PRINTER'S NO. 697
No. 634 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY SURRA, PALLONE, BELFANTI, BISHOP, BOYD,
CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, DALEY, DALLY, FABRIZIO, FREEMAN,
GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GERGELY, GIBBONS, GRUCELA, HALUSKA, KOTIK,
MARKOSEK, McILHATTAN, M. O'BRIEN, PAYNE, PETRONE, RAMALEY,
REICHLEY, ROEBUCK, SAINATO, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, STABACK,
THOMAS, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, BIANCUCCI, JAMES, HARHAI,
KORTZ, DENLINGER, PRESTON AND O'NEILL, MARCH 6, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 6, 2007
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," providing for conditional
6 certification of persons by the Department of Education.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11 section to read:
12 Section 1109.3. Conditional Certification.--(a) A person
13 who has earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree in education
14 from a Commonwealth-approved teacher-preparation institution and
15 meets the requirements of 22 Pa. Code § 49.12 (relating to
16 eligibility) but has not passed all nonsubject matter tests
17 required by 22 Pa. Code § 49.18 (relating to assessment) may
1 apply for a Conditional Teacher Certificate with the department.
2 (b) An applicant who receives a Conditional Teacher
3 Certificate shall be eligible to enter into a contract with a
4 school district to teach for up to two school years. A
5 conditional certification may only be issued one time to an
6 eligible applicant.
7 (c) During the two-year period, the school district shall
8 assess and evaluate the contracted employe on planning and
9 preparation, classroom environment, instructional delivery and
10 professionalism. Upon satisfactory recommendation by the school
11 district, the department shall issue an Instructional I
12 Certificate based on the school district's evaluation under
13 subsection (b) and the requirements of 22 Pa. Code § 49.12.
14 (d) The department's responsibilities with regard to this
15 section shall be to:
16 (1) Establish and process a Conditional Teacher Certificate
17 and have it accessible on the Department of Education's Internet
18 website.
19 (2) Establish a conditional teacher evaluation form similar
20 to an employe evaluation form for Instructional I teachers. This
21 form shall be used by school districts to evaluate conditional
22 teachers as noted in subsection (c).
23 (e) A Conditional Teacher Certificate applicant with regard
24 to this act shall:
25 (1) Apply for a Conditional Teacher Certificate with the
26 department.
27 (2) Apply for a criminal background check as provided for in
28 section 111 and a child abuse clearance prior to applying for a
29 Conditional Teacher Certificate as provided for in 23 Pa.C.S Ch.
30 63 Subch. C.2 (relating to background checks for employment in
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1 schools).
2 (3) Apply for a teaching position in the same manner as a
3 Pennsylvania-certified teacher.
4 (f) Persons with a Conditional Teacher Certificate employed
5 under a two-year contract with a school district shall not be
6 able to use this time toward teacher tenure with the school
7 district under section 1121(c). Persons applying for a position
8 with the school district who have a Conditional Teacher
9 Certificate shall not be discriminated against if applying for
10 the same position as a person holding an Instructional I
11 Certificate.
12 (g) (1) As used in this section "department" means the
13 Department of Education of the Commonwealth.
14 (2) As used in this section "Conditional Teacher
15 Certificate" means a two-year temporary certificate for a recent
16 graduate of a teacher preparation institution seeking a teaching
17 position in any of the 501 school districts, but has not met all
18 the necessary requirements in testing for Pennsylvania Teacher
19 Certification.
20 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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