SB 225: "An Act relating to a paraprofessional training program; creating a teacher resident certificate; creating a teacher residency program; relating to requirements to issue a teacher certificate; relating to subject-matter expert limited teacher certificates; relating to limited teacher certificates; creating a teacher registered apprenticeship program; and creating a teacher registered apprenticeship program fund."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 225 01 "An Act relating to a paraprofessional training program; creating a teacher resident 02 certificate; creating a teacher residency program; relating to requirements to issue a 03 teacher certificate; relating to subject-matter expert limited teacher certificates; relating 04 to limited teacher certificates; creating a teacher registered apprenticeship program; 05 and creating a teacher registered apprenticeship program fund." 06 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 * Section 1. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 08 (a) The department shall 09 (1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 10 except the University of Alaska; 11 (2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 12 adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 13 performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement
01 of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 02 develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 03 preparatory courses; 04 (3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 05 governing bodies and personnel; 06 (4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 07 schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 08 given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 09 (5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social 10 Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in juvenile 11 detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are defined in 12 AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 13 (6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 14 prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 15 department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 16 session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 17 whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 18 the members of each house; 19 (7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 20 marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe 21 conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 22 physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 23 private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 24 (8) exercise general supervision over pre-elementary schools that 25 receive direct state or federal funding; 26 (9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 27 correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 28 educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 29 Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 30 (10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 31 accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this
01 paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 02 licensed; 03 (11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 04 secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 05 elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 06 department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 07 construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 08 include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 09 and costs, and final contract documents; 10 (12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 11 education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 12 are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 13 unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 14 will lead to employment opportunities; 15 (13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 16 (14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 17 school bus driver training course; 18 (15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 19 and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 20 behavior; 21 (16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 22 under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 23 practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 24 (A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 25 and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 26 (B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 27 AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 28 consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 29 increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 30 arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 31 (C) a process for districts to petition the department for
01 continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 02 (17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 03 education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 04 redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 05 (18) collaborate with districts to establish a paraprofessional 06 training program for districts designed to prepare high school students for entry 07 into the teacher registered apprenticeship program established in AS 23.15.860. 08 * Sec. 2. AS 14.20 is amended by adding new sections to read: 09 Sec. 14.20.013. Teacher resident certificate. (a) Notwithstanding 10 AS 14.20.020, the department shall issue a teacher resident certificate to a person who 11 meets the requirements of (b) of this section. 12 (b) To be eligible for a teacher resident certificate, a person must 13 (1) either 14 (A) hold a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher 15 education accredited by a recognized regional or national accrediting 16 association or approved by the commissioner and be currently enrolled in an 17 approved 18 (i) post-baccalaureate teacher education program at a 19 nationally or regionally accredited institution meeting the requirements 20 of AS 14.20.020(b) that provides for completion of the regular teacher 21 certificate education requirements within three years after receipt of a 22 teacher resident certificate under this section; or 23 (ii) nontraditional or alternative teacher education 24 program; or 25 (B) be currently enrolled in the final year of a baccalaureate 26 degree teacher education program at an institution of higher education 27 accredited by a recognized regional or national accrediting association or 28 approved by the commissioner; 29 (2) have submitted fingerprints and the fees required by the 30 Department of Public Safety under AS 12.62.160 for criminal justice information and 31 a national criminal history record check to the department; the department must have
