Subdivision 1. Requirements. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must approve a request from a district or charter school to issue a Tier 2 license in a specified content area to a candidate if:

(1) the candidate meets the educational or professional requirements in paragraph (b) or (c);

(2) the candidate:

(i) has completed the coursework required under subdivision 2;

(ii) is enrolled in a Minnesota-approved teacher preparation program; or

(iii) has a master's degree in the specified content area; and

(3) the district or charter school demonstrates that a criminal background check under section 122A.18, subdivision 8, has been completed on the candidate.

(b) A candidate for a Tier 2 license must have a bachelor's degree to teach a class outside a career and technical education or career pathways course of study.

(c) A candidate for a Tier 2 license must have one of the following credentials in a relevant content area to teach a class or course in a career and technical education or career pathways course of study:

(1) an associate's degree;

(2) a professional certification; or

(3) five years of relevant work experience.

Subd. 2. Coursework. (a) A candidate for a Tier 2 license must meet the coursework requirement by demonstrating completion of two of the following:

(1) at least eight upper division or graduate-level credits in the relevant content area;

(2) field-specific methods of training, including coursework;

(3) at least two years of teaching experience in a similar content area in any state, as determined by the board;

(4) a passing score on the pedagogy and content exams under section 122A.185; or

(5) completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program.

(b) For purposes of paragraph (a), "upper division" means classes normally taken at the junior or senior level of college which require substantial knowledge and skill in the field. Candidates must identify the upper division credits that fulfill the requirement in paragraph (a), clause (1).

Subd. 3. Term of license and renewal. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must issue an initial Tier 2 license for a term of two years. A Tier 2 license may be renewed three times. Before a Tier 2 license is renewed for the first time, a teacher holding a Tier 2 license must participate in cultural competency training consistent with section 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (q). The board must issue rules setting forth the conditions for additional renewals after the initial license has been renewed three times.

Subd. 4. Application. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must accept applications for a Tier 2 teaching license beginning July 1 of the school year for which the license is requested and must issue or deny the Tier 2 teaching license within 30 days of receiving the completed application.

Subd. 5. Limitations on license. (a) A Tier 2 license is limited to the content matter indicated on the application for the initial Tier 2 license under subdivision 1, paragraph (a), and limited to the district or charter school that requested the initial Tier 2 license.

(b) A Tier 2 license shall not be construed to bring an individual within the definition of a teacher for purposes of section 122A.40, subdivision 1, or 122A.41, subdivision 1, clause (a).

Subd. 6. Application toward probationary period. (a) The time that a teacher works under a Tier 2 license must be credited towards the teacher's three-year probationary period under section 122A.40, subdivision 5, or 122A.41, subdivision 2.

(b) The time credited towards the probationary period under paragraph (a) must not exceed two years.

(c) The three years of the probationary period, including any time credited under this subdivision, must run consecutively, consistent with section 122A.40, subdivision 5, or section 122A.41, subdivision 2.

Subd. 7. Mentorship and evaluation. (a) A teacher holding a Tier 2 license must participate in the employing district or charter school's mentorship and evaluation program, including an individual growth and development plan that includes cultural competency under section 120B.30, subdivision 1, paragraph (q).

(b) A teacher holding a Tier 2 license must participate in an evaluation aligned, to the extent practicable, with the evaluation under section 122A.40, subdivision 8, or section 122A.41, subdivision 5.

History: 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 11