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Teacher License Changes Clear Legislative Review

A new system of preparing and licensing teachers cleared a major hurdle Thursday (February 17, 2000), when legislative education committees finished their review of the proposal.

The Assembly and Senate education committees asked for no changes to the rules, meaning they can move forward.

The rules move the state to a three-tier system of teacher licensure based on demonstrated competence.

The Department of Public Instruction will now send the rules to the Revisor of Statutes, who will publish the rule in the Administrative Register in approximately two months. Once the rules are published, they become official.

Various provisions go into effect on different dates. Most provisions, including those governing the three-tier licensure system, go into effect July 1, 2004. On the publication date, revocation procedures, the three-year school counselor license and provisions with no specified dates become effective. Provisions including requirements for higher education institutions and the master educator license at the state level go into effect on July 1, 2000.

Under the new system, certification of new teachers will move from the current evaluation of college courses and credits to a system in which teachers new to the profession must demonstrate knowledge and skills through performance, portfolios and competency examinations.

Teachers who currently hold renewable licenses will 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.

“The new system will benefit teachers and children,” according to WEAC Vice President Stan Johnson, a member of a DPI implementation advisory board. “Teachers will have the opportunity to define and take responsibility for the quality of the profession.”

Implementation groups begin work

Five special DPI work teams will develop procedures for implementing the new teacher preparation and licensure rules. Working under a three-year federal grant, the teams will develop recommendations for details of putting the new rules into effect. The five groups are:

  • Alternative certification and recruitment work team
  • Program approval and assessment work team
  • Licensing stages work team with Initial Educator, Professional Educator and Master Educator subgroups
  • Administrative work team
  • An advisory board that will oversee the entire process.

The work team recommendations will go to State Superintendent John Benson.

The three new teacher licenses (effective July 1, 2004)

The Initial Educator License 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 10 teacher standards. 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. If the initial educator is not able to demonstrate progress 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 are 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 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 10 standards.

The Master Educator License is a voluntary, renewable, 10-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.

 

Posted February 18, 2000

Education News