the teaching position or released by the board of education
19841984 from the contract. Except as provided in Section 5 -106A of this
19851985 title, until such teacher has been thus discharged or release d, the
19861986 teacher shall not have authority to enter into a contract with any
19871987
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20382038 other board of education in Oklahoma this state for the same time
20392039 covered by the original contract. If upon written complaint by the
20402040 board of education in a district any teacher is reported to have
20412041 failed to obey the terms of the contract previously made and to have
20422042 entered into a contract with another board of education without
20432043 having been released from the former contract except as provided in
20442044 Section 5-106A of this title, the teac her, upon being found guilty
20452045 of such charge at a hearing held before the Commission for
20462046 Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
20472047 beginning April 1, 2027, held before the State Board of Education,
20482048 shall have such teacher ’s certificate suspended for the remainder of
20492049 the term for which the contract was made.
20502050 E. A board of education shall have authority to enter into
20512051 written contracts with teachers for the ensuing fiscal year prior to
20522052 the beginning of such year. If, prior to the first Monday in June,
20532053 a board of education has not entered into a written contract with a
20542054 regularly employed teacher or notified the teacher in writing by
20552055 registered or certified mail that a recommendation has been made not
20562056 to reemploy the teacher for the ensuin g fiscal year, and if, by
20572057 fifteen (15) days after the first Monday in June, su ch teacher has
20582058 not notified the board of education in writing by registered or
20592059 certified mail that such teacher does not desire to be reemployed in
20602060 such school district for the e nsuing year, such teacher shall be
20612061 considered as employed on a continuing contract basis and on the
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21132113 same salary schedule used for other teachers in the school district
21142114 for the ensuing fiscal year, and such employment and continuing
21152115 contract shall be bindin g on the teacher and on the school district.
21162116 F. Whenever a school district is engaged in contract
21172117 negotiations with teachers employed by that school district after
21182118 the school year has begun and the teachers are employed on a
21192119 continuing contract basis, the school district shall, beginning at
21202120 the first of the school year, pay the teachers any state -mandated
21212121 salary increases and salary schedule increases to which each teacher
21222122 is otherwise entitled.
21232123 G. No school district or any member of the board of educatio n
21242124 of a district shall be liable for the payment of compensation to a
21252125 teacher or administrator under the provisions of any contract for
21262126 the ensuing year, if it becomes necessary to close the school
21272127 because of insufficient attendance, disorganization, annexa tion,
21282128 consolidation, or by dispensing with the school according to law,
21292129 provided, such cause is known or action is taken prior to July 1 of
21302130 such ensuing year.
21312131 H. No school district or any member of a board of education
21322132 shall be liable for the payment of c ompensation to any teacher or
21332133 administrator for the unexpired term of any cont ract if the school
21342134 building to which the teacher or administrator has been assigned is
21352135 destroyed by accident, storm, fire, or otherwise and it becomes
21362136 necessary to close the scho ol because of inability to secure a
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21882188 suitable building or buildings for continuation of school. Teachers
21892189 and administrators shall be entitled to pay for any time lost when
21902190 school is closed on account of epidemics or otherwise when an order
21912191 for such closing has been issued by a health officer authorized by
21922192 law to issue the order.
21932193 I. A teacher may contract with more than one school district
21942194 for the same school year as provided in Section 5 -106A of this
21952195 title.
21962196 J. A board of education shall have authority to enter into
21972197 written contracts for the ensuing fiscal year prior to the beginning
21982198 of the year with persons who are not certified to teach by the
21992199 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
22002200 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
22012201 Education as long as the person is actively in the process of
22022202 securing certification. The person shall not be allowed to teach in
22032203 a classroom until the person has met or completed all of the
22042204 requirements for certification as provided for in Section 6-190 of
22052205 this title. If the person has not obtained valid certification by
22062206 the first day of the ensuing school year, the contract shall be
22072207 terminated.
22082208 K. A board of education of a school district shall have the
22092209 authority to enter into written con tracts for employment for the
22102210 ensuing fiscal year with persons who are student teachers as defined
22112211 in Section 1-116 of this title while such persons are still student
22122212
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22632263 teachers. A student teacher shall not be allowed to teach in a
22642264 classroom during the ensu ing fiscal year until meeting or completing
22652265 all of the requirements for certification as provided for in Section
22662266 6-190 of this title. If the student teacher has not obtained valid
22672267 certification by the first day of the ensuing school year, the
22682268 contract shall be terminated. A board of education of a school
22692269 district shall have the au thority to commit to payment of a stipend
22702270 or signing bonus to a student teacher as defined in Section 1 -116 of
22712271 this title while that person is still a student teacher, if that
22722272 person has entered into a written contract for employment for the
22732273 ensuing fiscal year. A board of education shall make any such
22742274 student teacher stipend or signing bonus conditional on such person
22752275 fulfilling the first year of his or her contract for the ensu ing
22762276 fiscal year. Any stipend or signing bonus paid under the terms of
22772277 this subsection shall not be considered compensation for purposes of
22782278 teacher retirement or the minimum salary schedule.
22792279 L. A teacher whose certificate was suspended by the Commission
22802280 for Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, or
22812281 beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education pursuant to
22822282 Section 3-104 of this title and Sections 314 and 314.1 of Title 75
22832283 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall be placed on suspensio n pursuant to
22842284 the provisions of Section 6 -101.29 of this title while proceedin gs
22852285 for revocation or other action are pending before the Commission for
22862286 Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, or
22872287
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23382338 beginning April 1, 2027, before the State Board of Education. The
23392339 provisions of this subsection shall not preclude the initiation of
23402340 due process procedures in accordance with Section 6 -101.20 et. seq
23412341 of this title.
23422342 SECTION 5. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -108, is
23432343 amended to read as follows:
23442344 Section 6-108. Except for service as a director of a public
23452345 developmental research school and service by a faculty member of a
23462346 higher education institution affiliated with a public developmental
23472347 research school as specifically au thorized in this act and except as
23482348 provided for in Section 6 -101 of this title, it shall be unlawful
23492349 for any person to serve, or to contract or agree to serve, as
23502350 superintendent, elementary superintendent, principal, supervisor,
23512351 librarian, school nurse, cl assroom teacher, or other instructional,
23522352 supervisory, or administrative employ ee of a school district unless
23532353 the person holds a valid certificate of qualification issued in
23542354 accordance with the rules of the Commission for Educational Quality
23552355 and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
23562356 2027, the rules of the State Board of Education to perform the
23572357 services the person performs or contracts or agrees to perform. The
23582358 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
23592359 State Board of Education shall provide for the certification of
23602360 elementary superintende nts.
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24122412 SECTION 6. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -108.1, is
24132413 amended to read as follows:
24142414 Section 6-108.1. A. No later than October 1 of each year, the
24152415 Office of Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31,
24162416 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Department of Education
24172417 shall provide written notice to the last -known address of any
24182418 individual who held any license or certificate issued by th e
24192419 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
24202420 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
24212421 Education which expired on June 30 of the same year. Notice shall
24222422 also be provided to the last -known district which employed a ny such
24232423 individual.
24242424 B. If any individual whose license or certificate issued by the
24252425 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
24262426 31, 2027, or beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
24272427 Education has expired submits a renewal appli cation and processing
24282428 fee by December 31 of the year in which the license or c ertificate
24292429 has expired, such license or certificate shall be renewed with an
24302430 effective date of July 1 of the year in which the license or
24312431 certificate has expired, unless other st atutory basis exists for
24322432 denying such renewal.
24332433 C. If any individual whose license or certificate issued by the
24342434 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
24352435 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
24362436
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24872487 Education has expired submits a renewal application and processing
24882488 fee after December 31 of the year in which the license or
24892489 certificate has expired, such license or certificate shall be
24902490 renewed with an effective date in accordance with State Department
24912491 of Education rules of the Commission for Educational Quality and
24922492 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
24932493 rules of the State Board of Education , unless another statutory
24942494 basis exists for denying such renewal.
24952495 D. The processing fee for late renewal o f a license or
24962496 certificate shall not exceed one hundred fifty percent (150%) o f the
24972497 standard renewal processing fee for renewal applications submitted
24982498 by December 31 of the year in which the license or certificate has
24992499 expired, or two hundred percent (200%) of the standard renewal
25002500 processing fee for renewal applications submitted after December 31
25012501 of the year in which the license or certificate has expired.
