Subdivision 1. Authority to license. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must issue the following teacher licenses to candidates who meet the qualifications prescribed by this chapter:
(1) Tier 1 license under section 122A.181;
(2) Tier 2 license under section 122A.182;
(3) Tier 3 license under section 122A.183; and
(4) Tier 4 license under section 122A.184.
(b) The Board of School Administrators must license supervisory personnel as defined in section 122A.15, subdivision 2, except for athletic coaches.
(c) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board and the Department of Education must enter into a data sharing agreement to share:
(1) educational data at the E-12 level for the limited purpose of program approval and improvement for teacher education programs. The program approval process must include targeted redesign of teacher preparation programs to address identified E-12 student areas of concern; and
(2) data in the staff automated reporting system for the limited purpose of managing and processing funding to school districts and other entities.
(d) The Board of School Administrators and the Department of Education must enter into a data sharing agreement to share educational data at the E-12 level for the limited purpose of program approval and improvement for education administration programs. The program approval process must include targeted redesign of education administration preparation programs to address identified E-12 student areas of concern.
(e) For purposes of the data sharing agreements under paragraphs (c) and (d), the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, Board of School Administrators, and Department of Education may share private data, as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 12, on teachers and school administrators. The data sharing agreements must not include educational data, as defined in section 13.32, subdivision 1, but may include summary data, as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 19, derived from educational data.
Subd. 2. Support personnel qualifications. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must issue licenses and credentials under its jurisdiction to persons the board finds to be qualified and competent for support personnel positions in accordance with section 120B.36.
Subd. 2a. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 2b. Reading specialist. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must adopt rules providing for reading teacher licensure.
Subd. 3. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 3a. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 4. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 4a. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 5. [Repealed by amendment, 2016 c 189 art 24 s 3]
Subd. 6. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 7. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 7a. Permission to substitute teach. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board may allow a person who otherwise qualifies for a Tier 1 license in accordance with section 122A.181, subdivision 2, or is enrolled in and making satisfactory progress in a board-approved teacher program and who has successfully completed student teaching to be employed as a short-call substitute teacher.
(b) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board may issue a lifetime qualified short-call or long-call substitute teaching license to a person who:
(1) was a qualified teacher under section 122A.16 while holding a Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching license issued by the board, under sections 122A.183 and 122A.184, respectively, and receives a retirement annuity from the Teachers Retirement Association or the St. Paul Teachers Retirement Fund Association;
(2) holds an out-of-state teaching license and receives a retirement annuity as a result of the person's teaching experience; or
(3) held a Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching license issued by the board, under sections 122A.183 and 122A.184, respectively, taught at least three school years in an accredited nonpublic school in Minnesota, and receives a retirement annuity as a result of the person's teaching experience.
A person holding a lifetime qualified short-call or long-call substitute teaching license is not required to complete continuing education clock hours. A person holding this license may reapply to the board for either:
(i) a Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching license under sections 122A.183 and 122A.184, respectively, and must again complete continuing education clock hours one school year after receiving the Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching license; or
(ii) a Tier 1 license under section 122A.181, provided that the candidate has a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, or an appropriate professional credential in the content area the candidate will teach, in accordance with section 122A.181, subdivision 2.
Subd. 7b. MS 2017 Supp [Repealed, 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 36]
Subd. 7c. Temporary military license. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board shall establish a temporary license in accordance with section 197.4552 for teaching. The fee for a temporary license under this subdivision shall be $57. The board must provide candidates for a license under this subdivision with information regarding the tiered licensure system provided in sections 122A.18 to 122A.184.
Subd. 8. Background studies. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board and the Board of School Administrators must initiate criminal history background studies of all first-time applicants for educator licenses under their jurisdiction. Applicants must include with their licensure applications:
(1) an executed criminal history consent form, including fingerprints; and
(2) payment to conduct the background study. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must deposit payments received under this subdivision in an account in the special revenue fund. Amounts in the account are annually appropriated to the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to pay for the costs of background studies on applicants for licensure.
