House Republicans have heard from all parts of the state that schools are experiencing staffing issues. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rural area or an urban area, teachers are in high demand. House Repubicans have multiple bills that survived the first funnel week and advanced out of education committee. These range from removing assessments students who are graduating from a teacher prep program are required to take prior to being able to apply for licensure, opening up eligibility for the Teach Iowa Scholar program, two alternative teacher licensure programs to get teachers into the workforce quicker, and a permanent teacher license for those with Master’s degrees or higher. These bills remove barriers for teachers and potential teachers, save teachers and potential teachers money, get teachers into the workforce quicker, and demonstrate a commitment to helping parents and students.
House File 2081/House Study Bill 520—Elimination of Praxis/Ed TPA Standardized Assessments
This bill removes the requirement for practitioner preparation students to take and pass the Praxis II or edTPA Exam prior to being eligible for licensure. This bill also strikes language relating to the Praxis I test being administered prior to entering into a teacher prep program.
House File 2083/House Study Bill 519—Teach Iowa Scholar Eligibility
This bill removes the requirement that an applicant must be in the top 50% of their class to receive the Scholarship. This bill also states that 50% of the awards shall go to applicants who are teaching in small districts with 1,000 students or less and 50% of awards shall go to applicants who are teaching in large districts with more than 1,000 students.
House File 2421/House Study Bill 632—Alternative Teacher Licensure
Creates an alternative teacher licensure path for those who have at least a bachelor’s degree and three years of work experience to apply for a teacher intern license while completing additional coursework. Upon meeting requirements, an initial teacher license is granted at the recommendation of the school they are an intern at.
House File 2085—Alternative Teacher Certification Program
This bill creates an alternative licensure program and lays out specific requirements that must be met for in-state versus out-of-state programs. An applicant would receive a temporary initial teaching license for one year prior to applying for a standard initial license.
As a former 14 year special education teacher, these sound good. I know several who have struggled with the Praxis test, and had to take it 2 or 3 times. That’s discouraging and costly. Especially after paying for four years of college, and an unpaid semester of student teaching.
Teaching is a HARD career and little pay compared to other career choices. With all the mandates and inconsistencies I’m not in a hurry to go back. There are benefits to teaching homeschoolers which I like better.
More supports need to be given to teaching staff in order to keep them teaching longer, and encourage others to join the force. When UNI calls asking for $$, I tell the people honestly know what you’re getting into before you continue!!