1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 HOUSE BILL 3276 By: Baker
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
7 Section 6-187, as amended by Section 4, Chapter 220,
8 O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2023, Section 6-187),
8 which relates to teacher certification; authorizing
9 exemption from subject area examination; and
9 providing an effective date.
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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-187, as
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15 amended by Section 4, Chapter 220, O.S.L. 2022 (70 O.S. Supp. 2023,
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16 Section 6-187), is amended to read as follows:
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17 Section 6-187. A. Prior to July 1, 2014, a competency
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18 examination shall be adopted by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher
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19 Preparation and beginning July 1, 2014, a competency examination
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20 shall be adopted by the Commission for Educational Quality and
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21 Accountability for the professional education and various subject
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22 areas and grade levels for purposes of ensuring academic achievement
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23 and competency of each teacher candidate or teacher in the subject
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24 area the person is seeking certification to teach which shall also
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 1 include certification as an administrator, as prescribed by the
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2 State Board of Education.
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3 The Commission, consistent with the purposes of this section,
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4 shall promulgate rules and procedures to guarantee the
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5 confidentiality of examinations.
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6 B. No teacher candidate shall be eligible for certification
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7 until successfully completing the competency examination except
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8 those candidates who make application to the State Board and meet
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9 the criteria for the alternative placement program pursuant to
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10 Section 6-122.3 of this title. Certification shall be limited to
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11 areas of approval in which the certified teacher has successfully
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12 completed the examination. Subject to the provisions of subsection
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13 C of this section, testing for certification for subjects in which a
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14 teacher candidate or teacher is seeking a minor teaching assignment
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15 or an endorsement to teach shall be limited to the specific subject
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16 area test.
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17 A teacher candidate or teacher may take the professional
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18 education or subject area portions of the examination subject to any
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19 limit imposed by the Commission.
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20 C. 1. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, a
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21 teacher may be certified in as many areas as the teacher meets the
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22 necessary requirements provided by law and has successfully
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23 completed the subject area portion of the examination.
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 1 2. Except as otherwise provided for in this paragraph,
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2 certification in early childhood, elementary, or special education
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3 shall require completion of an appropriate teacher education program
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4 approved by the Commission.
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5 Any teacher who is certified to teach elementary education may
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6 be certified in early childhood education upon meeting the
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7 requirements provided in law and successful completion of the
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8 appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any teacher
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9 who is certified to teach early childhood education may be certified
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10 in elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in
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11 law and successful completion of the appropriate subject area
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12 portion of the examination. Any special education teacher who
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13 becomes certified to teach through completion of an accredited
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14 teacher preparation program may be certified in early childhood or
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15 elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in law
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16 and successful completion of the appropriate subject portion of the
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17 examination. Any teacher who becomes certified to teach through
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18 completion of an accredited teacher preparation program or becomes
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19 alternatively certified to teach through the Troops to Teachers
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20 program may be certified in special education upon meeting the
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21 requirements provided in law and successful completion of the
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22 appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any special
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23 education teacher who has not completed a Commission-approved
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24 teacher education program in elementary education or early childhood
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 1 education but who has successfully completed the subject area
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2 portion of the examination may be certified in elementary education
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3 or early childhood education for the purpose of providing direct
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4 instruction and serving as the teacher of record for grading
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5 purposes in special education settings only.
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6 D. The Commission shall offer the competency examination at
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7 least four times per calendar year on dates to be established by the
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8 Commission.
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9 E. If a teacher candidate or teacher is a non-native-English
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10 speaker, the Commission shall offer the subject area competency
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11 examination in the native language of the teacher candidate or
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12 teacher only if the teacher candidate or teacher is employed or has
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13 been offered employment by a school district as a teacher in a
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14 foreign language immersion program offered by the school district.
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15 If a non-native-English speaker who has received certification in a
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16 subject area after taking the subject area competency examination in
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17 the native language of the speaker seeks to add a certification area
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18 in the future and that person is no longer employed as a teacher in
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19 a foreign language immersion program, the examination for the
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20 additional certification area shall be taken in English. The State
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21 Board of Education shall issue a restricted license or certificate
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22 to any teacher who has completed a subject area competency
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23 examination in the native language of the teacher as provided for in
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 1 this subsection restricting the teacher to teaching only in a
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2 foreign language immersion program.
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3 F. 1. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
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4 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, may grant an
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5 exception to the requirement to complete a subject area examination
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6 for initial certification in a field which does not require an
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7 advanced degree if the candidate has an advanced degree in a subject
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8 that is substantially comparable to the content assessed on a
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9 subject area examination. The advanced degree shall be from an
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10 institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency
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11 which is recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department
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12 of Education. The Commission shall provide the Board with the
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13 necessary information to determine comparability.
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14 2. The State Board of Career and Technology Education may grant
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15 an exception to the requirement to complete a subject area
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16 examination for initial certification in a field which does not
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17 require an advanced degree if the candidate has industry-recognized
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18 credentials and industry work experience in a subject that is
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19 substantially comparable to the content assessed on a subject area
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20 examination.
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21 G. 1. Nothing in the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act shall
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22 restrict the right of the State Board of Education to issue an
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23 emergency or provisional certificate, as needed. Provided, however,
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24 prior to the issuance of an emergency certificate, the district
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 1 shall document substantial efforts to employ a teacher who holds a
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2 provisional or standard certificate. In the event a district is
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3 unable to hire an individual meeting this criteria, the district
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4 shall document efforts to employ an individual with a provisional or
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5 standard certificate in another curricular area with academic
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6 preparation in the field of need. Only after these alternatives
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7 have been exhausted shall the district be allowed to employ an
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8 individual meeting minimum standards as established by the State
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9 Board of Education for the issuance of emergency certificates.
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10 2. The State Board of Education may renew the emergency or
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11 provisional certificate of an individual who has been employed by a
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12 school district board of education for at least two (2) years if the
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13 following criteria are met:
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14 a. the individual has been granted an emergency or
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15 provisional certificate pursuant to paragraph 1 of
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16 this subsection for two (2) years,
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17 b. the individual has not successfully completed the
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18 competency examinations required by this section,
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19 c. the individual submits a portfolio of his or her work
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20 to the State Board of Education, which shall include
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21 evidence of progress toward standard certification,
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22 d. the employing school district board of education
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23 agrees to renew the individual's contract to teach for
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24 the ensuing fiscal year, and
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 1 e. the superintendent of the employing school district
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2 submits to the State Board of Education the reason the
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3 emergency or provisional certificate should be renewed
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4 and provides evidence of the district's inability to
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5 hire a teacher who holds a standard certificate.
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6 3. Individuals employed by a school district under an emergency
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7 or provisional certificate shall not be considered career teachers
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8 and therefore not entitled to the protections of the Teacher Due
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9 Process Act of 1990.
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10 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
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12 59-2-9392 EK 01/16/24
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