(b) The background study for all first-time teaching applicants for licenses must include a review of information from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, including criminal history data as defined in section 13.87, and must also include a review of the national criminal records repository. The superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is authorized to exchange fingerprints with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of the criminal history check.
(c) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board may initiate criminal history background studies through the commissioner of human services according to section 245C.031 to obtain background study data required under this chapter.
Subd. 9. [Repealed, 2012 c 239 art 2 s 21]
Subd. 10. Licensure via portfolio. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must adopt rules establishing a process for an eligible candidate to obtain any teacher license under subdivision 1, or to add a licensure field, via portfolio. The portfolio licensure application process must be consistent with the requirements in this subdivision.
(b) A candidate for a license must submit to the board one portfolio demonstrating pedagogical competence and one portfolio demonstrating content competence.
(c) A candidate seeking to add a licensure field must submit to the board one portfolio demonstrating content competence for each licensure field the candidate seeks to add.
(d) The board must notify a candidate who submits a portfolio under paragraph (b) or (c) within 90 calendar days after the portfolio is received whether or not the portfolio is approved. If the portfolio is not approved, the board must immediately inform the candidate how to revise the portfolio to successfully demonstrate the requisite competence. The candidate may resubmit a revised portfolio at any time and the board must approve or disapprove the revised portfolio within 60 calendar days of receiving it.
(e) A candidate must pay a fee for a portfolio in accordance with section 122A.21, subdivision 4.
Ex1959 c 71 art 6 s 5; 1969 c 435 s 1,3; 1973 c 749 s 2,3; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 222 s 12,27,208; 1977 c 347 s 20; 1978 c 706 s 37; 1980 c 345 s 2,3; 1982 c 448 s 1; 1983 c 314 art 7 s 28; 1Sp1985 c 12 art 7 s 21; art 8 s 19; 1987 c 398 art 7 s 29; 1989 c 246 s 2; 1989 c 251 s 3-5; 1990 c 375 s 3; 1992 c 499 art 8 s 8-12; 1993 c 224 art 7 s 17; art 8 s 7; 1993 c 374 s 27; 1994 c 647 art 8 s 14; 1995 c 212 art 4 s 64; 1995 c 226 art 3 s 6; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1996 c 412 art 9 s 7,8; art 13 s 19; 1Sp1997 c 4 art 5 s 16,17; 1998 c 397 art 8 s 9-13,101; art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 55; 1999 c 241 art 5 s 2; art 9 s 8; 2001 c 1 s 1; 2001 c 68 s 1; 1Sp2001 c 6 art 2 s 7; art 7 s 3,4; 1Sp2001 c 13 s 4,5; 2003 c 130 s 12; 1Sp2003 c 9 art 10 s 4; 1Sp2005 c 5 art 2 s 35; 2009 c 59 art 6 s 3; 2009 c 96 art 2 s 19,20; 2010 c 297 s 5; 2012 c 122 s 2; 2012 c 273 s 1; 2013 c 116 art 3 s 11; 2014 c 272 art 1 s 15-17; art 3 s 11; 2014 c 296 art 6 s 2; 2014 c 312 art 4 s 9; 1Sp2015 c 3 art 2 s 14,15; 2016 c 189 art 24 s 3; 1Sp2017 c 5 art 3 s 3-9; art 11 s 3,4; art 12 s 22; 1Sp2019 c 11 art 3 s 5-7; 1Sp2021 c 7 art 2 s 2
Structure Minnesota Statutes
Chapters 120 - 129C — Education Code: Prekindergarten - Grade 12
Chapter 122A — Teachers And Other Educators
Section 122A.01 — Definitions.
Section 122A.05 — Professional Practices; Intent.
Section 122A.06 — Definitions.
Section 122A.07 — Professional Educator Licensing And Standards Board Membership.
Section 122A.092 — Teacher Preparation Programs.
Section 122A.093 — Fraud; Gross Misdemeanor.
Section 122A.11 — Definitions.
Section 122A.12 — Board Of School Administrators.
Section 122A.14 — Duties Of Board Of School Administrators.
