PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Strengthen the Teaching of Writing and Mathematics and Improve Maine High School Graduates' College and Career Readiness
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §13012, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 845, §4, is amended to read:
 
3. Endorsements.   The provisional teacher certificate shallmust be issued with an endorsement whichthat specifies the grades and subject area whichthat the teacher is deemed qualified to teach. The state board shall by rule establish the criteria for assessing teacher proficiency and subject matter competency for the provisional certificate. A holder of a provisional teacher certificate may not teach outside his or herthe holder's area of endorsement unless he or shethe holder has received a waiver from the commissioner in accordance with state board rules. These endorsements shalldo not apply to teachers in private schools approved for attendance purposes only. The state board rules adopted under this section must be amended to require that, beginning September 1, 2014, a provisional certificate may be issued only with an endorsement for specific grades and subject areas to an applicant who meets the requirements of subsection 3-A.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §13012, sub-§3-A  is enacted to read:
 
3-A.  Standards-based endorsements.     Beginning September 1, 2014, in order to help students achieve the core of standards in English language arts and mathematics for kindergarten to grade 12 education established in common with the other states under section 6209, a provisional teacher certificate must be issued with an endorsement that specifies the grades and subject area that the teacher is qualified to teach in accordance with rules established under subsection 3 and an applicant for a provisional teacher certificate must qualify as follows:
 
A.  An applicant for a kindergarten to grade 3, a kindergarten to grade 8 or a literacy specialist endorsement or an English language arts endorsement at the secondary school level must have successfully completed 2 upper-level undergraduate courses focused on writing and the teaching of writing, including courses in composition studies, writing studies or composition and rhetoric that include the teaching of writing conventions;
 
B.  An applicant for a social studies or a science endorsement at the secondary school level must have successfully completed an upper-level undergraduate course focused on writing and the teaching of writing, including courses in composition studies, writing studies or composition and rhetoric that include the teaching of writing conventions or on writing in the respective subject area and across subject areas at the secondary school level; and
 
C.  An applicant for a kindergarten to grade 3 or a kindergarten to grade 8 endorsement at the elementary school level must have successfully completed 2 upper-level undergraduate courses focused on middle school level mathematics and introductory algebra, including courses in mathematics that are aligned with the core of standards in mathematics for kindergarten to grade 8 established in common with the other states.
 
As an alternative pathway to an endorsement for the specific grades and subject areas set forth in this subsection, the applicant may be issued a provisional teacher certificate with an endorsement specifying the grades and subject area that the teacher is qualified to teach upon the applicant's passing a rigorous performance and standards-based assessment acceptable to the commissioner, including but not limited to the advanced placement test in English composition for endorsements in English and the examination approved by the state board in accordance with section 13011, subsection 7, paragraph B, subparagraph (3) for middle school mathematics for endorsements in mathematics.
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §13016, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 669, §8, is further amended to read:
 
2. Professional teacher certificates.   A professional teacher certificate may be renewed for 5-year periods in accordance with state board rules, which must require, at a minimum, that the teacher complete at least 6 hours of professional or academic study, or in-service training designed to improve the performance of the teacher in the field for which the teacher holds an endorsement, or in a related subject area, or to improve the teacher's knowledge of, and skill in, standards-based education. Teachers who desire to qualify for a master teacher certificate must coordinate their continuing professional education with the requirements of an applicable teacher action plan. The state board rules adopted under this subsection must be amended to provide that, beginning September 1, 2014, in order to help students achieve the core of standards in English language arts and mathematics for kindergarten to grade 12 established in common with the other states under section 6209, a professional teacher certificate may be renewed with an endorsement for specific grades and subject areas for a teacher who meets the requirements of paragraph A, B or C.
 
A.  Teachers seeking renewal of a professional teacher certificate in the subject area for which the teacher holds an endorsement, including teachers seeking renewal of their kindergarten to grade 8 endorsement, must successfully complete one upper-level undergraduate course focused on nonfiction writing, including courses in writing across the content areas, composition studies, writing studies or composition and rhetoric. The successful completion of a course in nonfiction writing counts as the equivalent of completing 3 credit hours of professional or academic study in fulfillment of the recertification requirements set forth in this subsection.
 
B.  As an alternative pathway to completing a course in nonfiction writing in accordance with paragraph A, teachers may demonstrate that they are effective writers and writing instructors by passing a rigorous performance and standards-based assessment acceptable to the commissioner, including but not limited to the advanced placement test in English composition, in which the teacher demonstrates pedagogical and subject matter competencies that are directly related to the endorsement being sought.
 
The successful completion and approval of this alternative pathway to renewal of a professional teacher certification counts as the equivalent of completing 3 credit hours of professional or academic study in fulfillment of the recertification requirements set forth in this subsection.
 
C.  Teachers seeking renewal of a professional teacher certificate with a kindergarten to grade 8 endorsement in mathematics must demonstrate sufficient mathematics skills through the middle school level and introductory algebra. Teachers may meet this requirement by achieving the minimum score on the qualifying examination for middle school mathematics established in accordance with section 13032, subsection 5. The successful completion of the qualifying examination for middle school mathematics counts as the equivalent of completing 3 credit hours of professional or academic study in fulfillment of the recertification requirements set forth in this subsection.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §13032, as amended by PL 2001, c. 471, Pt. A, §24, is further amended to read:
§ 13032.Qualifying examination
The provisional teacher certificate may only be issued to those applicants who have taken the teacher qualifying examination. The examination may be administered in separate parts and may be taken by applicants for provisional teacher certificates at any time after completion of the sophomore year of attendance at a post-secondary higher education institution. The examination must test the applicant in the following areaareas:
 
