2011 issue brief: alternative licensure

Responsible alternative pathways into teaching
High-quality teaching is recognized as the most important school-based factor in student achievement. And Minnesota’s teachers have proven to be some of the most effective in the nation, based on our state’s high level of student success on national and international tests such as the ACT and TIMSS.

While Minnesota’s traditional teacher preparation programs are doing an excellent job in training effective teachers, there is a place for alternative preparation and licensure programs in certain circumstances—to fill teaching positions in areas of shortage and to allow mid-career professionals to gain a license to teach in their field of expertise.

Regardless of a teacher’s preparation route, all students are entitled to high-quality teaching. To ensure that all Minnesota teachers meet the same high standards to enter the classroom, Education Minnesota proposes a new alternative pathway into teaching that meets the needs of local schools, students and teaching candidates:

A school-based transitional licensure program
This program is designed to give less-than-fully prepared candidates the necessary training, experience and opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency in teaching before they receive a permanent teaching license.

The Minnesota Board of Teaching would issue a one-year transitional license to participants, renewable for one additional year, as long as the candidate remains in a Board of Teaching-approved school-based program.

Candidates must:

Have a college degree in the field in which they will teach, or, for elementary teachers, a related subject, and pass required content tests.
Pass the required reading, writing and math exams and “how to teach” (pedagogy) tests.
Complete a minimum 200-hour intensive training program.
Be accepted into a school-based preparation program approved by the Board of Teaching.
Be directly supervised by a licensed teacher for at least their first 90 days of classroom teaching.

School-based programs must:

Be created to fill shortage areas or address issues surrounding diversity.
Have a formal partnership with a college or university with an approved teacher preparation program.
Provide candidates with the experience and instruction necessary to meet the Board of Teaching licensing standards.

For more information, contact:
Jan Alswager, chief lobbyist, 651-292-4890
Jodee Buhr, lobbyist, 651-292-4830

January 25, 2011