Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 39, March 25, 2024
Subpart 1.
Purpose.
If a district is unable to fill an open position with a
teacher holding a Tier 2, 3, or 4 license, a Tier 1 license must be issued,
consistent with this part, to an applicant who does not hold a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license on behalf of a district request except as provided in part
8710.0310, subpart
4. A Tier 1 license
authorizes the license holder to teach within the requesting district and the
specific licensure field in the application.
Subp. 2.
Requirements.
The board must issue a Tier 1 license to an applicant upon
request by the designated administrator of the hiring district. The applicant
must initiate the application process and meet the requirements of this
subpart.
A. The applicant must:
(1) hold the minimum of a bachelor's degree
from a college or university located in the United States that is regionally
accredited by the Higher Learning Commission or by the regional association for
accreditation of colleges and secondary schools, as verified by a college
transcript;
(2) hold a credential
from outside the United States that is equivalent to a bachelor's degree, as
verified by a credential evaluation completed by a credential evaluator
approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or other
board-approved credential evaluation service; or
(3) for applicants in career and technical
education fields and career pathway courses of study, have one of the
following:
(a) five years of relevant work
experience aligned to the assignment;
(b) an associate's degree aligned to the
assignment; or
(c) a professional
certification aligned to the assignment from an approved certifying
organization.
B. The hiring district must show:
(1) the position was posted for at least 15
days on the board-approved statewide job board; and
(2) a Tier 1 license for this applicant is
warranted for this assignment because one of the following:
(a) no individual who holds a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license for the assignment applied for the position;
(b) no individual who holds a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license for the assignment accepted the position; or
(c) for each individual who holds a Tier 2,
3, or 4 license that may have accepted the assignment, the individual was
unacceptable for the assignment because one or more of the following:
i. the individual was not fluent in the
language required for the assignment;
ii. the individual was unwilling to abide by
or unable to apply the pedagogical model of the district or school;
iii. the individual had disciplinary action
with the board or final disciplinary action in a district;
iv. the individual was unwilling to abide by
culturally responsive teaching principles; or
v. the individual had references that
indicated an unwillingness or ineligibility to rehire the individual, including
in the applying district.
C. The hiring district must affirm the
applicant:
(1) will participate in a
mentorship program;
(2) will
participate in an evaluation aligned to the district's teacher development and
evaluation model under Minnesota Statutes, section
122A.40, subdivision 8, or
122A.41, subdivision 5, or if the statutory models are not practicable, to
another identified district-aligned evaluation; and
(3) has the necessary skills and knowledge to
teach in the content field aligned to the assignment.
Subp. 3.
Duration.
A Tier 1 license is valid for up to one year and expires on
June 30 of the expiration year. A Tier 1 license may be used until September 1
after the date of expiration if the placement is in a summer school program at
the district aligned to the license or is part of a year-round school at the
district aligned to the licensure area.
Subp. 4.
First renewal.
To renew a Tier 1 license for the first time, the applicant
must initiate the renewal application process, and the hiring district must
meet the requirements of this subpart.
A. The hiring district must show that the
position was posted for at least 60 days on the board-approved statewide job
board. If an applicant accepts the position but later turns it down, the hiring
district must repost the position for 15 days.
B. The hiring district must show one of the
following:
(1) no individual who holds a Tier
2, 3, or 4 license for the assignment applied for the position;
(2) no individual who holds a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license for the assignment accepted the position; or
(3) for each individual who holds a Tier 2,
3, or 4 license that may have accepted the assignment, the individual was
unacceptable for the assignment because one or more of the following:
(a) the individual was not fluent in the
language required for the assignment;
(b) the individual was unwilling to abide by
or unable to apply the pedagogical model of the district or school;
(c) the individual had disciplinary action
with the board or final disciplinary action in a district;
(d) the individual was unwilling to abide by
culturally responsive teaching principles; or
(e) the individual had references that
indicated an unwillingness or ineligibility to rehire the individual, including
in the applying district.
C. The applicant must show the applicant
attempted the board-approved content examination aligned to the assignment, if
applicable, during the academic year in which the applicant held a Tier 1
license. Any licensure area that does not have a board-approved content
examination is exempt from this requirement.
