The Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings released a report Friday approving nearly all of PELSB’s proposed teacher licensure rules for Tiers 1 through 4 and related services. PELSB, the new state educator licensing and standards board, meets Wednesday and is directed to create clear, unambiguous definitions of terms, such as good cause, acceptable and emergency placement.”
The report addressed mentorship programs and concluded, “The statutes state that mentorship programs are not mandatory for districts but they are required for in order to license Tier 1 teachers. Districts that wish to employ Tier 1 teachers will necessarily maintain a mentorship program.”
However, ALJ Case went on to conclude that PELSB cannot require mentorship programs to be “aligned with Board-adopted criteria” because PELSB has not adopted criteria.
When PELSB meets Wednesday, members likely will adopt the approved rules and begin work on the areas not gaining approval. The licensing board may delay implementation until Oct. 1 to not interfere with the temporary licensing process in place for the start of the school year.
MREA will provide an update following the PELSB board meeting with more information and the timeline for the adoption and roll out of the new rules.
View the report from the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings.