25022502 SECTION 7. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.3, as
25032503 last amended by Sect ion 162, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
25042504 2024, Section 6-122.3), is amended to read as follows:
25052505 Section 6-122.3. A. The Commission for Educational Quality and
25062506 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
25072507 the State Board of Education shall grant an alternative placement
25082508 teaching certificate to a person who makes application to the
25092509 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, to the
25102510 Board and meets the following criteria:
25112511
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25622562 1. a. holds at least a baccalaureate deg ree from an
25632563 institution whose accreditation is recognized by the
25642564 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and has
25652565 attained a retention grade point average of not less
25662566 than 2.50 on a 4.0 scale, or
25672567 b. has successfully completed a terminal degree, such as
25682568 a doctorate of philosophy, a doctorate in education,
25692569 professional doctorates, a master of fine arts degree ,
25702570 or a master of library science degree, from an
25712571 institution accredited by a national or regional
25722572 accrediting agency which is recognized by the
25732573 Secretary of the United States Department of
25742574 Education. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
25752575 Education shall be consulted to verify other terminal
25762576 degrees, or
25772577 c. holds at least a baccalaureate degree from an
25782578 institution whose accreditation is recognized by the
25792579 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and has
25802580 qualified work experience in a field that corresponds
25812581 to an area of certification as determined by the State
25822582 Board of Education, and
25832583 d. in addition to the requirements of subparagraphs a, b ,
25842584 and c of this paragraph, has demonstrated competency
25852585 or completed a major in a field that corresponds to an
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26372637 area of specialization for an Elementary -Secondary
26382638 Certificate or a Secondary Certificate as determined
26392639 by the Commission for Educational Quality and
26402640 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning
26412641 April 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education or a
26422642 vocational-technical certificate as recommended by the
26432643 Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology
26442644 Education;
26452645 2. Declares the intention to earn standard certific ation by
26462646 means of an alternative placement program in not more than three (3)
26472647 years. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
26482648 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
26492649 of Education shall determine the subject matt er and the number of
26502650 clock or semester hours required for the professional education
26512651 component for each person making application for an alternative
26522652 placement teaching certificate based on the criteria of paragraph 1
26532653 of this subsection.
26542654 The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
26552655 March 31, 2027, and beginning Apr il 1, 2027, the State Board of
26562656 Education shall establish a core minimum of six (6) semester hours
26572657 or ninety (90) clock hours and a maximum of eighteen (18) semester
26582658 hours or two hundred seventy (270) clock hours for the professional
26592659 education component.
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27112711 The requirements set forth in this subsection shall exclude all
27122712 student teaching requirements pursuant to the provisions of
27132713 subsection E of this section;
27142714 3. Has passed the subject area portion of the competency
27152715 examination required in Section 6 -187 of this title in the area of
27162716 specialization for which certification is sought; and
27172717 4. Either presents a document from an accredited public school
27182718 district in this state offering employm ent in the area of
27192719 specialization for which certification is sought on condition that
27202720 the person enroll in an alternative placement program approved by
27212721 the State Board of Education or declares the intention to seek
27222722 employment as a teacher at an accredited public school district in
27232723 this state. The certificate granted pursuant to thi s subsection
27242724 shall be considered a “valid certificate of qualification ” for the
27252725 purposes of Sections 6 -107 and 6-108 of this title, and the holder
27262726 of the certificate shall be con sidered an inductee for the purposes
27272727 of Section 6-195 of this title.
27282728 B. An alternative placement teaching certificate shall be
27292729 renewed for not more than a maximum of three (3) years upon
27302730 presentation of a document from an accredited public school district
27312731 in this state offering renewed employment in the same area of
27322732 specialization and a document from a teacher education institution
27332733 verifying satisfactory progress in an appropriate alternative
27342734 placement program.
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27862786 C. Persons enrolled in an alternative placem ent program shall:
27872787 1. Have never been denied admittance to a teacher education
27882788 program approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,
27892789 the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , and by the
27902790 Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational Quality and
27912791 Accountability to offer teacher education programs, nor have
27922792 enrolled in and subsequently failed courses necessary to
27932793 successfully meet the minimum requirements of the program, except
27942794 those persons who hold a certificate;
27952795 2. Have on file with the director of teacher education at an
27962796 Oklahoma institution of higher education a plan for meeting standard
27972797 certification requirements within three (3) years; and
27982798 3. Participate in an induction program as required in Section
27992799 6-195 of this title and have the same duties and responsibilities as
28002800 other inductees.
28012801 D. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
28022802 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
28032803 of Education may grant an exception to the requirements for
28042804 certification and, upon demonstration by an individual of specific
28052805 competency in the subject area of specialization, may grant a
28062806 certificate to the individual. The State Commission until March 31,
28072807 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the Board may establish other
28082808 requirements necessary to grant exceptions.
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28602860 E. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
28612861 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
28622862 of Education, in consultation with the Commission for Educational
28632863 Quality and Accountability , may grant an exception to the
28642864 requirement to complete a subject area examination for initial
28652865 certification in a field which does not require an advanced degree
28662866 pursuant to this section if the candidate has an advanced degree in
28672867 a subject that is substantially comparable to the content assessed
28682868 on a subject area examination. The degree shall be from an
28692869 institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency
28702870 which is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
28712871 Education. The Beginning April 1, 2027, the Commission shall
28722872 provide the Board with the necessary information to determine
28732873 comparability.
28742874 F. Student teaching and a prestudent teaching field experience
28752875 shall not be required of alternative placement program p articipants
28762876 for standard certification.
28772877 G. The Commission for Educational Qua lity and Accountability
28782878 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
28792879 of Education shall promulgate rules authorizing adjunct teachers who
28802880 shall be persons with distinguished qualifications in their field.
28812881 Adjunct teachers shall not be required to meet standard
28822882 certification. A person employed as an adjunct teacher pursuant to
28832883 this subsection who does not hold a valid certificate to teach shall
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29352935 not be considered a teacher as defined by Section 1 -116 of this
29362936 title.
29372937 H. Each teacher edu cation institution shall provide the
29382938 Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational Quality and
29392939 Accountability an annual report of information as specified by the
29402940 Commission regarding participation in the alternative placement
29412941 programs offered by the institution.
29422942 I. The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational
29432943 Quality and Accountability shall not accredit, renew the
29442944 accreditation of, or otherwise approve a ny teacher education program
29452945 of any institution of higher education in this st ate that has not
29462946 implemented alternative placement programs in at least four areas of
29472947 specialization including mathematics, science and a foreign
29482948 language. Each institution shal l allow individuals who meet the
29492949 criteria of subsections A and C of this section to be:
29502950 1. Admitted to an alternative placement program without further
29512951 qualification; and
29522952 2. Offered the opportunity to complete the requirements for
29532953 standard certification set forth in subsection A of this section
29542954 during the summer preceding and the summer following the first year
29552955 of teaching with an alternative placement teaching certificate. Any
29562956 person seeking standard certification through an alternative
29572957 placement program shall be permitted to take necessary courses
29582958 during regular semesters if offered.
29592959
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30103010 J. The criteria specified in subsection I of this section can
30113011 be met through a cooperative arrangement entered into by two or more
30123012 institutions of higher education.
30133013 SECTION 8. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.5, is
30143014 amended to read as follows:
30153015 Section 6-122.5. A. The Commission for Educational Quality and
30163016 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
30173017 the State Board of Education shall grant an Alternative Placement
30183018 alternative placement teaching certificate to any person:
30193019 1. Who meets the eligibility requirements for the Troops to
30203020 Teachers program operated by the United States Department of Defense
30213021 and managed by the Defe nse Activity for Non -Traditional Education
30223022 Support (DANTES); and
30233023 2. Who meets the requirements set forth in Section 6 -122.3 of
30243024 Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title.
30253025 B. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
30263026 until March 31, 2027 , and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
30273027 of Education shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this
30283028 section.
30293029 SECTION 9. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.6, is
30303030 amended to read as follows:
30313031 Section 6-122.6. A. The Commission for Educational Quality and
30323032 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
30333033 the State Board of Education shall issue a one -year, nonrenewable
30343034
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30853085 secondary or middle level certificate to teach to any person who has
30863086 attained certification by an alternative teacher certification
30873087 organization as set forth in subsection C of this section and has on
30883088 file with the Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
30893089 1, 2027, with the Board a current Oklahoma criminal history record
30903090 from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as well as a
30913091 national criminal hi story record check as defined in Section 150.9
30923092 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon receipt of the Oklahoma
30933093 criminal history record, the Commission until March 31, 2027, a nd
30943094 beginning April 1, 2027, the Board may issue a temporary certificate
30953095 which shall be effective until receipt of the national fingerprint -
30963096 based criminal history record. The person applying for a
30973097 certificate shall be responsible for the cost of the crimin al
30983098 history records.
