April 6, 2007





ENGROSSED

SENATE BILL No. 56

_____


DIGEST OF SB 56 (Updated April 4, 2007 11:20 am - DI 109)



Citations Affected: IC 20-28; IC 20-30.

Synopsis: Teacher licensing. Requires the department of education to grant an initial standard teacher's license for a specific subject area in middle school or high school to an applicant who has earned a postgraduate degree in the subject area, has experience teaching students, and complies with certain requirements for licensure. Provides that a maximum of three full school days or six half days, or a combination of full and half days that equals not more than three full days, when students are dismissed for staff professional development activities count as student instructional days for purposes of the required 180 day school year. Allows a person who has failed the teacher licensing examination at least two times to demonstrate proficiency by having the person's teacher education school or department certify to the department of education that the person possesses the content knowledge required by the examination.

Effective: Upon passage; July 1, 2007.





Lubbers
(HOUSE SPONSORS _ GOODIN, BEHNING)




    January 8, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Education and Career Development.
    February 1, 2007, amended, reported favorably _ Do Pass.
    February 6, 2007, read second time, amended, ordered engrossed.
    February 7, 2007, engrossed.
    February 8, 2007, read third time, passed. Yeas 39, nays 7.

HOUSE ACTION

    February 26, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Education.
    April 5, 2007, amended, reported _ Do Pass.






April 6, 2007

First Regular Session 115th General Assembly (2007)


PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts between statutes enacted by the 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly.


ENGROSSED

SENATE BILL No. 56



    A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:

SOURCE: IC 20-28-5-13; (07)ES0056.1.1. -->     SECTION 1. IC 20-28-5-13, AS ADDED BY P.L.1-2005, SECTION 12, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE UPON PASSAGE]: Sec. 13. (a) This section applies to an examination required for teacher licensure under this chapter.
    (b) If an individual does not demonstrate the level of proficiency required to receive a license on all or a part of an examination, the examination's scorer must provide the individual with the individual's test scores, including subscores for each area tested.
    (c) This subsection applies only to an individual who has taken the examination described in subsection (a) at least two (2) times and has failed to demonstrate proficiency in a test area by not more than three (3) points. An individual may demonstrate proficiency in a test area by having the teacher education school or department in which the individual is or was a student certify to the department that, based on:
        (1) the individual's course work, grades, fieldwork, and student teaching; and
        (2) evaluations by the individual's instructors;
the individual possesses the content knowledge required by the written examination.
    (d) The department shall accept evidence of proficiency in a test area by an individual as described under subsection (c) as qualifying criterion for licensure.

SOURCE: IC 20-28-5-15; (07)ES0056.1.2. -->     SECTION 2. IC 20-28-5-15 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 15. (a) Notwithstanding section 3(b)(6) of this chapter, the department shall grant an initial standard license in a specific high school subject area to an applicant who:
        (1) has earned a postgraduate degree from a regionally accredited postsecondary educational institution in the subject area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed;
        (2) has at least five (5) academic years of experience teaching students in a classroom setting, which may include experience teaching in a college classroom; and
        (3) complies with sections 4, 9, and 12 of this chapter.
    (b) After receiving an initial standard license under this section, an applicant who seeks to renew the applicant's initial standard license or obtain a proficient practitioner's license must meet the same requirements as other candidates for license renewal.
    (c) An individual may not hold an initial teaching license under this section and under IC 20-28-4 consecutively.

SOURCE: IC 20-30-2-2; (07)ES0056.1.3. -->     SECTION 3. IC 20-30-2-2, AS ADDED BY P.L.242-2005, SECTION 15, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 2. (a) A student instructional day in grades 1 through 6 consists of at least five (5) hours of instructional time. Except as provided in subsection (b), a student instructional day in grades 7 through 12 consists of at least six (6) hours of instructional time.
    (b) An instructional day for a school flex program under section 2.2 of this chapter consists of a minimum of three (3) hours of instructional time.
     (c) A school corporation may dismiss students for:
        (1) three (3) full school days;
        (2) the equivalent of three (3) full school days taken in one-half (1/2) school day increments; or

        (3) any combination of full school days and one-half (1/2) school days that equals not more than three (3) full school days;
during a school year to conduct professional development activities.

     (d) All full school days or partial school days during which students are dismissed under subsection (c) shall be counted toward student instructional days under section 3 of this chapter.
SOURCE: ; (07)ES0056.1.4. -->     SECTION 4. An emergency is declared for this act.