TEACHER CERTIFICATION CRITERIA S.B. 327: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 327 (as introduced 3-17-05)
Sponsor: Senator Nancy Cassis
Committee: Education
Date Completed: 3-17-05
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to establish additional teacher certification requirements pertaining to the teaching of reading, field work at a school having an above-average proportion of pupils with a learning disability, and early intervention training, beginning July 1, 2006.
Under the Code, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may issue a teaching certificate only to a person who has met the elementary or secondary reading credit requirements established by rule. (Rules 390.1126 and 390.1127 require a person to have completed six semester hours in the teaching of reading for an elementary certificate, and three hours for a secondary certificate, respectively.)
The bill specifies that, beginning July 1, 2006, notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, the superintendent of Public Instruction could issue a teaching certificate only to a person who had completed all of the following:
-- At least nine credits in the teaching of reading for an elementary level teaching certificate, and at least six credits in the teaching of reading for a secondary level teaching certificate.
-- Field work at a school in which the percentage of pupils with a learning disability exceeds the statewide percentage of pupils with a learning disability, and that has an early intervention program designed to reduce the number of pupils with a learning disability.
-- Training in "1-on-1 early intervention" designed to reduce the need for special education placement, in a program similar to the programs described in Section 34 of the State School Aid Act (proposed by Senate Bill 329).
(Senate Bill 329 would allocate funding from the State School Aid Fund to the Department of Education for grants to districts creating a five-year program to develop an early learning success model for grades K-3. The program would have to instruct classroom teachers and support staff on how to monitor individual student learning and how to provide specific support on learning strategies to pupils as early as possible in order to reduce the need for special education placement.)
MCL 380.1531 Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-Coty
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb327/0506