4. Basic skills.   Basic skills, which include reading, writing and mathematics.; and
 
5.  Subject area knowledge.     Beginning September 1, 2014, subject area knowledge, which includes knowledge of a specific subject that a kindergarten to grade 12 teacher will teach, as well as general and subject-specific teaching skills and knowledge.
The applicant is responsible for the costs associated with taking the teacher qualifying examination.
Sec. 5.  20-A MRSA §13035-A, sub-§3  is enacted to read:
 
3.  Subject area knowledge scores.     Beginning September 1, 2014, in order to be eligible for a provisional teacher certificate, an applicant must achieve the minimum qualifying scores on the teacher qualifying examination in subject area knowledge pursuant to section 13032, subsection 5. A teacher seeking renewal of a professional teacher certificate with a kindergarten to grade 3 or a kindergarten to grade 8 endorsement in mathematics must achieve the minimum qualifying score on the teacher qualifying examination for middle school mathematics in accordance with section 13016, subsection 2, paragraph C.
Sec. 6. Determination of minimum qualifying scores in basic skills and subject area knowledge. The State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education shall review the minimum qualifying examination scores established for issuing a provisional teaching certificate and endorsements in specific grades and subject areas in Department of Education Rule Chapter 13: Qualifying Examinations for Teachers, Educational Specialists and Administrators. As part of this review, the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education shall consider the following changes to the rules:
1. Increasing the minimum qualifying scores on the Pre-Professional Skills Test, also known as PRAXIS I, in the basic skill area of mathematics; and
2. Changing the requirement for the General Elementary endorsement for mathematics to provide that applicants for a provisional teaching certificate who will teach mathematics in kindergarten to grade 8 must pass the qualifying examination for middle school mathematics in grades 5 to 8.
The State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education shall determine the minimum qualifying scores in basic skills and subject area knowledge required for teaching mathematics by August 1, 2014. These minimum qualifying scores and subject area knowledge requirements must be based on a study of qualifying examination data compiled during the 2013 and 2014 standard-setting meetings conducted by the State Board of Education.
Sec. 7. Rulemaking. Not later than September 1, 2014, the Department of Education and the State Board of Education shall amend Department of Education Rule Chapter 13: Qualifying Examinations for Teachers, Educational Specialists and Administrators and Department of Education Rule Chapter 115: Certification, Authorization, and Approval of Education Personnel as necessary to implement this Act.
Sec. 8. Education Coordinating Committee; college readiness testing. The Education Coordinating Committee, referred to in this section as "the committee,” established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 9, shall conduct a review of the placement tests, including the ACCUPLACER test, used by the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy and secondary schools in the State to determine a high school graduate’s college readiness. As part of this review, the committee shall determine a strategic plan or policies that recommend the use of an appropriate placement test or tests, including the ACCUPLACER test, as a means to determine the college readiness of Maine high school students. The strategic plan or policies recommended by the committee must consider the following initiatives:
1. As long as the Maine Community College System uses the ACCUPLACER test to determine a high school graduate’s college readiness, a high school student in the State whose score on the Preliminary SAT or the assessment tests administered to measure student proficiency in the Common Core State Standards is not sufficient to qualify the student to take regular college classes at the Maine Community College System must be required to take the ACCUPLACER test at least once prior to November of the student's junior year;
2. Any student who does not meet the minimum qualifying score on the ACCUPLACER test that is sufficient to qualify the student to take regular college classes at the Maine Community College System must be assigned to classes or programs beginning before or during the 2nd semester of the student's 11th grade school year that will assist the student in improving the student's score, and the student must be assigned to continue in the classes or programs until the student meets the minimum qualifying score on the ACCUPLACER test; and
3. As long as the Maine Community College System uses the ACCUPLACER test to determine a high school graduate’s college readiness, the State's requirements for awarding a high school diploma must include the requirement that a student meet the minimum qualifying score on the ACCUPLACER test. This requirement may not apply for special education students unless the student’s individualized education plan includes such a requirement.
The Commissioner of Education shall convene the committee by October 1, 2013 to conduct this review. The committee shall report on its deliberations and present its recommendations to the Governor and to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by February 15, 2014. The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs may report out a bill related to this report to the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature.
Sec. 9. University of Maine System; graduation requirements. Not later than March 1, 2014, the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System shall establish graduation requirements that ensure that graduates of any baccalaureate degree program within the system can demonstrate writing competencies at a proficiency level that exceeds the course requirements established for introductory English courses and are appropriate to the demands of careers that require a baccalaureate degree. The Chancellor of the University of Maine System, on or before April 1, 2014, shall present a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on the graduation requirements for writing competency adopted by the trustees. The report must include a plan and a timeline for implementing the graduation requirements for writing competency adopted by the trustees.
 
SUMMARY
The purpose of this bill is to strengthen the teaching of writing and mathematics in public schools in the State, to improve literacy and mathematics education and to improve Maine high school graduates’ college and career readiness. The bill does the following.
1. It establishes a standards-based approach to assessing the proficiency and competency of new teachers and teachers seeking a renewal of a professional teacher certificate in order to prepare teachers and ensure that school administrative units are prepared to implement the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.
2. It requires the Education Coordinating Committee to conduct a review of college placement tests, including the ACCUPLACER test, used by the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy and secondary schools in the State to determine a high school graduate’s college readiness.
3. It requires the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System to establish graduation requirements that ensure that graduates of any baccalaureate degree program within the system can demonstrate writing competencies that are appropriate to the demands of careers that require a baccalaureate degree.