 | Restructuring Teacher
Education and Licensing
in Wisconsin A question and answer sheet
developed by the WEAC Instruction
and Professional Development Division
(Revised and updated, November 2, 1999) |  History The changes proposed for rules governing teacher preparation and
licensure in Wisconsin are a reflection of a national movement to
strengthen the teaching profession. That movement, known nationally as
the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC),
began in the late 1980s, and in 1992 ten standards for the preparation
of teachers were published. These standards eventually became the
foundation for the proposed DPI teacher preparation and licensure
rules. The effort to strengthen teacher preparation in Wisconsin began in
1993 when the Wisconsin Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
(WACTE) recommended to the State Superintendent a set of six
principles to guide teacher preparation and licensure in Wisconsin. In
1994, the State Superintendent appointed a task force of educators and
citizens to make recommendations for changes in these areas. The
resulting Task Force report embraced the principles proposed by WACTE
and proceeded to adapt the ten INTASC standards to the Wisconsin
context. The Task Force report, presented to the State Superintendent in
1995, offered an outline of a new vision of teacher preparation and a
view of a maturing profession. A work group of educators and citizens
further elaborated on the Task Force report and presented its work to
the Superintendent in the spring of 1997. For a period of 18 months, WEAC members and leaders discussed the
Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) proposed licensure
rules. In 1998, the WEAC Board of Directors (the elected
representatives of WEAC’s 88,000 members), spent a day discussing
the potential impact the new rules might have on members and their
students’ learning. The WEAC Board chose to support the licensure
rules with minor exceptions that the DPI has since addressed. WEAC’s support for the licensure rules was reaffirmed in three
subsequent meetings. The rules were then discussed and debated at WEAC’s
Representative Assembly (RA) last April by 1,000 elected WEAC
representatives. The RA sustained the Board’s decision to support
the licensure changes making it WEAC’s official position. In
supporting this proposal, WEAC recognizes that teachers themselves
must take responsibility for maintaining high quality standards. WEAC’s
members understand that they are taking professional risks in
supporting these rules, but they recognize that the benefits for
Wisconsin’s students are worth those risks. If the proposed
licensure system is going to be successful, everyone must work
together to ensure its success. The Ten Teacher Standards The proposed changes in the DPI rules governing Wisconsin teacher
preparation and licensure are the product of six years of deliberation
by K-12 teachers, teacher educators, and citizens. The deliberative
processes and the product represent a dramatic break with past efforts
to strengthen public school teaching. Previous efforts were frequently
driven from outside the profession through such mechanisms as merit
pay and highly prescriptive evaluation processes. The proposed rules are a self-conscious effort by Wisconsin teachers
to define for their profession the competencies, the habits of mind,
and the knowledge base required to teach all children well. This
proposal articulates for the first time in Wisconsin a set of ten
standards which define good teaching and enhance student learning.
The standards have as an underlying goal the elevation of achievement
levels for all students in Wisconsin. The proposed rules are also an effort by Wisconsin teachers to guide
and strengthen the profession through a commitment to career-long
self-reflection and improvement. While the professional status of
teachers has been in dispute historically, these changes are designed
to strengthen that status and to embrace the responsibility that is
inherent in such an enhanced professional status. The ten Wisconsin Teacher Standards
will guide existing teacher preparation, guide the development of
alternative preparation programs, determine the acceptability of
out-of-state certification for Wisconsin licensing, and serve as
career-long guidelines for teacher evaluation, license renewal, and
professional development. School administrators and pupil services
personnel will also be required to meet the ten Teacher Standards as
well as standards specific to their respective school
responsibilities. For those currently teaching, the new requirements
will be minimal; new opportunities will be extensive. A number of specific themes are explored in the question and answer
format that follows.
