TEACHER CERT: REMOVE COURSE REQ H.B. 4084 (H-5):
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4084 (Substitute H-5 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Jim Tedder
House Committee: Education Reform
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to delete requirements that an individual pass the basic skills examination in order to receive a teaching certificate, and complete at least a three-credit course of study with appropriate field experiences in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction, in order to receive professional certification.
Under the Code, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may issue a teaching certificate only to an individual who has passed appropriate examinations as follows:
-- For a secondary level teaching certificate, has passed both the basic skills examination and 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 the basic skills examination and, 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.
The bill would remove the requirement that an individual pass the basic skills examination.
The Code defines "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 would delete that definition.
Also, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may issue a teaching certificate only to an individual who has met the elementary or secondary, as applicable, reading credit requirements established by the Superintendent. If an individual holds a teaching certificate, notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, the Superintendent may not advance the individual's certification to professional certification unless the individual has successfully completed at least a three-credit course of study with appropriate field experiences in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction. To meet this requirement, the course of study should include the following elements, as determined by the Department of Education to be appropriate for the individual's certification level and endorsements: interest inventories, English language learning screening, visual and auditory discrimination tools, language expression and processing screening, phonemics, phonics, vocabulary,
fluency, comprehension, spelling and writing assessment tools, and instructional strategies. An individual may complete the course of study either as part of his or her teacher preparation program or during the first six years of his or her employment in classroom teaching.
The bill would remove the requirement that an individual successfully complete this three-credit course of study to advance his or her certification to professional certification.
The bill would take effect 90 days after it was enacted.
MCL 380.1531 Legislative Analyst: Nathan Leaman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Education or other State entities, local school districts, intermediate school districts, or public school academies. The bill would not significantly reduce the administrative responsibilities of the Department concerning teacher preparation. All testing fees collected for the basic skills examination are passed through to the company that administers the exam and do not affect revenue to the Department.
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.