30993099 B. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6 -195 of this
31003100 title, teachers issued a certificate pursuant to this section shall
31013101 not be subject to the requirements of the residency program , but
31023102 shall participate in the mentoring program provided by the
31033103 alternative teacher certification organization as set forth in
31043104 subsection C of this section. Upon successful completion of such
31053105 mentoring program, the teacher shall be issued a certificate to
31063106 teach by the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
31073107 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State
31083108 Board of Education after completion of the application and payment
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31603160 of the certification fee as prescribed by the Commission for
31613161 Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
31623162 beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education.
31633163 C. For purposes of this section, the State Board of Education
31643164 shall identify an alternative teacher certification organization
31653165 that was founded with grant funding from the Unit ed States
31663166 Department of Education and that developed the Passport to Teaching
31673167 program, which is a certification program designed for professionals
31683168 who want to change careers and become teachers. The program shall
31693169 require candidates to hold a bachelor ’s degree, pass a professional
31703170 teaching knowledge exam, pass a subject area exam, and pass a
31713171 background check. The organization shall provide candidates with
31723172 access to workshops, an experienced teacher -advisor, and optional
31733173 access to comprehensive subject matt er refresher courses. The
31743174 organization shall also provide an intensive mentor ing and induction
31753175 program.
31763176 D. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
31773177 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
31783178 of Education shall ado pt rules to implement the provisions of this
31793179 section.
31803180 SECTION 10. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.7, is
31813181 amended to read as follows:
31823182 Section 6-122.7. A. Notwithstanding any other provision of the
31833183 law, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
31843184
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32353235 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of
32363236 Education shall issue a one -year provisional certificate to teach in
32373237 the area of mild-moderate disabilities, severe -profound
32383238 disabilities, or comprehensive special education to any qualified
32393239 candidate who has:
32403240 1. Earned a bachelor ’s level college degree from an accredited
32413241 institution of higher education;
32423242 2. Been recommended for a certificate by a school district
32433243 board of education or an accredited ins titution of higher education;
32443244 3. Satisfactorily completed a one -hundred-fifty-clock-hour
32453245 special education program prescribed by the Commission until March
32463246 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the Board; and
32473247 4. On file with the Commission until Marc h 31, 2027, and
32483248 beginning April 1, 2027, with the Board a national criminal history
32493249 record check as required pursuant to Section 5 -142 of this title.
32503250 The individual applying for a provisional certificate shall be
32513251 responsible for the cost of the national c riminal history record
32523252 check.
32533253 B. The one-year provisional certificate issued pursuant to this
32543254 section may be renewed for two (2) additional periods of one -year
32553255 each upon proof from an accredited institution of higher education
32563256 that the individual has succ essfully completed at least six (6)
32573257 credit hours of prescribed coursework during the previous year in a
32583258 nontraditional route to certification program in either mild -
32593259
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33103310 moderate or severe-profound disabilities or toward a master ’s degree
33113311 in special education.
33123312 C. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commission
33133313 for Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
33143314 beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall issue a
33153315 standard certificate in the area of mild -moderate disabilities,
33163316 severe-profound disabilities , or comprehensive special education to
33173317 any individual who has:
33183318 1. Been issued one or more provisional certificates pursuant to
33193319 this section;
33203320 2. Successfully completed the prescribed coursework of a
33213321 nontraditional route to certification program in either mild -
33223322 moderate or severe-profound disabilities or a master’s degree in
33233323 special education from an accredited institution of higher education
33243324 within three (3) years of issuance of the original provisional
33253325 certificate and any examinations required to obtain a standard
33263326 certificate in mild-moderate disabilities, severe -profound
33273327 disabilities, or comprehensive special education;
33283328 3. Successfully completed the appropriate subject area
33293329 competency examination as required pursuant t o Section 6-187 of this
33303330 title; and
33313331 4. Submitted an application and payment of the required
33323332 certification fee.
33333333
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33843384 D. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an individual
33853385 who holds a current provisional certificate pursuant to subsection A
33863386 or B of this section or a current standard certificate pursuant to
33873387 subsection C of this section may satisfy the highly qualified
33883388 teacher requirement for early childhood education or elementary
33893389 education by successful completion of the early childhood education
33903390 or elementary education examinations.
33913391 E. To obtain standard certification in early chi ldhood
33923392 education or elementary education, an individual shall complete an
33933393 appropriate teacher education program approved by the Oklahoma
33943394 Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational Quality and
33953395 Accountability.
33963396 F. Nothing in this section shall change the requirements an
33973397 individual is required to satisfy to be considered highly qualified
33983398 in a secondary core academic area.
33993399 G. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountabil ity
34003400 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
34013401 of Education shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this
34023402 section.
34033403 SECTION 11. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.8, is
34043404 amended to read as follows:
34053405 Section 6-122.8. A. Notwithstanding any other provision of
34063406 law, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
34073407 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of
34083408
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34593459 Education shall issue a standard certificate in the area of m ild-
34603460 moderate disabilities, severe -profound disabilities , or
34613461 comprehensive special education to any individual who has:
34623462 1. Earned a bachelor ’s level college degree from an accredited
34633463 institution of higher education;
34643464 2. Successfully completed the prescribe d coursework that may be
34653465 required for a master ’s degree in special education from an
34663466 accredited institution of higher education and any examinations
34673467 required to obtain a standard certificate in mild -moderate
34683468 disabilities, severe -profound disabilities , or comprehensive special
34693469 education;
34703470 3. Successfully completed the appropriate sub ject area
34713471 competency examination as required pursuant to Section 6 -187 of this
34723472 title;
34733473 4. On file with the Commission for Educational Quality and
34743474 Accountability until March 31, 2 027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
34753475 with the State Board of Education a national criminal history record
34763476 check as required pursuant to Section 5 -142 of this title; and
34773477 5. Submitted an application and payment of the required
34783478 certification fee.
34793479 B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an individual
34803480 who holds a current standard c ertificate pursuant to subsection A of
34813481 this section can satisfy the highly qualified teacher requirement
34823482 for early childhood education or elementary education by successful
34833483
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35343534 completion of the early childhood education or elementary education
35353535 examinations.
35363536 C. To obtain standard certification in early childhood
35373537 education or elementary education, the individual shall complete an
35383538 appropriate teacher education program approved by the Oklahoma
35393539 Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational Quality and
35403540 Accountability.
35413541 SECTION 12. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.9, is
35423542 amended to read as follows:
35433543 Section 6-122.9. A. Notwithstanding any other provision of
35443544 law, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
35453545 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of
35463546 Education shall issue a standard certificate in the area of mild -
35473547 moderate disabilities, severe -profound disabilities , or
35483548 comprehensive special education to any individual certified via an
35493549 alternative certification route in early childhood education or
35503550 elementary education who has:
35513551 1. Earned a bachelor ’s level college degree from an accredited
35523552 institution of higher education;
35533553 2. Successfully completed the mild -moderate disabilities,
35543554 severe-profound disabilities , or comprehensive special education
35553555 competency examinations; and
35563556 3. Submitted an application and payment of the required
35573557 certification fee.
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36093609 B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law and with the
36103610 exception of paraprofessionals under the Career Development areas,
36113611 the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
36123612 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of
36133613 Education shall issue a standa rd certificate in the area of mild -
36143614 moderate disabilities, severe -profound disabilities , or
36153615 comprehensive special education to any individual certified via an
36163616 alternative certification route in a core academic area, which
36173617 includes Mathematics, Science, Engl ish, Language Arts, History,
36183618 Foreign Language, Music, Art, Elementary Educatio n, and Early
36193619 Childhood Education, who has:
36203620 1. Earned a bachelor ’s level college degree from an accredited
36213621 institution of higher education;
36223622 2. Successfully completed the mild -moderate disabilities,
36233623 severe-profound disabilities or comprehensive special education
36243624 competency examinations; and
36253625 3. Submitted an application and payment of the required
36263626 certification fee.