01 submitted the fingerprints and fees to the Department of Public Safety for a report of 02 criminal justice information under AS 12.62 and a national criminal history record 03 check under AS 12.62.400, and the person must have been found by the department to 04 be suitable for employment as a teacher under AS 14.20.020(f); and 05 (3) have taken the competency examination or examinations described 06 in AS 14.20.020(i). 07 (c) A teacher resident certificate is valid for one school year and only valid 08 while a teacher resident is participating in the teacher residency program established 09 under AS 14.20.014. A teacher resident certificate may be renewed for two additional 10 school years upon a showing of substantial progress toward completion of a teacher 11 education program required under (b)(1) of this section and continued participation in 12 the teacher residency program under AS 14.20.014. In this subsection, "teacher 13 resident" means a teacher qualified to teach under (b) of this section. 14 (d) The department shall adopt regulations necessary to implement this section 15 and shall consult with school districts, regional educational attendance areas, the 16 University of Alaska, and other stakeholders before adopting regulations as required 17 under this subsection. 18 Sec. 14.20.014. Teacher residency program. (a) The teacher residency 19 program is established in the department. The department shall adopt regulations to 20 establish, implement, and govern the program. At a minimum, the regulations must 21 (1) establish a program designed to help a teacher resident work as a 22 teacher while progressing toward completion of the teacher education program 23 required under AS 14.20.013(b)(1); 24 (2) require the department to 25 (A) provide each teacher resident participating in the program 26 with a mentor who is an experienced teacher and who will teach in conjunction 27 with the teacher resident; 28 (B) provide training for program mentors; and 29 (C) help place a teacher resident in a school district or regional 30 educational attendance area where the teacher resident will work as a teacher 31 while progressing toward completion of the teacher education program
01 required under AS 14.20.013(b)(1); and 02 (3) allow a school district or a regional educational attendance area to 03 participate in the program if the school district or regional educational attendance area 04 provides compensation to a teacher resident who is participating in the program and 05 working for the school district or regional educational attendance area under the 06 program. 07 (b) Before adopting regulations under (a) of this section, the department shall 08 consult with school districts, regional educational attendance areas, the University of 09 Alaska, and other stakeholders. 10 (c) A person employed as a teacher resident under this section is considered a 11 certificated employee for purposes of AS 14.25 (teachers' retirement system). 12 Employment as a teacher resident under this section counts as employment for 13 purposes of acquiring tenure under AS 14.20.150; however, a teacher resident is not 14 entitled to tenure until the teacher resident receives a teacher certificate under 15 AS 14.20.020. 16 (d) In this section, 17 (1) "program" means the teacher residency program established under 18 this section; 19 (2) "teacher resident" means a teacher qualified to teach under 20 AS 14.20.013(b). 21 * Sec. 3. AS 14.20.020(h) is amended to read: 22 (h) A person is not eligible for a teacher certificate unless the person has 23 completed the coursework, training, and examinations [THREE SEMESTER 24 HOURS] in Alaska studies and [THREE SEMESTER HOURS] in multicultural 25 education or cross-cultural communications as required by the board by regulation. 26 However, the commissioner may issue a provisional certificate, valid for not [NO] 27 longer than two years, to an applicant who has not completed the coursework, 28 training, and examinations [SEMESTER HOURS] required under this subsection at 29 the time of application. A school district or regional educational attendance area 30 may establish coursework, training, and examination requirements that are more 31 stringent than the coursework, training, and examinations required under this
01 subsection. 02 * Sec. 4. AS 14.20.022(b) is amended to read: 03 (b) To be eligible for a subject-matter expert limited teacher certificate, a 04 person shall 05 (1) hold at least a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher 06 education accredited by a recognized regional or national accrediting association or 07 approved by the commissioner and 08 (A) have majored or minored in the subject that the person will 09 be teaching; [OR] 10 (B) have at least five years of experience in the subject matter 11 that the person will be teaching; or 12 (C) have achieved a passing score, as defined by 13 department regulations, on a subject–matter examination approved by the 14 board; 15 (2) have submitted fingerprints and the fees required by the 16 Department of Public Safety under AS 12.62.160 for criminal justice information and 17 a national criminal history record check to the department; the department must have 18 submitted the fingerprints and fees to the Department of Public Safety for a report of 19 criminal justice information under AS 12.62 and a national criminal history record 20 check under AS 12.62.400 and the person must have been found by the department to 21 be suitable for employment as a teacher under AS 14.20.020(f); [AND] 22 (3) be currently enrolled in an approved 23 (A) post-baccalaureate teacher education program at a 24 nationally or regionally accredited institution meeting the requirements of 25 AS 14.20.020(b) that provides for completion of the regular teacher certificate 26 education requirements within three [TWO] years after receipt of a subject- 27 matter expert limited teacher certificate under this section; or 28 (B) nontraditional or alternative teacher education 29 program; and 30 (4) have taken the competency examination or examinations 31 described in AS 14.20.020(i).
