This bill amends provisions related to teacher education and licensing in Iowa, specifically focusing on practitioner preparation programs and the requirements for licenses issued by the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE). Starting July 1, 2027, higher education institutions must include clinical experiences in their programs to prepare students to serve students with disabilities and English learners. The bill mandates specific practicum hours for all students, including a minimum of fifteen hours focused on differentiation of instruction for special populations and forty hours for those seeking an endorsement in English learner instruction. Additionally, the Department of Education (DE) is tasked with establishing a process to review and support the implementation of these standards.

Furthermore, the bill requires that prior to completing their practitioner preparation program, students must take a summative end-of-program assessment to measure their preparedness in content areas relevant to their endorsement. DE is responsible for identifying and distributing a unified assessment for each endorsement area by July 1, 2027, and setting minimum scores for mastery. Higher education institutions must report student scores to DE, which will publish data on passage rates and support efforts starting August 1, 2028. Lastly, BOEE is required to adopt rules mandating that individuals applying to teach in special education settings complete a self-paced course on essential competencies as a condition for obtaining a class B or conditional license.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.16, 256.146