Questions and Answers Reasons for Change Question 1: Do the proposed changes in teacher preparation
and licensing rules suggest that the current system is broken? Answer: Clearly, they do not. A variety of student
achievement indicators (ACT, SAT, National Assessment of Educational
Progress) suggest that Wisconsin’s students, in general, are well
prepared when compared with students elsewhere. However, it is clear
that when Wisconsin achievement data are studied in detail, not all
students in our schools are thriving. If the Task Force’s goal of
achieving diversity and equity is to be realized in Wisconsin schools,
new approaches and strategies are needed. Social justice for all
learners is one value which drives this change. The goals which inform
this rather significant set of rule changes are: closing the
achievement gaps among various groups of Wisconsin students and
enhancing the quality of learning for all of our students. Question 2: What does this proposal mean for current
teachers? Answer: Teachers who currently hold renewable licenses have
the option of taking university credits or creating a professional
development plan. Lifetime license holders will have no additional
requirements, but they will have opportunities for professional
growth. Question 3: What are the major or fundamental changes
proposed by these rules? Answer: There are three major changes. First, teacher
preparation will move from a course and credit orientation to a
performance and competency orientation. To be certified for licensure,
teacher candidates will need to demonstrate or exhibit the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions identified in the ten Wisconsin Teacher
Standards. Second, license renewal will have a career-long focus of
self-directed, planned professional development that is guided by the
ten Wisconsin Teacher Standards. Third, license levels or categories will be broader in that they
will be based on students’ developmental levels: early childhood,
middle childhood, early adolescence, and adolescence. Question 4: What is meant by performance- or
competency-based teacher preparation? Answer: Performance- and competency-based teacher
preparation requires that teaching skills be developed and
demonstrated throughout the teacher preparation program. The old
system assured adequate course work and knowledge of subject matter
and teaching practices, but did not require actual demonstration of
competency. License Stages Question 5: How many licenses will there be in the new
career-stage licensing approach? Answer: There will be three – the Initial Educator
License, the Professional Educator License, and the Master Educator
License. Question 6: What are the differences among these licenses? Answer: The Initial Educator License is a new
license. It is a five-year nonrenewable license that will be issued to
newly certified beginning teachers. Each beginning teacher will write
a professional development plan (with the assistance of a mentor
teacher) based on one or more of the ten standards. For example, the
beginning teacher might begin work on a master's degree in biology and
also work on integrating critical thinking and problem solving skills
in daily instruction. Sometime, after the third, but before the end of the fifth year of
teaching, the Initial Educator must submit a portfolio of evidence to
a three-member professional development panel, indicating that
progress has been made in reaching the goals of the professional
development plan. Upon successful review by the panel, a Professional
Educator License would be issued to the candidate. This is the first
step in a thoughtful, reflective and deliberate career-long
professional growth process. If the initial educator is not able to
demonstrate that progress has been made on the professional
development plan before the Initial Educator license expires, the
initial educator would not receive a further license to teach. The Professional Educator License is a five-year renewable
license. All Wisconsin teachers who currently hold renewable
licenses will be considered to be at this level. This license may
be renewed by writing a professional development plan that identifies
goals based on one or more Wisconsin Teacher Standards. Evidence
documenting the successful completion of the plan may include college
or university credits, workshops, seminars, conferences, action
research, curriculum development, work experiences, district committee
work, professional organization or association work, presentations at
conferences, publications, teaching courses, or work on special
projects. A local professional development panel (three
classroom teachers selected by peers) will verify the completion of
the plan and communicate to the DPI that the Professional Educator
License should be renewed. For teachers currently holding a five-year license, this license may
also be renewed based on six semester credits which are directly
related to the license held or to the ten standards. The Master Educator License is a voluntary,
renewable, ten-year license for experienced teachers (a minimum of
seven years of experience is required) who wish to demonstrate the
attainment of extraordinary professional competence. The license may
be attained via a portfolio of evidence or through certification by
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. A team of
three trained assessors from outside the district will review the
portfolio. Master Educator License holders may return to Professional
Educator License status if they wish. Initial Educators Question 7: What assistance will initial educators receive
as they seek their Professional Educator License? Answer: The proposed rules require that initial educators
receive ongoing orientation, support seminars which reflect the ten
standards, a qualified and trained mentor, and assistance in
developing their first professional development plan. Question 8: What will mentor teachers do? Answer: Mentors will be trained colleagues of the initial
educators. Their task will be to provide support and assistance to
initial educators. They will not participate in the formal evaluation
process. Question 9: Who will evaluate the professional development
plan and the portfolio submitted by the initial educator seeking a
Professional Educator License? Answer: A team of three people – a teacher selected by
teacher peers, an administrator, and a higher education representative
– will evaluate the plan and the portfolio. License Renewal Issues Question 10: May licensing decisions made by local
professional development panels or regional teams be appealed? Answer: Licensing recommendations may be appealed to the
Wisconsin Professional Standards Council for teachers. The 19-member
council includes ten classroom teachers, administrators, a student in
a teacher preparation program, school board representatives, citizens,
and representatives of higher education. WEAC recommends candidates to
the DPI for nine of the teacher positions. Question 11: May clock hours be used to renew a license? Answer: Clock hours will not be used for license renewal
under the proposed rules. However, activities which formerly may have
had clock hours attached may be used if they address the goals
established in the professional development plan. College credits may
also be used to renew a Professional Educator License (six credits) or
to achieve the Professional Educator License if the Initial Educator’s
plan calls for such activity. Question 12: What happens to Life Licenses under the
proposed rules? Answer: Life Licenses will retain their current status;
renewal is not required. Current life license holders will be
considered to be Professional Educators without renewal requirements.
