Maine LD 1478: Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review Of Portions Of Chapter 115: The Credentialing Of Education Personnel, A Late-Filed Major Substantive Rule Of The Department Of Education

Bill Text

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Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel, a Late-filed Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Education
Sec. 1 Adoption. Resolved: That final adoption of portions of Department of Education rule Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel, a provisionally adopted major substantive rule of the Department of Education, referred to in this section as "the department," that has been submitted to the Legislature for review pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A outside the legislative rule acceptance period, is authorized only if the following changes are made:
1. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6(1)(A)(4) to require as a general qualification for certification by the department that the applicant hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
2. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to provide eligibility for certification by the department for an applicant who, within 7 years prior to applying for certification, has 5 years of valid teaching experience under an appropriate comparable certificate in the same certification subject area and has completed a bachelor's degree or graduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
3. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to clarify that the in-service training eligibility criteria for an applicant for renewal of a certified educational technician certificate requires completion of 45 hours of such in-service training;
4. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to clarify that the condition under that subparagraph requires that the individual has no interruption in service, excluding normal school vacations, paid leave and unpaid leave;
5. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.2(A) regarding Endorsement 020: Elementary Teacher as follows:
A. The endorsement must allow the holder to teach students in the grade span of kindergarten to grade 8 until July 1, 2022; and
B. Beginning July 1, 2022, the endorsement must allow the holder to teach students in the grade span of kindergarten to grade 6;
6. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.2(B)(2) regarding Endorsement 020: Elementary Teacher to require as an eligibility criterion for Endorsement Eligibility Pathway 2 that the applicant has passed pedagogical knowledge and skills assessment at the appropriate grade span, in accordance with Department of Education Reg. 13, or demonstrated successful completion of an approved alternative professional studies program;
7. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.3(B)(2)(i) regarding Endorsement: Secondary Teacher to retain as an eligibility criterion for Endorsement Eligibility Pathway 2 that the applicant has completed a minimum of 6 semester hours in foundations of literacy and literacy methods relative to the subject area;
8. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.4, regarding Secondary Teacher endorsement, as necessary, to include an Endorsement 710: Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps teacher, which would allow the holder of that endorsement to serve as a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps teacher for students from grade 9 to grade 12. The internal 710 endorsement checklist must include that an applicant for such endorsement must be required to meet applicable general credentialing requirements in Part I of the rule and must be required to satisfy additional specific eligibility requirements as determined by the department and as specified in Part II of the rule, except that the rule must provide that an applicant who does not meet such additional eligibility requirements under Part II of the rule is eligible for a conditional certificate for this endorsement upon a determination that the applicant has received a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructor certification from the United States Department of Defense in accordance with the applicable standards of the United States Department of Defense for senior military instructors and has completed a course approved by the department regarding the teaching of exceptional students in the regular classroom;
9. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.3 regarding Endorsements: Middle Level Teacher, to retain the Middle Level Teacher endorsement with the following amendments:
A. In subsection (A) and subsection (B)(2)(a)(ii), remove the provisions regarding world language endorsements;
B. In subsection (B), specify that individuals who are not eligible through any pathway may be eligible for a conditional certificate;
C. In Endorsement Eligibility Pathway 1, remove the requirement of the completion of an approved course for teaching exceptional students in the regular classroom, which is already required elsewhere in