| 1 | 1 | | LRB-4774/1 |
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| 2 | 2 | | FFK:skw |
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| 3 | 3 | | 2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE |
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| 4 | 4 | | 2023 SENATE BILL 609 |
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| 5 | 5 | | October 30, 2023 - Introduced by Senators FELZKOWSKI, LARSON, TAYLOR and |
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| 6 | 6 | | MARKLEIN, cosponsored by Representatives M URSAU, EDMING, MYERS, |
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| 7 | 7 | | ARMSTRONG, BRANDTJEN, DITTRICH, GOEBEN, MURPHY, O'CONNOR, RETTINGER, |
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| 8 | 8 | | ROZAR, SCHRAA, SNYDER and JOERS. Referred to Committee on Education. |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT to amend 118.19 (14) (b) (intro.) of the statutes; relating to: |
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| 10 | 10 | | requirements for an initial license to teach grades kindergarten to five, an |
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| 11 | 11 | | initial license as a reading teacher, and an initial license as a reading specialist. |
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| 12 | 12 | | Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau |
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| 13 | 13 | | Under current law, an applicant for certain initial teaching licenses, as a |
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| 14 | 14 | | condition for receiving the license, must pass an examination identical to the |
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| 15 | 15 | | Foundations of Reading test, commonly called the FORT, in addition to all other |
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| 16 | 16 | | requirements for licensure by the Department of Public Instruction. The FORT |
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| 17 | 17 | | requirement applies to the following licenses: |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1. An initial teaching license that authorizes the holder to teach in grades |
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| 19 | 19 | | kindergarten to five. |
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| 20 | 20 | | 2. An initial teaching license that authorizes the holder to teach in special |
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| 21 | 21 | | education. |
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| 22 | 22 | | 3. An initial license as a reading teacher. |
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| 23 | 23 | | 4. An initial license as a reading specialist. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Current law also provides an exception to the FORT requirement for an |
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| 25 | 25 | | applicant for a special education initial teaching license, under which the applicant |
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| 26 | 26 | | may demonstrate to DPI that the applicant completed a course of study in the |
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| 27 | 27 | | teaching of reading and reading comprehension, rather than passing the FORT. This |
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| 28 | 28 | | bill extends the exception currently available only to applicants for a special |
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| 29 | 29 | | education initial teaching license to applicants for all licenses to which the FORT |
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| 30 | 30 | | requirement applies. Specifically, the bill expands the exception to applicants for a |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 - 2 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-4774/1 |
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| 34 | 34 | | FFK:skw |
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| 35 | 35 | | SENATE BILL 609 |
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| 36 | 36 | | license to teach in grades kindergarten to five, an initial license as a reading teacher, |
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| 37 | 37 | | and an initial license as a reading specialist. Under current law and the bill, a teacher |
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| 38 | 38 | | who passes the FORT exam must notify DPI and DPI must add a notation to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | teacher's license indicating that the teacher passed the FORT. |
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| 40 | 40 | | The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do |
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| 41 | 41 | | enact as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 1. 118.19 (14) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read: |
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| 43 | 43 | | 118.19 (14) (b) (intro.) The department shall waive the requirement under par. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (a) for an applicant seeking an initial teaching license that authorizes the holder to |
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| 45 | 45 | | teach in special education if the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the |
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| 46 | 46 | | department that the applicant has successfully completed a course of study that |
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| 47 | 47 | | satisfies all of the following: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (END) |
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