Subdivision 1. Requirements. (a) A preparation program that is an alternative to a graduate program in education administration for public school administrators to acquire an entrance license is established. The program may be offered in any administrative field.

(b) To participate in the alternative preparation program, the candidate must:

(1) have a master's degree in an administrative area;

(2) have been offered an administrative position in a school district, group of districts, or an education district approved by the commissioner of education to offer an alternative preparation licensure program;

(3) have five years of experience in a field related to administration; and

(4) document successful experiences working with children and adults.

(c) An alternative preparation license is of one year duration and is issued by the commissioner of education to participants on admission to the alternative preparation program.

Subd. 2. Characteristics. The alternative preparation program has the characteristics enumerated in this subdivision:

(1) staff development conducted by a resident mentorship team made up of administrators, teachers, and postsecondary faculty members;

(2) an instruction phase involving intensive preparation of a candidate for licensure before the candidate assumes responsibility for an administrative position;

(3) formal instruction and peer coaching during the school year;

(4) assessment, supervision, and evaluation of a candidate to determine the candidate's specific needs and to ensure satisfactory completion of the program;

(5) a research-based and results-oriented approach focused on skills administrators need to be effective;

(6) assurance of integration of education theory and classroom practices; and

(7) the shared design and delivery of staff development between school district personnel and postsecondary faculty.

Subd. 3. Affiliation with a postsecondary institution. An alternative preparation program at a school district, group of schools, or an education district must be affiliated with a postsecondary institution that has a graduate program in educational administration for public school administrators.

Subd. 4. Approval for standard entrance license. The resident mentorship team must prepare for the commissioner of education an evaluation report on the performance of the alternative preparation licensee during the school year and a positive or negative recommendation on whether the alternative preparation licensee shall receive a standard entrance license.

Subd. 5. Standard entrance license. The commissioner of education must issue a standard entrance license to an alternative preparation licensee who has successfully completed the school year in the alternative preparation program and who has received a positive recommendation from the licensee's mentorship team.

Subd. 6. Qualified administrator. A person with a valid alternative preparation license is a qualified administrator within the meaning of section 122A.16.

History: 1991 c 265 art 7 s 19; 1993 c 224 art 9 s 33; 1993 c 337 s 8; 1998 c 397 art 8 s 70,101; art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 55; 2003 c 130 s 12