TEACHER CERT. BASIC SKILLS EXAM S.B. 889:
SUMMARY AS ENACTED
Senate Bill 889 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 233 of 2018
Sponsor: Senator Marty Knollenberg
House Committee: Education Reform
CONTENT
The bill amended the Revised School Code to delete requirements that an individual pass the basic skills examination in order to receive a teaching certificate, and that a noncertificated, nonendorsed individual pass the basic skills exam in order to teach for more than one year.
The bill took effect on September 25, 2018.
The Code defined "basic skills examination" as an examination developed or selected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or developed by an approved teacher education institution for the purpose of demonstrating the applicant's knowledge and understanding of basic language and mathematical skills and other skills necessary for the certificate sought, and for determining whether an applicant is eligible for a provisional Michigan teaching certificate. The bill deletes this definition and various references to the basic skill examination within the Code.
Under the bill, the Superintendent mayissue a teaching certificate only to an individual who has passed appropriate examinations as follows:
-- For a secondary level teaching certificate, has passed the appropriate available subject area examination for each subject area in which he or she applies to be certified.
-- For an elementary level teaching certificate, has passed, if it is available, the elementary certification examination, and has passed the appropriate available subject area examination for each subject area, if any, in which he or she applies to be certified.
Formerly, the Code required that an individual also pass the basic skills examination.
The Code allows the board of a local school district or intermediate school district (ISD) to engage a full-time or part-time noncertificated, nonendorsed teacher to teach a course in computer science, a foreign language, mathematics, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, or robotics, or in another subject area determined appropriate by the State Board of Education, or any combination of these subject areas, in high school.
The Code specifies that a noncertificated, nonendorsed teacher is qualified to teach if he or she meets the following minimum requirements:
-- Possesses an earned bachelor's degree from an accredited postsecondary institution.
-- Has a major or a graduate degree in the field of specialization in which he or she will teach.
-- Except in the case of individuals engaged to teach a foreign language, has, in the five-year period immediately before the date of hire, at least two years of occupational experience in the field of specialization in which he or she will teach.
Previously, if the teacher desired to teach for more than one year, he or she had to pass both a basic skills examination and a subject area examination, if a subject examination existed, in the field of specialization in which he or she would teach. The bill removes the requirement that an individual pass the basic skills examination if he or she wished to teach more than one year.
MCL 380.1233b & 380.1531 Legislative Analyst: Nathan Leaman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill will have no fiscal impact on the Department of Education and an indeterminate impact on schools that hire noncertificated, nonendorsed teachers. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is used as the basic skills examination, which is paid for directly by individuals to The College Board, whether they are noncertificated, nonendorsed teachers or applicants for a teaching certificate. Removing the basic skills exam requirement for either category will not affect revenue generated by the Department. Also, the bill will not require significant changes to the current process of qualifying noncertificated, nonendorsed teachers or issuing teaching certificates.
Removing the basic skills examination requirement may increase the number of noncertificated, nonendorsed applicants. This may have varying impacts on the labor cost for hiring these teachers. However, these costs are indeterminate given the varying differences in the need of schools to hire noncertificated, nonendorsed teachers and labor market costs.
This 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.