01 * Sec. 5. AS 14.20.022(d) is amended to read: 02 (d) A subject-matter expert limited teacher certificate is valid for one school 03 year and may be renewed for two [ONE] additional school years [YEAR] upon a 04 showing of substantial progress toward [TOWARDS] completion of a [THE] teacher 05 education program required under (b)(3) of this section. 06 * Sec. 6. AS 14.20.022(e) is amended to read: 07 (e) A school district or regional educational attendance area that employs a 08 subject-matter expert teacher shall provide a mentor who is an experienced teacher for 09 the subject-matter expert teacher for at least the first two years [YEAR] of the 10 subject-matter expert teacher's employment in the school district or regional 11 educational attendance area. 12 * Sec. 7. AS 14.20.025 is amended to read: 13 Sec. 14.20.025. Limited teacher certificates. Notwithstanding 14 AS 14.20.020(b), a person may be issued a limited certificate, valid only in the area of 15 expertise for which it is issued, to teach Alaska Native language or culture, military 16 science, or a vocational or technical course [FOR WHICH THE BOARD 17 DETERMINES BY REGULATION THAT BACCALAUREATE DEGREE 18 TRAINING IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY AVAILABLE]. A limited certificate may be 19 issued under this section only if the school board of the district or regional educational 20 attendance area in which the person will be teaching has requested its issuance. A 21 person who applies for a limited certificate shall demonstrate, as required by 22 regulations adopted by the board, instructional skills and subject matter expertise 23 sufficient to ensure the public that the person is competent as a teacher. The board 24 may require a person issued a limited certificate to undertake academic training as 25 may be required by the board by regulation and make satisfactory progress in the 26 academic training. 27 * Sec. 8. AS 23.15 is amended by adding new sections to read: 28 Article 7. Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program. 29 Sec. 23.15.860. Teacher registered apprenticeship program. (a) The teacher 30 registered apprenticeship program is established in the department. 31 (b) The department shall
01 (1) adopt regulations to establish, implement, and govern the program. 02 At a minimum, the regulations must establish 03 (A) a program for school districts designed to help 04 paraprofessionals continue to work as a paraprofessional while earning credit 05 toward a bachelor's degree and teaching certification; and 06 (B) program standards that meet the requirements necessary to 07 qualify the program as a registered apprenticeship program under 29 U.S.C. 50 08 - 50c (National Apprenticeship Act); 09 (2) apply to register the program as a registered apprenticeship 10 program under 29 U.S.C. 50 - 50c (National Apprenticeship Act); 11 (3) consult with the Department of Education and Early Development 12 and the University of Alaska before adopting regulations or applying to register the 13 program as required under this subsection. 14 Sec. 23.15.870. Teacher registered apprenticeship program fund. (a) The 15 teacher registered apprenticeship program fund is established in the general fund for 16 the purpose of providing funding for the program. The fund consists of money 17 appropriated to it by the legislature, including grants and donations, money from other 18 sources, and interest earned on money in the fund. Appropriations to the fund do not 19 lapse. 20 (b) The department shall administer the fund in accordance with the 21 provisions of this chapter. The department may spend money appropriated to the fund 22 for the purposes under AS 23.15.860 - 23.15.880, and to pay the costs of 23 administering the program without further appropriation. 24 (c) The department shall apply for and use funds from the teacher registered 25 apprenticeship program fund to obtain private and federal grants for the purposes 26 under AS 23.15.860 and this section. 27 (d) The department may make a grant to a school district from the fund for the 28 school district's implementation and operation of a teacher registered apprenticeship 29 program established under AS 23.15.860. The department may require that a school 30 district provide matching funds for the implementation and operation of the program 31 for which the school district requests the grant.
01 Sec. 23.15.880. Definition. In AS 23.15.860 - 23.15.880, "program" means the 02 teacher registered apprenticeship program established under AS 23.15.860. 03 * Sec. 9. AS 37.05.146(c) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 04 (80) the teacher registered apprenticeship program fund under 05 AS 23.15.860. 06 * Sec. 10. AS 14.20.022(c) is repealed.