D. The hiring district must show the
applicant participated in:
(1) cultural
competency training;
(2) a
mentorship program; and
(3) an
evaluation aligned to the district's teacher development and evaluation model
under Minnesota Statutes, section
122A.40, subdivision 8, or
122A.41, subdivision 5, or if the statutory models are not practicable, to
another identified district-aligned evaluation.
Subp. 5.
Second and third
renewals.
To renew a Tier 1 license for the second or third time, the
applicant must initiate the renewal application process, and the hiring
district must meet the requirements of this subpart.
A. The hiring district must show that the
position was posted for at least 60 days on the board-approved statewide job
board. If an applicant accepts the position but later turns it down, the hiring
district must repost the position for 15 days.
B. The hiring district must show one of the
following:
(1) no individual who holds a Tier
2, 3, or 4 license for the assignment applied for the position;
(2) no individual who holds a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license for the assignment accepted the position; or
(3) for each individual who holds a Tier 2,
3, or 4 license that may have accepted the assignment, the individual was
unacceptable for the assignment because one or more of the following:
(a) the individual was not fluent in the
language required for the assignment;
(b) the individual was unwilling to abide by
or unable to apply the pedagogical model of the district or school;
(c) the individual had disciplinary action
with the board or final disciplinary action in a district;
(d) the individual was unwilling to abide by
culturally responsive teaching principles; or
(e) the individual had references that
indicated an unwillingness or ineligibility to rehire the individual, including
in the applying district.
C. The hiring district must show the
applicant participated in:
(1) a mentorship
program; and
(2) an evaluation
aligned to the district's teacher development and evaluation model under
Minnesota Statutes, section
122A.40, subdivision 8, or
122A.41, subdivision 5, or if the statutory models are not practicable, to
another identified district-aligned evaluation.
Subp. 6.
Additional renewals.
To renew a Tier 1 license more than three times, the
applicant must initiate the renewal application process, and the hiring
district must meet the requirements of this subpart.
A. The hiring district must show that the
position was posted for at least 60 days on the board-approved statewide job
board. If an applicant accepts the position but later turns it down, the hiring
district must repost the position for 15 days.
B. The hiring district must show one of the
following:
(1) no individual who holds a Tier
2, 3, or 4 license for the assignment applied for the position;
(2) no individual who holds a Tier 2, 3, or 4
license for the assignment accepted the position; or
(3) for each individual who holds a Tier 2,
3, or 4 license that may have accepted the assignment, the individual was
unacceptable for the assignment because one or more of the following:
(a) the individual was not fluent in the
language required for the assignment;
(b) the individual was unwilling to abide by
or unable to apply the pedagogical model of the district or school;
(c) the individual had disciplinary action
with the board or final disciplinary action in a district;
(d) the individual was unwilling to abide by
culturally responsive teaching principles; or
(e) the individual had references that
indicated an unwillingness or ineligibility to rehire the individual, including
in the applying district.
C. The hiring district must show one of the
following:
(1) the Tier 1 teacher is teaching
in a career and technical education field or career pathway course of study;
or
(2) the Tier 1 teacher is
teaching in a licensure area, including licensure field shortages, economic
development region shortages, and regions where there is a shortage of licensed
teachers who reflect the racial or ethnic diversity of students in the region
as identified in the biennial supply and demand report under Minnesota
Statutes, section 127A.05, subdivision 6.
If the hiring district cannot meet the requirements of item
C, the district must provide within the renewal application good cause
justification for why the applicant should receive additional Tier 1 renewals
pursuant to part 8710.0310,
subpart 1, item
G. The renewal application is reviewed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section
122A.181, subdivision 3. The
board must issue or deny the renewal no later than 60 days after receiving the
renewal application.
D. The hiring district must show the
applicant participated in:
(1) a mentorship
program ; and
(2) an evaluation
aligned to the district's teacher development and evaluation model under
Minnesota Statutes, section
122A.40, subdivision 8, or
122A.41, subdivision 5, or if the statutory models are not practicable, to
another identified district-aligned evaluation.
Subp. 7.
Position change.
If a Tier 1 license holder moves to another licensure area
within a district or to another district, prior to the expiration of the Tier 1
license, the license holder must initiate a new application, including paying
the application fee, and the hiring district must meet the requirements under
subpart 2 for
the new position. The applicant is not required to complete a new background
check by the board. The Tier 1 license issued by the board under this subpart
is considered a new license, not a renewal under subparts
4 to
6.