They also have the option to pursue a Master Educator License. If a
holder of a Life License leaves teaching for five or more consecutive
years, the license expires. Ten Teacher Standards Question 13: Why are the ten Teacher Standards and
professional development plans being proposed for license renewal? Answer: It is important to understand that the license
renewal process is not being redefined as a high-stakes event. There
are no arbitrary proficiency standards or cut scores, and renewal is
not a substitute for teacher evaluation or for the nonrenewal process. The ten standards and the professional development plans are
designed to enhance focus, direction, thoughtfulness, reflection, and
to ensure the integrity of the renewal process. The teacher is in
charge of every step of the process from establishing personal goals
to presenting evidence indicating that the goals have been met. Local
teacher evaluation activities are independent of this process. Question 14: Isn’t it true that this proposal makes
license renewal more difficult? Answer: No. In fact, the new process offers more
flexibility. License renewal for the Professional Educator License
reflects a change in philosophy. The proposed rules endorse the
professional status of teachers. As professionals, teachers will take
charge of their personal professional lives, including their license
to practice their profession. Teachers will identify their
professional goals and will select those experiences that they believe
will be most helpful as they practice their profession. Question 15: Exactly how will the ten Teacher Standards
affect beginning and experienced teachers’ professional
development plans?
Answer: The ten standards are designed to be a guide for
professional development work. This is the first time Wisconsin has
defined the characteristics of good teachers. The standards identify
the components and define the qualities of best professional practice.
Teachers’ personal professional development plans will reference
one or more standards as the focus for professional development work. Implementation Question 16: When will the proposed rules become effective? Answer: The rules will first apply to the college class
beginning its teacher preparation in the fall of 2000. The first
Initial Educator License would then be granted following graduation
and certification in the spring-summer of 2004 (assuming a traditional
four-year college experience). An Initial Educator License expiring in
2009 would be issued to these graduates. Under current timelines, teachers holding a renewable license that
will expire between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2008, will
renew their licenses under present rules. For example, if your
license expires on June 30, 2001, it would be renewed under
current rules. Your next license (July 1, 2006) will be renewed
under the proposed rules. Association Issues Question 17: Where does WEAC stand on the proposed rule
changes? Answer: WEAC members were part of the original task force
appointed by the State Superintendent in August 1994. WEAC members
also played a significant role in the work groups that developed the
details of the proposal and reported to the Superintendent in the
spring of 1997. For a period of 18 months, WEAC members and leaders discussed the
Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) proposed licensure
rules. In 1998, the WEAC Board of Directors (the elected
representatives of WEAC’s 88,000 members), spent a day discussing
the potential impact the new rules might have on members and their
students’ learning. The WEAC Board chose to support the licensure
rules with minor exceptions that the DPI has since addressed. WEAC’s support for the licensure rules was reaffirmed in three
subsequent meetings. The rules were then discussed and debated at WEAC’s
Representative Assembly (RA) last April by 1,000 elected WEAC
representatives. The RA sustained the Board’s decision to support
the licensure changes making it WEAC’s official position. Question 18: What opportunities for participation by the
local association are available in the proposed rules? Answer: Opportunities for participation by local
associations in professional activities are dramatically enhanced in
this proposal. These opportunities include recruiting and training
mentor teachers, selecting and training local professional development
councils, and bargaining such things as financial recognition of
licensure. Question 19: Can districts use the decisions of local
professional development councils to fire teachers? Answer: Licensing and employment decisions are two distinct
and different domains. The ten Wisconsin Teacher Standards are central
to license decisions while due process and just cause are central in
employment decisions. The work of professional development councils
does not replace the responsibility that local districts have for
conducting fair and appropriate evaluations. License renewal decisions
are not high-stakes events. Confidentiality must be established by
each association to prevent information prepared by a teacher and
presented to peers on a professional development council from being
used in an evaluation context. Question 20: If these changes in licensing are not approved,
will the current system stay in place? Answer: Not necessarily. Significant changes already have
been made that weaken the current teacher preparation process.
Examples include substitute teacher permits for persons with no
teacher preparation, and alternative license options in several
subject areas. * This text, as well as additional questions raised by teachers
in recent meetings, may be found on the WEAC web site at www.weac.org.
The complete task force report of the DPI can be found on the DPI’s
web site at: www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsis/te/restruct.html Posted November 3, 1999 |