Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future, I plan to follow-up on House Bill 1386 of 2017, legislation I authored that extensively revised the levels - by grade span and age - at which teachers are certified. This would more closely align with the current organization of schools and provide greater flexibility to schools for teacher placement. 

 

During the 2017-18 legislative session, we only applied these changes to special education. This legislation would apply to all other grade categories.  
 
Specifically, my legislation would create the following certification levels for new teachers: 

• Early childhood: pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 though 4 or ages 3 through 9. 
• Elementary: kindergarten, grades 1 through 6 or ages 4 through 11. 
• Middle: grades 6 through 9 or ages 11 through 15. 
• Secondary: grades 7 through 12 or ages 11 through 21. 

 

Certificates which have already been issued under current regulation would remain valid over the term of the certificate, however, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) would be required to provide pathways to allow current certificate holders with Elementary/Middle Certificates the opportunity to be certified in the new grade spans and ages created under this bill. These pathways would include - but would not be limited to - obtaining certain continuing education credits or achieving the satisfactory outcome of a PRAXIS assessment for the specific certification level. 
 
In order to give PDE enough time to plan for the changes to teacher certification levels, PDE would begin issuing the new instructional certificates on January 1, 2025.  
 
Please join me in updating our teacher certification by cosponsoring this legislation