36273627 SECTION 13. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Sect ion 6-122.10,
36283628 is amended to read as follows:
36293629 Section 6-122.10. A. The Commission for Educational Quality
36303630 and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
36313631 2027, the State Board of Education shall issue a two -year
36323632
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36833683 provisional certificate in the area of severe-profound disabilities
36843684 to any individual who has:
36853685 1. Obtained a standard certificate in the area of mild -moderate
36863686 disabilities;
36873687 2. Been recommended for a certificate in the area of severe -
36883688 profound disabilities by a school district board of education; and
36893689 3. Submitted an application and payment of the required
36903690 certification fee.
36913691 B. An individual who completes the requirements of subsection A
36923692 of this section may be eligible to receive a standard certificate in
36933693 the area of severe-profound disabilities upon completion of:
36943694 1. A micro-credentialing program in the area of severe -profound
36953695 disabilities approved by the Commission for Educational Quality and
36963696 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by
36973697 the State Board of Education. The micro -credentialing program shall
36983698 include competencies describe d in Section 6-187 of Title 70 of the
36993699 Oklahoma Statutes this title; or
37003700 2. The subject area competency examination required by Section
37013701 6-187 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title.
37023702 SECTION 14. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -122.11,
37033703 as amended by Section 2, Chapter 220, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp.
37043704 2024, Section 6-122.11), is amended to read as follows:
37053705 Section 6-122.11. Notwithstanding any othe r provision of the
37063706 law, the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountabil ity until
37073707
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37583758 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of
37593759 Education shall issue a one -year alternative teacher certificate,
37603760 renewable for up to three (3) years, t o teach early childhood
37613761 education or elementary education to any qualified candidate who:
37623762 1. a. has successfully completed a terminal degree, such as
37633763 a doctorate of philosophy, a doctorate in education,
37643764 professional doctorates, a master of fine arts degree
37653765 or a master of library science degree, from an
37663766 institution accredited by a na tional or regional
37673767 accrediting agency which is recognized by the
37683768 Secretary of the United States Department of
37693769 Education. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
37703770 Education shall be consulted to verify other terminal
37713771 degrees, or
37723772 b. holds at least a baccalaureate degree from an
37733773 institution whose accreditation is recognized by the
37743774 Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and has
37753775 two (2) years post-degree-completion qualified work
37763776 experience in a field that corresponds to early
37773777 childhood education or elementar y education; and
37783778 2. Declares the intention to earn standard certification by
37793779 means of the early childhood and elementary education alternative
37803780 certification program in not more than three (3) years and has:
37813781
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38323832 a. within the first year satisfactorily completed six (6)
38333833 credit hours in classroom management and reading
38343834 instruction from an educator preparation program
38353835 approved and accredited by the Commission for
38363836 Educational Quality and Accountability, completed the
38373837 required State Department of Education approved
38383838 training on cognitive science of how students learn to
38393839 read and participated in a yearlong mentorship or
38403840 instructional coaching in reading and classroom
38413841 management provided by th e employing school district
38423842 prior to the renewal of the provisional certificate
38433843 for a second year,
38443844 b. within the second year satisfactorily completed six
38453845 (6) credit hours in child development and math
38463846 instruction from an educator preparation program
38473847 approved and accredited by the Commission for
38483848 Educational Quality and Accountability , participated
38493849 in an additional yearlong mentorship and/or
38503850 instructional coaching in child development and math
38513851 instruction provided by the employing school district
38523852 prior to the renewal of the provisional certificate
38533853 for a third year, and successfully completed the
38543854 subject area portion of the competency examination
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39063906 required in Section 6 -187 of this title in the area of
39073907 specialization for which certification is sought, and
39083908 c. within the third year satisfactorily completed six (6)
39093909 additional credit hours of professional education
39103910 coursework from an educator preparation program
39113911 approved and accredited by the Commission for
39123912 Educational Quality and Accountability, participated
39133913 in an additional yearlong mentorship and/or
39143914 instructional coaching provided by the employing
39153915 school district, and successfully passed the
39163916 professional knowledge portions of the competency
39173917 examination required in Section 6 -187 of this title in
39183918 the area of specializ ation for which certification is
39193919 sought.
39203920 SECTION 15. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -133, as
39213921 amended by Section 1, Chapter 349, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2024,
39223922 Section 6-133), is amended to read as follows:
39233923 Section 6-133. A. As used in this section:
39243924 1. “Provider” means an eligible entity that seeks or has
39253925 obtained approval of an alternative teacher preparation program
39263926 consistent with this section; and
39273927 2. “Program” means content provided by a provider that leads
39283928 toward licensure in a specific content area.
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39803980 B. The State Board of Education Commission for Educational
39813981 Quality and Accountability shall identify providers to implement new
39823982 and innovative pathways toward teacher certification on a pilot
39833983 program basis. Providers seeki ng to participate in the pilot
39843984 program shall submit applications to the State Board of Education
39853985 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability .
39863986 C. A provider chosen by the State Board of Education Commission
39873987 to participate in the pilot program sha ll offer a program that:
39883988 1. Provides evidence and history of fiscal solvency, capacity,
39893989 operation, and program effectiveness;
39903990 2. Provides evidence of necessary infrastructure to provide
39913991 accurate, timely, and secure data for the purpose of admission,
39923992 teacher candidate monitoring, testing, and certification
39933993 recommendations;
39943994 3. Has policies and procedures in place ensuring the security
39953995 of teacher candidate records under applicable laws and regulations;
39963996 4. Has the instructional capacity within an existing n ovice
39973997 teacher support program, the ability to obtain the instructional
39983998 capacity, or has established a partnership with an accredited higher
39993999 education institution to provide adequate instruction in accordance
40004000 with this subsection;
40014001 5. Offers an instructiona l phase that provides intensive
40024002 preparation before the teacher candidates assume classroom
40034003 responsibilities;
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40554055 6. Offers a research -based and results-oriented approach
40564056 focused on best teaching practices to increase student achievement
40574057 and growth measured ag ainst state academic standards;
40584058 7. Provides assessment, supervision, and eval uation of teacher
40594059 candidates to determine their specific needs throughout the program
40604060 and to support efforts to successfully complete the program;
40614061 8. Provides intensive and ongo ing professional development
40624062 opportunities that accelerate a teacher candidate ’s professional
40634063 growth, support student learning, and provide a workplace
40644064 orientation, professional staff development, and mentoring;
40654065 9. Offers peer review focused on standards of professional
40664066 practice and continuous professional growth; and
40674067 10. Provides a process to review a teacher candidate ’s final
40684068 competency of required certification content standards that leads to
40694069 a potential candidate being recommended for teacher certific ation in
40704070 accordance with subsection F of this section.
40714071 D. The State Board of Education Commission shall ensure that
40724072 providers approved to participate in the pilot program allow teacher
40734073 candidates to demonstrate pedagogy and content standard proficiency
40744074 in school-based programs and through other nontraditional means.
40754075 Nontraditional means may include, but not be limited to, previous
40764076 work experience, teacher experience, educator evaluations, industry -
40774077 recognized certifications, and other essentially equivalen t
40784078 demonstrations.
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41304130 E. If the State Board of Education Commission determines that a
41314131 provider fails to meet or is deficient in any of the requirements of
41324132 this section, it may suspend or revoke the approval of the provider
41334133 after providing notification of the deficiencies and an opportunity
41344134 to remedy the deficiencies.
41354135 F. A teacher candidate that completes a program offered by an
41364136 approved provider shall be eligible for certification, provided he
41374137 or she meets the certification requirements set forth in Section 6 -
41384138 187 of this title in the area of specialization for which
41394139 certification is sought and is recommended for certification by the
41404140 approved provider.
41414141 G. The State Board of Education Commission shall issue a
41424142 certificate to teach to any person who meets the req uirements set
41434143 forth in this section and who has on file with the Board Commission
41444144 a current Oklahoma criminal history record check from the Oklahoma
41454145 State Bureau of Investigation as well as a national criminal history
41464146 record check as defined in Section 150 .9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma
41474147 Statutes. The person applying for the certificate shall be
41484148 responsible for the cost of the criminal history record checks.
41494149 H. A provider shall submit a report to the State Department of
41504150 Education Office of Educational Quali ty and Accountability after one
41514151 (1) year of operation showing the percentage o f teacher candidates
41524152 who have completed the program and who have successfully completed
41534153 or who have failed the competency examinations for certification and
41544154
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42054205 the provider’s efforts to help candidates successfully pass the
42064206 examinations. A provider shall annually submit a report to the
42074207 State Department of Education Office of Educational Quality and
42084208 Accountability outlining the success of the program.
42094209 I. The State Board of Education Commission may promulgate rules
42104210 to implement the provisions of this section.
