Signed by Governor Eric Holcomb

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass with amendment a bill that authorizes individuals without a license to teach in certain circumstances.

Highlights:

• Requires that at least 90 percent of individuals who teach at a public school in the state of Indiana meet the following requirements, including, but not limited to (Sec. 1):

• Hold any license or permit to teach in a public school in the state of Indiana; or

• Are in the process of obtaining a license or permit to teach.

• Specifies that the Department of Education may not grant an initial practitioner license to an individual unless they have passed the state board approved context area examination in the subject area they intend to teach (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that in order to be eligible for a career specialist permit to teach in a secondary school an individual must meet at least 1 of the following requirements, including, but not limited to (Sec. 5):

• Has a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0;

• Has passed the content area examination;

• Has over 6,000 hours within a 5 year period of experience in the content area they intend to teach.

• Requires the Department of Education submit a report to the legislative council no later than November 1, 2018, that covers the following, including, but not limited to (Sec. 8):

• List and description of each examination available for teacher licensing;

• Any reciprocity for teacher licensing that other states allow; or

• The pass rate in other states for each examination.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes individuals without a license to teach in certain circumstances.

Highlights:

• Specifies that the department of education may grant an initial practitioner license to an individual who meets the following requirements, including, but not limited to (Sec. 4):

• Has a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0;

• Has successfully completed student teaching; or

• Has passed the content area examination at least twice without passing.

• Requires that a public school in the state of Indiana hire no more than 10 percent of unlicensed individuals for a single school calendar year, and specifies that the public school report to the department of education when making such a hire (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that an individual may not obtain a proficient practitioner license unless that applicant has passed the state board approved content area examination in the subject matter they intend to teach (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that in order to be eligible for a career specialist permit to teach in a secondary school an individual must meet at least 1 of the following requirements, including, but not limited to (Sec. 7):

• Has a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0;

• Has passed the content area examination;

• Has over 6,000 hours within a 5 year period of experience in the content area they intend to teach.

Full Bill Text