TEACHER CERTIFICATION; URBAN SCHOOLS
House Bill 5768
Sponsor: Rep. Charles LaSata
Committee: Education
Complete to 3-6-02
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5768 AS INTRODUCED 2-28-02
House Bill 5768 would amend the Revised School Code to accelerate teacher certification in some urban areas that have critical shortages of public school teachers.
More specifically, the bill encourages school districts located in urban areas to work with approved teacher education institutions, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Education, to develop and implement local programs that provide alternative opportunities for non-certificated people to obtain a temporary teaching credential, and to work toward achieving a professional education teaching certificate. Under the bill, the local programs would include at least these features:
-include participants who held a bachelor's degree and were enrolled in a teacher certification program or a master's degree program, or, with the approval of the department, were without a bachelor's degree but enrolled in a teacher certification program;
-allow participants to teach in a school district under a temporary teaching credential while they completed their degree or program requirements;
-require participants to teach in critical shortage areas, including but not limited to early childhood, early elementary, special education, bilingual education, and secondary mathematics and science;
-require participants to participate in student teaching before they obtained a temporary teaching credential;
-stipulate that the temporary teaching credential was valid for one year and renewable for up to four additional years;
-stipulate that participants were supervised by mentors who were experienced certificated teachers who taught in the same school;
-require that participants agree to abide by the teacher collective bargaining agreement in effect in the school district, and receive wages and benefits according to the terms of the agreement while teaching under the temporary teaching credential; and
-give priority in selecting participants to recently unemployed workers who had obtained a bachelor's or master's degree.
The bill would require the State Board of Education and the Department of Education to work with interested school districts in urban areas to develop and implement the kinds of programs the bill describes.
MCL 380.1531d
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.