42114211 J. The pilot program created in this section shall end no later
42124212 than July 1, 2026.
42134213 SECTION 16. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -154.1, is
42144214 amended to read as follows:
42154215 Section 6-154.1. A. The Commission for Educational Quality and
42164216 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
42174217 the State Board of Education shall promulgate rules by which a
42184218 person who holds a valid Oklahoma Standard Teaching Certificate
42194219 standard teaching certificate may satisfy requirements for r enewal
42204220 of the Standard Teaching Certificate standard teaching certificate
42214221 by completing staff development programs, conferences , and seminars
42224222 in lieu of teaching experience or hi gher education credits required
42234223 by the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
42244224 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
42254225 Education for certificate renewal. Only programs, conferences , and
42264226 seminars recognized fo r staff development credit by an Oklahoma a
42274227 public school district in this state at the time the teacher attends
42284228 the program, conference , or seminar may be used to fulfill
42294229
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42804280 requirements under this section. The Commission for Educational
42814281 Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
42824282 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall not require more staff
42834283 development credit to be earned for certificate renewal than the
42844284 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
42854285 Board requires teachers and administrators to earn pursuant to
42864286 Section 6-158 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title.
42874287 B. District boards of education may charge a reasonable fee for
42884288 a holder of a valid Oklahoma Standard Teaching Certificate standard
42894289 teaching certificate who is not employed as a teacher or
42904290 administrator in an Oklahoma a public school in this state to attend
42914291 district-sponsored staff development programs or seminars.
42924292 SECTION 17. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -187, as
42934293 last amended by Section 164, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
42944294 2024, Section 6-187), is amended to read as follows:
42954295 Section 6-187. A. Prior to July 1, 2014, a competency
42964296 examination shall be adopted by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher
42974297 Preparation and beginning July 1, 2014, a competency examination
42984298 shall be adopted by the Commission for Educational Quality and
42994299 Accountability for the professional education and various subject
43004300 areas and grade levels for purposes of ensuring academic achievement
43014301 and competency of each teacher candidate or teacher in the subject
43024302 area the person is seeking certification to teach which shall also
43034303 include certification as an administrator, as prescribed by the
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43554355 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability unt il March
43564356 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
43574357 Education.
43584358 The Commission, consistent with the purposes of this section,
43594359 shall promulgate rules and procedures to guarantee the
43604360 confidentiality of examinations.
43614361 B. No teacher candidate shall be eligible for certification
43624362 until successfully completing the competen cy examination except
43634363 those candidates who make application to the State Commission until
43644364 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, to the Board and meet
43654365 the criteria for the alternative placement program pursuant to
43664366 Section 6-122.3 of this title. Certification shall be limited to
43674367 areas of approval in which the certified teacher has successfully
43684368 completed the examination. Subject to the provisions of subsection
43694369 C of this section, testing for certification for subjects in which a
43704370 teacher candidate or te acher is seeking a minor teaching assignment
43714371 or an endorsement to teach shall be limited to the specific subject
43724372 area test.
43734373 A teacher candidate or teacher may take the profession al
43744374 education or subject area portions of the examination subject to any
43754375 limit imposed by the Commission.
43764376 C. 1. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, a
43774377 teacher may be certified in as many areas as the teacher meets the
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44294429 necessary requirement s provided by law and has successfully
44304430 completed the subject area portion of t he examination.
44314431 2. Except as otherwise provided for in this paragraph,
44324432 certification in early childhood, elementary, or special education
44334433 shall require completion of an appropri ate teacher education program
44344434 approved by the Commission.
44354435 Any teacher who is certified to teach elementary education may
44364436 be certified in early childhood education upon meeting the
44374437 requirements provided in law and successful completion of the
44384438 appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any teacher
44394439 who is certified to teach early childhood education may be certified
44404440 in elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in
44414441 law and successful completion of the appropriate subject area
44424442 portion of the examination. Any special education teacher who
44434443 becomes certified to teach through completion of an accredited
44444444 teacher preparation program may be certified in early childhood or
44454445 elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in law
44464446 and successful completion of the appropriate subject portion of the
44474447 examination. Any teacher who becomes certified to teach through
44484448 completion of an accredited teacher preparation program or becomes
44494449 alternatively certified to teach through the Troops to Teac hers
44504450 program may be certified in special education upon meeting the
44514451 requirements provided in law and successful completion of the
44524452 appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any special
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45044504 education teacher who has not completed a Commission -approved
45054505 teacher education program in elementary education or early childhood
45064506 education but who has successfully completed the subject area
45074507 portion of the examination may be certified in elementary education
45084508 or early childhood education for the purpose of providi ng direct
45094509 instruction and serving as the teacher of record for grading
45104510 purposes in special education settings only.
45114511 D. The Commission shall offer the competency examination at
45124512 least four times per calendar year on dates to be established by the
45134513 Commission.
45144514 E. If a teacher candidate or teacher is a non -native-English
45154515 speaker, the Commission shall offer the subject area competency
45164516 examination in the native language of the teacher candidate or
45174517 teacher only if the teacher candidate or teacher is employed or h as
45184518 been offered employment by a school district as a teacher in a
45194519 foreign language immersion program offered by the school district.
45204520 If a non-native-English speaker who has received certification in a
45214521 subject area after taking the subject area competency examination in
45224522 the native language of the speaker seeks to add a certification area
45234523 in the future and that person is no longer employed as a teacher in
45244524 a foreign language immersion program, the examination for the
45254525 additional certification area shall be tak en in English. The
45264526 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
45274527 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of Education
45284528
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45794579 shall issue a restricted license or certificate to any teacher who
45804580 has completed a subject area compet ency examination in the native
45814581 language of the teacher as provided for in this subsection
45824582 restricting the teacher to teaching only in a foreign language
45834583 immersion program.
45844584 F. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
45854585 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
45864586 of Education, in consultation with the Commission for Educational
45874587 Quality and Accountability, may grant an exception to the
45884588 requirement to complete a subject area examination for initial
45894589 certification in a field which does not require an advanced degree
45904590 if the candidate has an advanced de gree in a subject that is
45914591 substantially comparable to the content assessed on a subject area
45924592 examination. The advanced degree shall be from an institution
45934593 accredited by a nation al or regional accrediting agency which is
45944594 recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department of
45954595 Education. The Beginning April 1, 2027, the Commission shall
45964596 provide the Board with the necessary information to determine
45974597 comparability.
45984598 G. 1. Nothing in the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act shall
45994599 restrict the right of the Commission for Educational Quality and
46004600 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027,
46014601 the right of the State Board of Education to issue an emergency or
46024602 provisional certificate, as needed. Provided, however, prior to the
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46544654 issuance of an emergency certificate, the district shall document
46554655 substantial efforts to employ a teacher who holds a provisional or
46564656 standard certificate. In the event a district is unable to h ire an
46574657 individual meeting this criteria, the district shall document
46584658 efforts to employ an individual with a provisional or standard
46594659 certificate in another curricular area with academic preparation in
46604660 the field of need. Only after these alternatives have b een
46614661 exhausted shall the district be allowed to employ an individual
46624662 meeting minimum standards as established by the Commission for
46634663 Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
46644664 beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education for the
46654665 issuance of emergency certificates.
46664666 2. The Commission for Educational Qu ality and Accountability
46674667 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
46684668 of Education may renew the emergency or provisional certificate of
46694669 an individual who has been employed by a school district board of
46704670 education for at least two (2) years if the following criteria are
46714671 met:
46724672 a. the individual has been granted an emergency or
46734673 provisional certificate pursuant to paragraph 1 of
46744674 this subsection for two (2) years,
46754675 b. the individual has not successfully completed the
46764676 competency examinations r equired by this section,
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47284728 c. the individual submits a portfolio of his or her work
47294729 to the Commission for Educational Quality and
47304730 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning
47314731 April 1, 2027, to the State Board of Education, which
47324732 shall include evidence of progress toward standard
47334733 certification,
47344734 d. the employing school district board of education
47354735 agrees to renew the individual ’s contract to teach for
47364736 the ensuing fiscal year, and
47374737 e. the superintendent of the employing school district
47384738 submits to the Commission for Educational Quality and
47394739 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning
47404740 April 1, 2027, to the State Board of Education the
47414741 reason the emergency or provisional certific ate should
47424742 be renewed and provides evidence of the district ’s
47434743 inability to hire a teacher who holds a standard
47444744 certificate.
