Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB607 Compare Versions

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

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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 SENATE BILL 607
5	5	October 30, 2023 - Introduced by Senators KNODL, BALLWEG and TOMCZYK,
6	6	cosponsored by Representatives DITTRICH, NEDWESKI, O'CONNOR, MAGNAFICI,
7	7	ARMSTRONG, MURPHY, MAXEY, GOEBEN, DUCHOW, BRANDTJEN, ROZAR and
8	8	RETTINGER. Referred to Committee on Education.
9	9	AN ACT to amend 115.28 (7) (a) and 118.19 (3) (a); and to create 118.1913 of the
10	10	statutes; relating to: issuing a license to teach based on equivalency and
11	11	granting rule-making authority.
12	12	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
13	13	This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to offer a statutory
14	14	pathway to teacher licensure based on equivalency. Prior to August 1, 2022, DPI
15	15	offered a similar pathway under its administrative rules.
16	16	Under the bill, DPI must grant a provisional teaching license to an individual
17	17	who 1) has a bachelor's degree; 2) has at least six semesters of teaching experience,
18	18	which may include experience in a public school, private school, postsecondary
19	19	institution, or industry setting; and 3) successfully completes a standards-based
20	20	assessment program approved by DPI and an assessment approved by DPI of the
21	21	individual's knowledge, skills, and disposition. The bill also requires DPI to approve
22	22	a standards-based assessment and an assessment of knowledge, skills, and
23	23	disposition, which are required under the pathway, by no later than approximately
24	24	six months after the date on which the bill becomes law. Finally, the bill specifies that
25	25	an individual who obtains a provisional teaching license under this pathway is
26	26	eligible for a lifetime license if the individual successfully completes six semesters
27	27	of teaching experience under the license.
28	28	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
29	29	enact as follows:
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34	34	SECTION 1 SENATE BILL 607
35	35	SECTION 1. 115.28 (7) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
36	36	115.28 (7) (a) License all teachers for the public schools of the state; make rules
37	37	establishing standards of attainment and procedures for the examination and
38	38	licensing of teachers within the limits prescribed in ss. 118.19 (2) and (3), 118.191,
39	39	118.1913, 118.1915, 118.192, 118.193, 118.194, 118.195, and 118.197; prescribe by
40	40	rule standards, requirements, and procedures for the approval of teacher
41	41	preparatory programs leading to licensure, including a requirement that, beginning
42	42	on July 1, 2012, and annually thereafter, each teacher preparatory program located
43	43	in this state shall submit to the department a list of individuals who have completed
44	44	the program and who have been recommended by the program for licensure under
45	45	this subsection, together with each individual's date of program completion, from
46	46	each term or semester of the program's most recently completed academic year; file
47	47	in the state superintendent's office all papers relating to state teachers' licenses; and
48	48	register each such license.
49	49	SECTION 2. 118.19 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
50	50	118.19 (3) (a) No license to teach in any public school may be issued unless the
51	51	applicant possesses a bachelor's degree including such professional training as the
52	52	department by rule requires, except as permitted under par. (b) and ss. 115.28 (17)
53	53	(a), 118.191, 118.1913, 118.1915, 118.192, 118.193, 118.194, and 118.197.
54	54	Notwithstanding s. 36.11 (16), no teacher preparatory program in this state may be
55	55	approved by the state superintendent under s. 115.28 (7) (a), unless each student in
56	56	the program is required to complete student teaching consisting of full days for a full
57	57	semester following the daily schedule and semester calendar of the cooperating
58	58	school or the equivalent, as determined by the state superintendent. No license to
59	59	teach in any public school may be granted to an applicant who completed a
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87	87	SECTION 2
88	88	SENATE BILL 607
89	89	professional training program outside this state unless the applicant completed
90	90	student teaching consisting of full days for a full semester following the daily
91	91	schedule and semester calendar of the cooperating school or the equivalent, as
92	92	determined by the state superintendent. The state superintendent may grant
93	93	exceptions to the student teaching requirements under this paragraph when the
94	94	midyear calendars of the institution offering the teacher preparatory program and
95	95	the cooperating school differ from each other and would prevent students from
96	96	attending classes at the institution in accordance with the institution's calendar.
97	97	The state superintendent shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection. If for
98	98	the purpose of granting a license to teach or for approving a teacher preparatory
99	99	program the state superintendent requires that an institution of higher education
100	100	be accredited, the state superintendent shall accept accreditation by a regional or
101	101	national institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. department of
102	102	education or by a programmatic accrediting organization.
103	103	SECTION 3. 118.1913 of the statutes is created to read:
104	104	118.1913 License based on equivalency. (1) Notwithstanding s. 118.19
105	105	(4m), (6) to (9), (12), and (14), the department shall grant a provisional teaching
106	106	license to an individual who is eligible for licensure under s. 118.19 (4) and (10) and
107	107	who satisfies all of the following:
108	108	(a) The individual possesses a bachelor's degree.
109	109	(b) The individual has at least 6 semesters of teaching experience. In this
110	110	paragraph, teaching experience includes teaching in a public school, private school,
111	111	postsecondary institution, or industry setting.
112	112	(c) The individual successfully completes all of the following:
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138	138	SECTION 3 SENATE BILL 607
139	139	1. A standards-based assessment program approved by the department under
140	140	sub. (2) (a).
141	141	2. An assessment approved by the department under sub. (2) (b) of the
142	142	individual's knowledge, skills, and disposition.
143	143	(2) By the first day of the 7th month after the effective date of this subsection
144	144	.... [LRB inserts date], the department shall approve all of the following:
145	145	(a) A standards-based assessment program for a license under this section.
146	146	(b) An assessment of an individual's knowledge, skills, and disposition that
147	147	includes at least all of the following categories:
148	148	1. Communication skills.
149	149	2. Content knowledge for subject area programs.
150	150	3. Pedagogical knowledge.
151	151	4. Reading.
152	152	(3) A provisional license under sub. (1) authorizes an individual to teach the
153	153	subject and educational levels for which the individual has successfully
154	154	demonstrated equivalency, as determined by the department by rule.
155	155	(4) The department shall issue a lifetime license to an individual who obtains
156	156	a provisional license under sub. (1) if the individual successfully completes 6
157	157	semesters of teaching experience, as defined by the department by rule. An
158	158	individual who does not successfully complete 6 semesters of teaching experience, as
159	159	defined by the department by rule, within the 3-year term of a provisional license
160	160	issued under sub. (1) may apply to renew the provisional license. There is no limit
161	161	to the number of times an individual may renew a provisional license under this
162	162	subsection.
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