STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 2831

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Senator RUIZ)

ADOPTED: JANUARY 11, 2021

      These Senate Amendments direct the Department of Education to establish an Alternate Route Interstate Reciprocity Pilot Program.  Under the pilot program, selected educator preparation programs would accept certain out-of-state candidates who have not yet completed an approved educator preparation program.  The educator preparation program would accept a candidate’s earned credits from a prior educator preparation program for any participating out-of-state candidate who has not yet completed their educator preparation program.  The educator preparation program would also provide the department with ongoing data regarding the progress and success of all participating candidates and any candidate data necessary for a comparative progress report.  The department would, following two complete years of program implementation, publish a progress report on the success of the program to that point. 

The amendments delete a provision of the bill permitting the State Board of Examiners to issue an instructional certificate of eligibility to an out-of-state candidate that holds an emergency certificate issued by another state in an appropriate subject or grade level.

      The amendments provide that a certificate of eligibility candidate who is enrolled in the pilot program and who meets all other requirements for issuance of a standard certificate pursuant to State Board of Education regulations would be eligible for a standard certificate.  A certificate of eligibility candidate who successfully completes the pilot program may apply for up to one year of effective teaching experience earned out-of-state, as documented by a letter from the candidate’s former supervisor, principal, or employing school district’s human resource officer, to satisfy the requirement that the candidate earn at least two summative evaluation ratings within three consecutive years of teaching.

These amendments also require the department to submit a report to the Governor, Legislature, and State Board of Education evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program and providing the department’s recommendation on the feasibility of continuing the program.