47454745 3. Individuals employed by a school district under an emergency
47464746 or provisional certificate shall not be considered career teachers
47474747 and therefore not entitled to the protections of the Teacher Due
47484748 Process Act of 1990.
47494749 H. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
47504750 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
47514751 of Education may grant an exception to th e requirements for all
47524752
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48034803 certification examinations for teacher candidates who are “deaf”,
48044804 which for the purposes of this section shall mean having a hearing
48054805 loss so severe that the person cannot process auditory linguistic
48064806 information with or without accomm odation and whose primary language
48074807 and teaching environment is American Sign L anguage. The Commission
48084808 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the Board may
48094809 grant an exception upon:
48104810 1. Verification by a licensed audiologist of a hearing loss so
48114811 severe that the teacher candidate cannot process auditory linguistic
48124812 information with or without accommodation;
48134813 2. Demonstration of fluency in American Sign Language;
48144814 3. Demonstration of competency in the subject area of
48154815 specialization as approved by th e Commission until March 31, 2027,
48164816 and beginning April 1, 2027, by the Board in lieu of certification
48174817 examinations; and
48184818 4. Sponsorship by a certified deaf education teacher for a
48194819 mentorship program.
48204820 The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
48214821 2027, the Board may promulgate rules and other requirements as
48224822 necessary to grant the exceptions described in this subsection.
48234823 Applicable teaching environments may include American Sign Language
48244824 immersion programs, the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, pr ograms for
48254825 the deaf, or other classroom settings in which American Sign
48264826 Language is the language of instruction.
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48784878 SECTION 18. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -189, as
48794879 amended by Section 1, Chapter 92, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 20 24,
48804880 Section 6-189), is amended to read as follows:
48814881 Section 6-189. A. The certification system required by the
48824882 Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act as part of the new teacher
48834883 preparation system shall be competency -based. The competencies for
48844884 certification shall be integrated with competencies specified in
48854885 Section 6-185 of this title. By July 1, 1996 The Commission for
48864886 Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
48874887 beginning April 1, 2027 , the State Board of Education shall adopt
48884888 general competencies for certification, and by January 1, 1997, the
48894889 Board shall have adopted full competencies and implemented implement
48904890 the certification system as required in this act. No higher
48914891 education courses or credit hours may be specified by the Commission
48924892 for Educational Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and
48934893 beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education in rules
48944894 for certification. Nothing in the certification rules adopted by
48954895 the Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning Apri l 1, 2027, by
48964896 the Board shall prohibit the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
48974897 Education from adopting policies and procedures it deems appropriate
48984898 for coursework, grade point average, or credit hours for teacher
48994899 preparation at institutions in The Oklahoma S tate System of Higher
49004900 Education.
49014901
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49524952 B. The certification requirements for a scho ol principal not
49534953 alternatively certified under subsection D of this section shall
49544954 include not less than:
49554955 1. Completion of a standard master ’s degree;
49564956 2. Completion of a program in education administration approved
49574957 by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational
49584958 Quality and Accountability with an emphasis on curriculum,
49594959 instruction and building -level leadership skills. The requirement
49604960 in this paragraph shall not a pply to any person who has completed a
49614961 master’s degree program in education th at included competencies that
49624962 are substantially equal to those listed in this paragraph and if the
49634963 degree was completed prior to July 1, 2005;
49644964 3. Any other professional educatio n and requirements as may be
49654965 fixed by the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
49664966 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State
49674967 Board of Education;
49684968 4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination
49694969 required in Section 6-187 of this title; and
49704970 5. A minimum of two (2) years of successful t eaching experience
49714971 in public or private schools accredited by the State Board of
49724972 Education or by the proper accrediting authority of another state of
49734973 the United States.
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50255025 C. The certification requirements for a superintendent of
50265026 schools not alternatively certified under subsection D of this
50275027 section shall include not less than:
50285028 1. Certification as a school principal or completion of the
50295029 certification requirements for a school princ ipal as set forth in
50305030 subsection B of this section;
50315031 2. Completion of a program in education administration approved
50325032 by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational
50335033 Quality and Accountability with an emphasis on district -level
50345034 leadership skills, and which shall include the following
50355035 competencies:
50365036 a. instructional leadership,
50375037 b. organizational leadership , including education
50385038 finance, education law, and risk management,
50395039 c. collaborative and community leadership, and
50405040 d. ethical leadership.
50415041 The requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person
50425042 who has completed an Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
50435043 approved Master’s Degree in Education Administration or has
50445044 completed a program in education that included competencies that are
50455045 substantially equal to those listed in this paragraph, and if the
50465046 degree or program was completed between the effective date of this
50475047 act and July 1, 2005;
50485048
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50995099 3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be
51005100 fixed by the Commission for Educational Q uality and Accountability
51015101 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, b y the State
51025102 Board of Education;
51035103 4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination
51045104 required in Section 6 -187 of this title; and
51055105 5. A minimum of two (2) years of admi nistrative experience in
51065106 public or private schools accredited by the State Board of Education
51075107 or by the proper accrediting authority of another state of the
51085108 United States.
51095109 D. 1. The standards for alternative certification for
51105110 superintendents of schools a nd principals shall include:
51115111 a. the completion of a standard master ’s degree,
51125112 b. two (2) years of relevant work experience in a
51135113 supervisory or administrative capacity,
51145114 c. a passing score on the subject area competency
51155115 examination required in Section 6 -187 of this title,
51165116 and
51175117 d. filing with the director of teacher education at an
51185118 Oklahoma accredited institution of higher education a
51195119 plan for completing an alternative administrative
51205120 preparation program within three (3) years. Relevant
51215121 work experience and cour sework may be considered and
51225122 applied to complete the plan.
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51745174 2. An alternative certificate for superintendent of schools and
51755175 principals shall not exceed three (3) years and shall not be
51765176 renewable.
51775177 3. Upon successful completion of an alternative administrat ive
51785178 preparation program by a participant, the Commission for Educational
51795179 Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
51805180 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall issue a standard
51815181 certificate for superintendent or principal, as appli cable, to the
51825182 applicant.
51835183 4. Any person participating in an alternative certif ication
51845184 program for superintendent of schools and principals on the
51855185 effective date of this act shall be subject to the program
51865186 requirements in effect prior to the effective date of this act.
51875187 E. The certification requirements for a superintendent of a
51885188 technology center school district shall include not less than a
51895189 standard master’s degree, any other professional education
51905190 requirements as may be fixed by the Commission for Educatio nal
51915191 Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
51925192 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education, and a minimum of four (4)
51935193 years teaching, supervisory , or administrative experience, which may
51945194 include teaching of full -time adult students, in a technology center
51955195 school district. A person meeting the requirements set forth in
51965196 subsection C of this section shall be eligible for a certificate for
51975197 superintendent of a technology center school district.
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52495249 F. The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall
52505250 promulgate rules for a certification system specifically for
52515251 teachers and instructors in the technology center school districts.
52525252 The system shall be competency -based. The competencies for
52535253 certification shall include industry -based skills, standards, and
52545254 certifications.
52555255 G. Certificates issued by the Commission for Educational
52565256 Quality and Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
52575257 1, 2027, by the State Board of Education may be revoked by the State
52585258 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the
52595259 Board of Education for willful violation of any rule of the
52605260 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the
52615261 Board or of any federal or state law or other proper cause but only
52625262 after sufficient hearing has been given before the Commission until
52635263 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, before the Board.
52645264 H. Teaching in a Head Start program or programs shall be used
52655265 for renewal of a standard teaching certificate.
52665266 SECTION 19. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -190, as
52675267 last amended by Section 1, Ch apter 122, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
52685268 2024, Section 6-190), is amended to read as follows:
52695269 Section 6-190. A. The board of education of each school
52705270 district shall employ and con tract in writing, as required in
52715271 Section 6-101 of this title, only with persons certified to teach by
52725272 the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until
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53245324 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the State Board of
53255325 Education in accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act,
53265326 except as otherwise provided for b y Section 6-101 of this title and
53275327 by other law.
