New Licensing Law Phased In
Wisconsin’s new teacher licensing rules are the catalyst for changes
in the way colleges and universities are educating future teachers.
Three major changes accompany the new licensing rules:
- Teacher preparation moves from a course and credit orientation to
a performance and competency orientation requiring that teaching skills
be developed and demonstrated throughout the teacher preparation program.
To be certified for licensure, teacher candidates need to demonstrate
or exhibit the knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the
10 Wisconsin Teacher Standards.
- License renewal will have a career-long focus of self-directed, planned
professional development that is guided by the 10 Wisconsin Teacher
Standards.
- 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.
The rules create three new stages of licensure: Initial Educator, Professional
Educator, and Master Educator.
The rules apply to the college class that began its teacher preparation
in the fall of 2000. The first Initial Educator License will be granted
following graduation and certification in the spring-summer of 2004.
Posted February 13, 2002