Section 122A.15 — Teachers, Supervisory And Support Personnel, Definitions, Licensure.
Section 122A.16 — Qualified Teacher Defined.
Section 122A.17 — Validity Of Certificates Or Licenses.
Section 122A.18 — Board To Issue Licenses.
Section 122A.181 — Tier 1 License.
Section 122A.182 — Tier 2 License.
Section 122A.183 — Tier 3 License.
Section 122A.184 — Tier 4 License.
Section 122A.185 — Teacher Licensure Assessment.
Section 122A.187 — Expiration And Renewal.
Section 122A.188 — Licensure Denial; Appeal.
Section 122A.19 — Bilingual And English As A Second Language Teachers; Licenses.
Section 122A.20 — Suspension Or Revocation Of Licenses.
Section 122A.21 — Teachers' And Administrators' Licenses; Fees.
Section 122A.22 — District Verification Of Teacher Licenses.
Section 122A.23 — Applicants Trained In Other States.
Section 122A.2451 — Alternative Teacher Preparation Providers And Programs.
Section 122A.26 — Community Education Teachers; Licensure Requirements.
Section 122A.27 — Alternative Preparation Licensing For Administrators.
Section 122A.28 — Teachers Of Deaf And Hard-of-hearing Students; Licensure Requirements.
Section 122A.29 — Teachers Of Blind And Visually Impaired Students; Licensure Requirements.
Section 122A.31 — American Sign Language/english Interpreters.
Section 122A.33 — License And Degree Exemption For Head Coach.
Section 122A.40 — Employment; Contracts; Termination.
Section 122A.41 — Teacher Tenure Act; Cities Of The First Class; Definitions.
Section 122A.414 — Alternative Teacher Pay.
Section 122A.4144 — Supplemental Agreements; Alternative Teacher Pay.
Section 122A.415 — Alternative Compensation Revenue.
Section 122A.4155 — Alternative Compensation Rural District Application Assistance.
Section 122A.417 — Alternative Teacher Compensation Revenue For St. Croix River Education District.
Section 122A.42 — General Control Of Schools.
Section 122A.43 — Short-term, Limited Contracts.
Section 122A.44 — Contracting With Teachers; Substitute Teachers.
Section 122A.45 — Teacher Contracts For Summer School.
Section 122A.46 — Extended Leaves Of Absence.
Section 122A.47 — Return To Full-time Work.
Section 122A.48 — Teacher Early Retirement Incentive Program.
Section 122A.49 — Sabbatical Leave For Teachers.
Section 122A.50 — Preparation Time.
Section 122A.51 — Teacher Lunch Period.
Section 122A.54 — Exchange Teachers.
Section 122A.55 — Staff Exchange Program.
Section 122A.56 — Faculty Exchange And Temporary Assignment Program.
Section 122A.57 — Exchanges Between Education Faculty.
Section 122A.58 — Coaches, Termination Of Duties.
Section 122A.59 — Come Teach In Minnesota Hiring Bonuses.
Section 122A.60 — Staff Development Program.
Section 122A.61 — Reserved Revenue For Staff Development.
Section 122A.624 — Educational Effectiveness Program.
Section 122A.625 — Educational Effectiveness Plan.
Section 122A.627 — Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports.
Section 122A.63 — Grants To Prepare Indian Teachers.
Section 122A.635 — Collaborative Urban And Greater Minnesota Educators Of Color Grant Program.
Section 122A.66 — Teacher Training; Effects Of Drugs And Alcohol.
Section 122A.68 — Teaching Residency Program.
Section 122A.69 — Practice Or Student Teachers.
Section 122A.695 — Best Practices.
Section 122A.70 — Teacher Mentorship And Retention Of Effective Teachers.
Section 122A.71 — Research On Program Effectiveness.
Section 122A.72 — Teacher Centers.
Section 122A.73 — Grants For Grow Your Own Programs.
Section 122A.74 — Principals' Leadership Institute.
Section 122A.76 — Statewide Concurrent Enrollment Teacher Training Program.
Section 122A.90 — Interstate Agreement On Qualifications Of Educational Personnel.