53285328 B. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
53295329 2027, the Board shall issue a certificate to teach to any person
53305330 who:
53315331 1. Has successfully completed the teacher education program
53325332 required by the Commission for Educational Quality and
53335333 Accountability;
53345334 2. Has graduated from an accredited institution of higher
53355335 education that has approval or accreditation for teacher educ ation;
53365336 3. Has met all other requirements as may be established by the
53375337 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by the
53385338 Board;
53395339 4. Has made the necessary application and paid the competency
53405340 examination fee in an amount and as prescribed by the Commission;
53415341 5. Has successfully completed the competency examination
53425342 required in Section 6 -187 of this title; and
53435343 6. Beginning November 1, 2001, has on file with the Commission
53445344 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, with the Board a
53455345 current Oklahoma criminal history record from the Oklahoma State
53465346 Bureau of Investigation as well as a national criminal history
53475347 record check as defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma
53485348
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53995399 Statutes. Upon receipt of the Oklahoma criminal history rec ord, the
54005400 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
54015401 Board may issue a temporary certificate which shall be effective
54025402 until receipt of the national fingerprint -based criminal history
54035403 record. The person applying for a certificate shal l be responsible
54045404 for the cost of the criminal history records.
54055405 C. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
54065406 2027, the Board shall issue a certificate to teach to any person
54075407 who:
54085408 1. Holds an out-of-state certificate and meets the require ments
54095409 set forth in subsection G of this section;
54105410 2. Holds certification from the National Board for Professional
54115411 Teaching Standards;
54125412 3. Holds an out-of-country certificate and meets the
54135413 requirements set forth in subsection F of this section; or
54145414 4. Has successfully completed a competency examination used in
54155415 the majority of other s tates or comparable customized exam and meets
54165416 the requirements set forth in subsection H of this section.
54175417 D. Beginning July 1, 2004, any person applying for initial
54185418 Oklahoma certification shall have on file with the Commission until
54195419 March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, with the Board a
54205420 current Oklahoma criminal history record from the Oklahoma State
54215421 Bureau of Investigation as well as a national criminal history
54225422 record check as defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma
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54745474 Statutes. Upon receipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record, the
54755475 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
54765476 Board may issue a temporary certificate which shall be effecti ve
54775477 until receipt of the national fingerprint -based criminal history
54785478 record. The person applying for a certificate shall be responsible
54795479 for the cost of the criminal history records.
54805480 E. Any person holding a valid certificate, issued prior to
54815481 January 1, 1997, shall be a certified teacher for purposes of the
54825482 Oklahoma Teacher Preparati on Act, subject to any professional
54835483 development requirements prescribed by the Oklahoma Teacher
54845484 Preparation Act or by the Commission for Educational Quality and
54855485 Accountability until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by
54865486 the State Board of Education.
54875487 F. 1. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
54885488 1, 2027, the Board shall issue a certificate to teach to a person
54895489 who holds a valid out -of-country certificate and meets any
54905490 requirements established by the Commission until March 31, 202 7, and
54915491 beginning April 1, 2027, by the Board. The certificate to teach
54925492 shall only be for those subject areas and grade levels most closely
54935493 aligned to the subject areas and grade levels recognized on the out -
54945494 of-country certificate.
54955495 2. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this
54965496 subsection shall not be required to take any competency examinations
54975497 in those subject areas and grade levels most closely aligned to the
54985498
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55495549 subject areas and grade levels recognized on the out -of-country
55505550 certificate.
55515551 3. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this
55525552 subsection shall have on file with the Commission until March 31,
55535553 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, with the Board a current Oklahoma
55545554 criminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of
55555555 Investigation as well as a national criminal history record check as
55565556 defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon
55575557 receipt of the Oklahoma criminal hist ory record check, the
55585558 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
55595559 Board may issue a temporary certificate which shall be effective
55605560 until receipt of the national fingerprint -based criminal history
55615561 record check. The person applying for a certificate shall be
55625562 responsible for the cost of the criminal history record checks.
55635563 4. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1,
55645564 2027, the Board shall promulgate rules establishing a process by
55655565 which out-of-country certificates will be reviewed and evaluated for
55665566 purposes of awarding a certificate to teach purs uant to this
55675567 subsection.
55685568 G. 1. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
55695569 1, 2027, the Board shall issue a certificate to teach to a person
55705570 who holds a valid out -of-state certificate. The certificate to
55715571 teach shall only be for those subject areas and grade levels most
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56235623 closely aligned to the subject areas and grade levels recognized on
56245624 the out-of-state certificate.
56255625 2. A person who meets the requirements of paragra ph 1 of this
56265626 subsection shall not be required to take any competency examinati ons
56275627 in those subject areas and grade levels most closely aligned to the
56285628 subject areas and grade levels recognized on the out -of-state
56295629 certificate.
56305630 3. A person who meets the requ irements of this subsection shall
56315631 have on file with the Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning
56325632 April 1, 2027, with the Board a current Oklahoma criminal history
56335633 record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as well
56345634 as a national criminal history record check as defined in Section
56355635 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklah oma Statutes. Upon receipt of the
56365636 Oklahoma criminal history record check, the Commission until March
56375637 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the Board may issue a
56385638 temporary certificate which shall be effective until receipt of the
56395639 national fingerprint -based criminal history record check. The
56405640 person applying for a certificate shall be responsible for the cost
56415641 of the criminal history record checks.
56425642 H. 1. The Commission until Marc h 31, 2027, and beginning April
56435643 1, 2027, the Board shall issue a certificate t o teach to a person
56445644 who has successfully completed a competency exam used in a majority
56455645 of the other states. The certificate to teach shall only be for
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56975697 those subject areas and g rade levels that correspond with a
56985698 certification area used in Oklahoma.
56995699 2. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this
57005700 subsection shall have on file with the Commission until March 31,
57015701 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, with the Board a current Oklahoma
57025702 criminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of
57035703 Investigation as well as a national criminal history record check as
57045704 defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon
57055705 receipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record check, the
57065706 Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the
57075707 Board may issue a temporary certificate which shall be effective
57085708 until receipt of the national fingerprint -based criminal history
57095709 record check. The person applying for a certificate shall be
57105710 responsible for the cost of the criminal history record c hecks.
57115711 I. 1. The Commission until March 31, 2027, and beginning April
57125712 1, 2027, the Board may establish new levels of teacher certificates:
57135713 advanced, lead, and master. Each le vel shall have a salary increase
57145714 requirement paid with state dollars from the lottery funds as
57155715 provided in Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes. The
57165716 advanced certificate shall include a salary increase of Three
57175717 Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00), th e lead certificate shall include a
57185718 salary increase of Five Thousand Dollars ($ 5,000.00), and the master
57195719 certificate shall include a salary increase of Ten Thousand Dollars
57205720 ($10,000.00).
57215721
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57725772 2. A teacher who works in a school with an enrollment of forty
57735773 percent (40%) or more of students who are economically disadvantaged
57745774 as defined in Section 18 -109.5 of this title or a school district
57755775 with an enrollment of fewer than one thousand students shall be paid
57765776 a one-time award in addition to the salary increases provi ded in
57775777 paragraph 1 of this subsection:
57785778 a. One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($ 1,500.00) for an
57795779 advanced certificate,
57805780 b. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for a
57815781 lead certificate, and
57825782 c. Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for a master
57835783 certificate.
57845784 3. School districts may identify and designate the highest
57855785 quality teachers for advanced, lead, and master certificates.
57865786 Participating districts shall submit designation plans to the State
57875787 Department of Education for evaluation and approval. Districts
57885788 shall have local control and flexibility in determining how to
57895789 evaluate teachers and assign designations, but, at a minimum, the
57905790 designation system shall include a teacher observation, out -of-
57915791 classroom time, and a student performance component.
57925792 a. Teacher observation shall be based on the district ’s
57935793 selected Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness
57945794 Evaluation System (TLE) evaluation tool or an
57955795 alternate method of evaluation; provided, the method
57965796
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58475847 is evidenced-based. Alternate methods of evaluation
58485848 shall not replace the requirements of Section 6 -101.16
58495849 of this title.
58505850 b. Each school district that elects to participate in
58515851 assigning advanced, lead, and master teacher
58525852 certificates shall include an out -of-classroom
58535853 component for its assigned teachers to allow for
58545854 professional growth opportunities while staying in the
58555855 classroom. How out-of-classroom time is allotted and
58565856 managed shall be determined by the school district and
58575857 submitted as part of its designation plan to the State
58585858 Department of Education for review a nd approval.
58595859 c. Student performance measures may be determined by the
58605860 district and may include, but shall not be limited to,
58615861 pre- and post-tests, summative or formative, and
58625862 portfolios. The school district application shall
58635863 show evidence of validity and r eliability of the
58645864 measures.
