The 2013 Minnesota Legislature established a 20-member Teacher Licensure Advisory Task Force to make recommendations to the Board of Teaching, the commissioner of education, and the education committees of the Legislature on requirements for teacher applicants to:
- Demonstrate mastery of reading, writing and mathematics skills through nationally normed assessments, a professional skills portfolio, or accredited college coursework, among other methods of demonstrating skills mastery.
- An alternative licensure pathway for non-native English speakers seeking licensure to teach in a language immersion program
Of the 20 members of the task force, only 2 are from rural Minnesota, and only 4 represent K-12 schools. The other representatives are from post-secondary institutions, business associations, the Board of Teaching and 4 legislators: Rep. Sondra Erickson (R) and Sen. Sean Neinow (R) and Rep. Barb Yarusso (DFL) and Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL). Task Force Membership.
The meetings opened in July with a history of Minnesota teacher testing by the Board of Teaching. Each meeting has had reports on various teacher tests and passage rates. The meeting schedule does not indicate future topics and whether teacher availability, which was a concern expressed at nearly every MREA Fall Area Platform meeting.
The next meeting is Oct.3. View Task Force Meeting Schedule.