H 3323 Session 110 (1993-1994)
H 3323 General Bill, By R.S. Corning, M.F. Jaskwhich, Meacham, Simrill and
Vaughn
A Bill to amend Chapter 25, Title 59, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976,
relating to public school teachers, by adding Article 4 so as to provide an
alternate method of teacher certification based upon successful completion of
training programs approved by the State Board of Education.
02/02/93 House Introduced and read first time HJ-8
02/02/93 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public
Works HJ-8
A BILL
TO AMEND CHAPTER 25, TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH
CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS,
BY ADDING ARTICLE 4 SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATE
METHOD OF TEACHER CERTIFICATION BASED UPON
SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF TRAINING PROGRAMS
APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 25, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by
adding:
"Article 4
Alternative Certification Method
Section 59-25-310. (A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section
59-5-20 and as an alternative to the college teacher preparation program
as a prerequisite for certification, a provisional certificate must be issued
to a person who participates in a training program approved by the State
Board of Education. A person who successfully completes the training
program must be issued the standard certificate. To participate in an
alternative training program, the candidate shall:
(1) possess a bachelor's degree;
(2) pass a test approved by the State Board of Education of
subject matter knowledge in the teaching field. For elementary and
kindergarten teaching, the candidate shall pass a test approved by the
State Board of Education of general knowledge. In order to be eligible
to take a subject field test, the applicant must have completed at least
thirty semester hours in a coherent major or five years of experience in
the subject field;
(3) have been offered employment in a school approved by the
State Superintendent of Education, at the recommendation of the Office
of Teacher Education and Certification, to offer a certification training
program; and
(4) meet the applicable health requirements for standard
certification.
(B) The provisional certificate is of one-year duration and must be
issued to participants by the Office of Teacher Education and
Certification. The standard certificate must be issued to the candidate
upon satisfactory completion of the program as provided in this article.
(C) The Office of Teacher Education and Certification may reject the
application of a candidate who is judged not to meet academic
requirements comparable to those for students enrolled in South
Carolina in college teacher preparation programs.
Section 59-25-320. (A) A district seeking to hire a provisional
teacher shall submit a plan to the State Department of Education and
receive approval of the plan.
(B) The plan must describe the key elements of the proposed training
program in accordance with guidelines established and published by the
State Department of Education.
(C) The district shall show evidence in the plan of having sought
joint sponsorship of the approved training programs with colleges or
universities.
(D) No school district may employ a provisional teacher unless it has
submitted a plan and received the approval of the commissioner at the
Office of Teacher Education and Certification.
Section 59-25-330. (A) Each approved alternative training program
must provide essential knowledge and skills to provisional teachers
through the following phases of training:
(1) A full-time seminar or practicum of at least twenty days
duration which takes place before the provisional teacher takes full
responsibility for a classroom. This seminar or practicum must provide
formal instruction in the essential areas for professional study. It must
introduce basic teaching skills through supervised teaching experiences
with students. The seminar and practicum components of the experience
must be integrated and include an orientation to the policies,
organization, and curriculum of the employing district.
(2) A period of intensive on-the-job supervision beginning the
first day on which the provisional teacher assumes full responsibility for
a classroom and continuing at least ten weeks. During this time, the
provisional teacher must be visited and critiqued no less than once a
week by members of a professional support team and must be observed
and formally evaluated at the end of five weeks and at the end of ten
weeks by the appropriately certified members of the team. During this
same period, formal instruction must be continued in essential areas and
emphasize the topics of student assessment, development, and learning,
curriculum, and school and classroom organization. At the end of the
ten-week period, the provisional teacher shall receive a formal written
progress report from the chairman of the support team.
(3) An additional period of continued supervision and evaluation
of at least twenty weeks duration. During this period, the provisional
teacher must be visited and critiqued at least once a month and must be
observed formally and evaluated at least twice. No more than two
months may pass without a formal observation. Formal instruction must
continue in the essential areas. Opportunities must be provided for the
provisional teacher to observe the teaching of experienced colleagues.
(B) Approximately two hundred hours of formal instruction must be
provided in all three phases of the program combined.
(C) Training and supervision of provisional teachers in approved
alternative programs must be provided by a professional support team
comprised of a school principal, an experienced teacher, a college
faculty member, and a curriculum supervisor. Districts or schools which
do not employ curriculum supervisors or which have been unable to
establish a relationship with a college should provide for comparable
expertise on the team. The school principal serves as chairman of the
team.
(D) The State Department of Education shall coordinate the training
efforts of districts and establish regional programs for provisional
teachers. The department shall provide orientation programs for support
team members.
Section 59-25-330. (A) Provisional teachers must be observed and
evaluated by appropriately certified support team members as described
in Section 59-25-320(C).
(B) Evaluation of provisional teachers must be shared by at least
two, but no more than three, members of the support team.
(C) The State Department of Education shall devise standardized
criteria and forms for a final comprehensive evaluation of each
provisional teacher, conducted at the end of the provisional period by
appropriately certified support team members. Teachers who participate
in the observation process may not participate in decisions which might
have a bearing on the future employment or certification of provisional
teachers.
Section 59-25-340. (A) At the conclusion of the alternative training
program, the chairman of the support team shall prepare a
comprehensive evaluation report on the provisional teacher's
performance. This report must be submitted by the chairman directly to
the Office of Teacher Education and Certification and contain a
recommendation on whether a standard certificate should be issued to
the provisional teacher.
(B) The final comprehensive evaluation report on each provisional
teacher must be made on standard forms developed by the State
Department of Education and include one of the following
recommendations:
(1) Approved: Recommends issuance of a standard certificate;
(2) Insufficient: Recommends that a standard certificate not be
issued but that the candidate be allowed to seek entry on one more
occasion in the future into a state-approved training program; or
(3) Disapproved: Recommends that a standard certificate not be
issued and that the candidate not be allowed to enter into a state-approved training program.
(C) The support team chairman shall provide the provisional teacher
with a copy of the provisional teacher's written evaluation report and
certification recommendation before submitting it to the Office of
Teacher Education and Certification. Upon receipt of the report and a
favorable recommendation, a standard certificate must be issued to the
provisional teacher.
(D) If the provisional teacher disagrees with the chairman's
recommendation, the provisional teacher, within fifteen days of receipt
of the evaluation report and certification recommendation, may submit
written materials to the chairman that document the reasons why the
provisional teacher believes standard certification should be awarded.
The chairman shall forward all the documentation to the Office of
Teacher Education and Certification along with the evaluation report
and recommendation concerning certification.
Section 59-25-350. (A) When the director of the Office of Teacher
Education and Certification receives any adverse recommendation
concerning the standard certification of a provisional teacher, he shall
notify the provisional teacher of the date it will consider the
recommendation. The Director of the Office of Teacher Education and
Certification shall allow the provisional teacher an additional
opportunity to provide the office with written materials documenting the
reason why the provisional teacher believes standard certification should
be awarded.
(B) Denial of issue of a standard certificate may be appealed by the
provisional teacher to the State Board of Education.
(C) The Office of Teacher Education and Certification shall take
final action on the decision of the State Board of Education concerning
the certification of provisional teachers."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 1994.
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