58655865 Districts may use additional factors in determining which
58665866 teachers are eligible to receive a designation, such as student
58675867 surveys, teacher leadership responsibilities, teacher mentorship
58685868 responsibilities, family surveys, demonst ration of district core
58695869 values, teacher peer surveys, and contributions to the broader
58705870 school community. No more than ten percent (10%) of each school
58715871
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59225922 district’s teachers may be designated as an advanced, lead, or
59235923 master teacher in any given school year.
59245924 4. If a school district chooses to participate in this program,
59255925 the state shall provide the increased salary amounts indicated for
59265926 advanced, lead, and master certificates in paragraph 1 of this
59275927 subsection above the base pay.
59285928 5. School districts that desi gnate teachers for advanced, lead,
59295929 and master certificates do not have to part icipate in annual TLE
59305930 evaluations for the designated teachers.
59315931 6. School districts may designate teachers for advanced, lead,
59325932 or master certificates two times per year, once pri or to the
59335933 beginning of the school year, and once prior to the beginning of the
59345934 second semester. Teachers statewide who receive these designations
59355935 shall be placed in professional development cohorts and provided
59365936 additional training opportunities from the S tate Department of
59375937 Education.
59385938 7. After initial approval by the State Departme nt of Education,
59395939 the Department shall review and validate each participating school
59405940 district’s teacher evaluation system biennially.
59415941 8. The State Department of Education shall a nnually report the
59425942 school districts participating in the program, the number of
59435943 advanced, lead, and master certificates awarded, and the total
59445944 amount in state funding that was distributed to teachers from the
59455945
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59965996 Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund created in S ection 6-190.2 of
59975997 this title.
59985998 9. The selection criteria; designation of advan ced, lead, or
59995999 master teachers; and any associated salary increases shall not be
60006000 subject to collective bargaining.
60016001 J. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
60026002 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
60036003 of Education shall adopt rules to implement a renewal schedule and
60046004 associated fees for advanced, lead, and master teaching
60056005 certificates. The rules shall allow a teacher that no longer meets
60066006 the requirements of an advanced, lead, or master teaching
60076007 certificate to make application for the standard teaching
60086008 certificate.
60096009 K. The terms of the contracts issued to those holding advanced,
60106010 lead, and master teaching certificates shall include the follo wing:
60116011 1. Advanced: an additional five (5) days to be used to
60126012 strengthen instructional leadership. A person with an advanced
60136013 teaching certificate shall receive an annual salary increase of
60146014 Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) or the district ’s daily rate of
60156015 pay, whichever is higher, in addition to the salary for which the
60166016 teacher qualifies pursuant to Section 18 -114.15 of this title. This
60176017 increase shall be funded by state dollars from the lottery funds as
60186018 provided in Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and
60196019
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60706070 shall be paid as regular annual compensation directly to teachers
60716071 through school districts;
60726072 2. Lead: an additional ten (10) days to be used to strengthen
60736073 instructional leadership. A person with a lead teaching certificate
60746074 shall receive an annual salary increase of Five Thousand Dollars
60756075 ($5,000.00) or the district ’s daily rate of pay, whichever is
60766076 higher, in addition to the salary for which the teacher qualifies
60776077 pursuant to Section 18 -114.15 of this title. This increase shall be
60786078 funded by state dollars from the lottery funds as provided in
60796079 Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and shall be paid
60806080 as regular annual compensation directly to teachers through school
60816081 districts; and
60826082 3. Master: an additional fifteen (15) days to be used to
60836083 strengthen leadership. A person with a master teaching certificate
60846084 shall receive an annual salary increase of Ten Thousand Dollars
60856085 ($10,000.00) or the district ’s daily rate of pay, whichever is
60866086 higher, in addition to the salary for which the teacher qu alifies
60876087 pursuant to Section 18 -114.15 of this title. This increase shall be
60886088 funded by state dollars from the lottery funds as provided in
60896089 Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and shall be paid
60906090 as regular annual compensation directly to teacher s through school
60916091 districts.
60926092 If a person with an advanced, lead, or master teac hing
60936093 certificate changes school districts during the life of the
60946094
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61456145 certificate, the terms of the contracts required in this subsection
61466146 shall be subject to approval by the new emplo ying school district.
61476147 L. Beginning in the 2022 -2023 school year, the Department
61486148 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability until March
61496149 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board of Education
61506150 shall make the teaching certificates prov ided for in this section
61516151 available for any person who has received a recommend ation from his
61526152 or her school district and who meets the eligibility criteria as
61536153 outlined in each school district ’s teacher evaluation system
61546154 provided for in subsection I of this section.
61556155 M. The funding necessary for the administration of this section
61566156 shall be provided from the Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund
61576157 created in Section 6 -190.2 of this title. If funding for the
61586158 administration of the teaching certificates listed in subs ection I
61596159 is not available, the Department Commission until March 31, 2027,
61606160 and beginning April 1, 2027, the Board shall not be required to
61616161 fulfill the requirements listed in subsections I, K, and L of this
61626162 section.
61636163 N. The Commission for Educational Qualit y and Accountability
61646164 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
61656165 of Education shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of
61666166 Section 6-180 et seq. of this title.
61676167 SECTION 20. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Se ction 11-103.1a,
61686168 is amended to read as follows:
61696169
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62206220 Section 11-103.1a. A Native American language is hereby
62216221 recognized as a language art and may be taught in the public schools
62226222 of the state in educational programs. Native American language
62236223 classes taught in the public schools may be counted by a public
62246224 school in fulfilling core curriculum requirements and shall be
62256225 granted the same credit as a world language. For the purposes of
62266226 this section, Native American languages may be taught in the public
62276227 schools by:
62286228 1. Any qualified teacher who holds a valid traditional or
62296229 alternative Oklahoma teaching certificate; or
62306230 2. A teacher who holds a valid certificate in Native American
62316231 Languages issued by the Commission for Educational Quality and
62326232 Accountability until March 31, 2027, or beginning April 1, 2027, by
62336233 the State Board of Education and either qualifies for an Alternative
62346234 Placement Teaching Certificate or is supervised by a teacher who is
62356235 highly qualified in the content area for the appropriate level of
62366236 instruction.
62376237 SECTION 21. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.5 67,
62386238 is amended to read as follows:
62396239 Section 1210.567. A. Upon application of a district board of
62406240 education, the State Board of Education shall authorize an
62416241 abbreviated day sched ule for an alternative school or alternative
62426242 education program that is or will be administered by the district
62436243 pursuant to the provisions of this act or for the education provided
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62956295 for students in a residential or treatment facility located within
62966296 the district. A student enrolled in an alternative school , or an
62976297 alternative education program or who is receiving educational
62986298 services in a residential or treatment facility within the district
62996299 who attends for a full abbreviated day shall be counted in
63006300 attendance for purposes of computing average daily attendance and
63016301 average daily membership for the district.
63026302 B. A district board of education shall hire only certified
63036303 teachers to teach in an alternative education program or alternative
63046304 education school offered by the district or to teach students who
63056305 are in a residential or treatment facili ty.
63066306 C. A certified teacher in an alternative education program or
63076307 school shall be paid five percent (5%) more than the designated
63086308 salary step for that teacher within the adopted salary schedule of
63096309 the school district.
63106310 D. A person providing counseling or social services in an
63116311 alternative education program or school shall be certified as a
63126312 school counselor by the Commission for Educational Quality and
63136313 Accountability until March 31 , 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, by
63146314 the State Board of Education or as a m ental health provider.
63156315 E. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
63166316 until March 31, 2027, and beginning April 1, 2027, the State Board
63176317 of Education shall promulg ate rules by which a certified teacher who
63186318 is qualified to teach in an alternative education program or
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63706370 alternative school as determined by the district board of education
63716371 offering the alternative education program or alternative school or
63726372 who teaches students in a residential or treatment facility may be
63736373 certified to teach subjects in which the teacher does not hold
63746374 certification. The rules shall provide:
63756375 1. The certification may be granted only upon application of a
63766376 district board of education offering an alternative education
63776377 program or alternative school pursuant to the provisions of this act
63786378 or upon application of a district board of education offering a
63796379 residential or treatment facility; and
63806380 2. The teacher’s certification in subjects in which the te acher
63816381 does not otherwise hold certification pursuant to the provisions of
63826382 this section shall be valid only for purposes of teaching in the
63836383 alternative education program or alternative school offered by the
63846384 district board or in a residential or treatment fa cility located
63856385 within the district making application.
63866386 SECTION 22. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
63876387 SECTION 23. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
63886388 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emer gency is hereby
63896389 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effec t and
63906390 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
63916391
63926392 60-1-911 EB 1/13/2025 3:15:24 PM