| 1 | The Committee on Education K-20 recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to educator preparation institutes; |
| 7 | creating s. 1004.85, F.S.; providing a definition; |
| 8 | providing for postsecondary institutions to create |
| 9 | educator preparation institutes; providing purpose of the |
| 10 | institutes; authorizing institutes to offer alternative |
| 11 | certification programs; requiring Department of Education |
| 12 | response to a request for approval; providing criteria for |
| 13 | alternative certification programs; providing requirements |
| 14 | for program participants; providing for participants to |
| 15 | receive a credential signifying mastery of professional |
| 16 | preparation and education competence; authorizing school |
| 17 | districts to use an alternative certification program at |
| 18 | an educator preparation institute to satisfy certain |
| 19 | requirements; requiring performance evaluations; requiring |
| 20 | certain criteria for instructors; providing rulemaking |
| 21 | authority; amending s. 1012.56, F.S., relating to educator |
| 22 | certification requirements; revising means of |
| 23 | demonstrating mastery of professional preparation and |
| 24 | education competence; providing an effective date. |
| 25 |
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| 26 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 27 |
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| 28 | Section 1. Section 1004.85, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 29 | to read: |
| 30 | 1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.-- |
| 31 | (1) As used in this section, "educator preparation |
| 32 | institute" means an institute created by a postsecondary |
| 33 | institution and approved by the Department of Education. |
| 34 | (2) Postsecondary institutions may seek approval from the |
| 35 | Department of Education to create educator preparation |
| 36 | institutes for the purpose of providing any or all of the |
| 37 | following: |
| 38 | (a) Professional development instruction to assist |
| 39 | teachers in improving classroom instruction and in meeting |
| 40 | certification or recertification requirements. |
| 41 | (b) Instruction to assist potential and existing |
| 42 | substitute teachers in performing their duties. |
| 43 | (c) Instruction to assist paraprofessionals in meeting |
| 44 | education and training requirements. |
| 45 | (d) Instruction for baccalaureate degree holders to become |
| 46 | certified teachers as provided in this section in order to |
| 47 | increase routes to the classroom for mid-career professionals |
| 48 | who hold a baccalaureate degree and college graduates who were |
| 49 | not education majors. |
| 50 | (3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to |
| 51 | this section may offer alternative certification programs |
| 52 | specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate |
| 53 | degree holders to enable program participants to meet the |
| 54 | educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. Such programs |
| 55 | shall be competency-based educator certification preparation |
| 56 | programs that prepare educators through an alternative route. An |
| 57 | educator preparation institute choosing to offer an alternative |
| 58 | certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section |
| 59 | must implement a program previously approved by the Department |
| 60 | of Education for this purpose or a program developed by the |
| 61 | institute and approved by the department for this purpose. |
| 62 | Approved programs shall be available for use by other approved |
| 63 | educator preparation institutes. |
| 64 | (a) Within 90 days after receipt of a request for |
| 65 | approval, the Department of Education shall approve an |
| 66 | alternative certification program or issue a statement of the |
| 67 | deficiencies in the request for approval. The department shall |
| 68 | approve an alternative certification program if the institute |
| 69 | provides sufficient evidence of the following: |
| 70 | 1. Instruction must be provided in professional knowledge |
| 71 | and subject matter content that includes educator-accomplished |
| 72 | practices and competencies specified in State Board of Education |
| 73 | rule; meets subject matter content requirements and professional |
| 74 | competency testing requirements; and includes competencies |
| 75 | associated with teaching scientifically based reading |
| 76 | instruction and strategies that research has shown to be |
| 77 | successful in improving reading among low-performing readers. |
| 78 | 2. The program must provide field experience with |
| 79 | supervision from qualified educators. |
| 80 | 3. The program must provide a certification ombudsman to |
| 81 | facilitate the process and procedures required for participants |
| 82 | who complete the program to meet any requirements related to the |
| 83 | background screening pursuant to s. 1012.32 and educator |
| 84 | professional or temporary certification pursuant to s. 1012.56. |
| 85 | (b) Each program participant must: |
| 86 | 1. Meet certification requirements pursuant to s. |
| 87 | 1012.56(1) by obtaining a statement of status of eligibility and |
| 88 | meet the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f). |
| 89 | 2. Participate in field experience that is appropriate to |
| 90 | his or her educational plan. |
| 91 | 3. Fully demonstrate his or her ability to teach the |
| 92 | subject area for which he or she is seeking certification prior |
| 93 | to completion of the program. |
| 94 | (c) Upon completion of an alternative certification |
| 95 | program approved pursuant to this subsection, a participant |
| 96 | shall receive a credential from the sponsoring institution |
| 97 | signifying satisfaction of the requirements of s. 1012.56(5) |
| 98 | relating to mastery of professional preparation and education |
| 99 | competence. A participant shall be eligible for educator |
| 100 | certification through the Department of Education upon |
| 101 | satisfaction of all requirements for certification set forth in |
| 102 | s. 1012.56(2), including demonstration of mastery of general |
| 103 | knowledge, subject area knowledge, and professional preparation |
| 104 | and education competence, through testing or other statutorily |
| 105 | authorized means. |
| 106 | (d) If an institution offers an alternative certification |
| 107 | program approved pursuant to this subsection, such program may |
| 108 | be used by the school district or districts served by that |
| 109 | institution to fully satisfy the requirements for the provision |
| 110 | of a competency-based professional preparation alternative |
| 111 | certification program as required in s. 1012.56(7). |
| 112 | (4) Each institute approved pursuant to this section shall |
| 113 | submit to the Department of Education annual performance |
| 114 | evaluations that measure the effectiveness of the programs, |
| 115 | including the pass rates of participants on all examinations |
| 116 | required for teacher certification, employment rates, |
| 117 | longitudinal retention rates, and employer satisfaction surveys. |
| 118 | The employer satisfaction surveys must be designed to measure |
| 119 | the sufficient preparation of the educator to enter the |
| 120 | classroom. |
| 121 | (5) Instructors for an alternative certification program |
| 122 | approved pursuant to this section must possess a master's degree |
| 123 | in education or a master's degree in an appropriate related |
| 124 | field and document teaching experience. |
| 125 | (6) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to |
| 126 | this section and providing approved instructional programs for |
| 127 | any of the purposes in subsection (2) are eligible for funding |
| 128 | from federal and state funds, as appropriated by the |
| 129 | Legislature. |
| 130 | (7) The State Board of Education may adopt rules pursuant |
| 131 | to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this |
| 132 | section. |
| 133 | Section 2. Paragraphs (f) and (g) of subsection (5) of |
| 134 | section 1012.56, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph |
| 135 | (h) is added to said subsection, to read: |
| 136 | 1012.56 Educator certification requirements.-- |
| 137 | (5) MASTERY OF PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION AND EDUCATION |
| 138 | COMPETENCE.--Acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of |
| 139 | professional preparation and education competence are: |
| 140 | (f) Completion of professional preparation courses as |
| 141 | specified in state board rule, successful completion of a |
| 142 | professional education competence demonstration program pursuant |
| 143 | to paragraph (7)(b), and achievement of a passing score on the |
| 144 | professional education competency examination required by state |
| 145 | board rule; or |
| 146 | (g) Successful completion of a professional preparation |
| 147 | alternative certification and education competency program, |
| 148 | outlined in paragraph (7)(a); or |
| 149 | (h) Successful completion of an alternative certification |
| 150 | program pursuant to s. 1004.85 and achievement of a passing |
| 151 | score on the professional education competency examination |
| 152 | required by state board rule. |
| 153 | Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |