HCS HB 620 -- TEACHER CERTIFICATION AND MENTORING STANDARDS

SPONSOR:  Muschany

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Special Committee on
Student Achievement by a vote of 8 to 0.

This substitute requires the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education to create mentoring standards for beginning
teachers and principals no later than June 30, 2008.  The
substitute specifies the principles for mentoring and the
benchmarks for quality programs.  The department is required to
involve representatives from various educational and professional
development sectors to participate in the creation of the
standards.

Teachers who have been certified through the American Board for
Certification of Teacher Excellence are allowed to acquire a
provisional teacher's certificate pending completion of
professional development, mentoring, contact-hour requirements,
and a performance-based evaluation within a two-year period.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Cost on General Revenue Fund of $15,000
in FY 2008, $0 in FY 2009, and $0 in FY 2010.  No impact on Other
State Funds in FY 2008, FY 2009, and FY 2010

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that mentoring standards will help
provide guidance and consistency for current mentoring programs.
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence
(ABCTE) has developed an additional alternative route for adults
who want to join the teacher workforce.  Business owners
appreciate the real-world dimension that ABCTE-certified teachers
can bring to developing the next generation of the workforce.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Muschany; David Saba,
American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence; Missouri
School Boards' Association; Cooperating School Districts of
Greater St. Louis; and Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that alternative
methods for career-changing adults to gain certification already
exist.  It would be better to strengthen those methods than add
another one.

Testifying against the bill were Missouri National Education
Association; and American Federation of Teachers-Missouri.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill say while the ABCTE is
improving its rigor, it is still short on contact time and might
be better used for middle and high school teachers.  The
mentoring is now teacher-oriented and would benefit by adding
material for administrators.

Testifying on the bill were Missouri State Teachers Association;
and Missouri Council of School Administrators.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated July 25, 2007 at 11:19 am