Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 39, March 25, 2024
Subpart 1.
Purpose.
A Tier 4 license authorizes the license holder, consistent
with this part, to teach in the field and scope aligned to the license holder's
preparation. A Tier 4 license indicates the license holder has had at least
three years of experience in Minnesota within the field and scope of licensure
and completed the professional development requirements mandated by
statute.
Subp. 2.
Requirements.
The board must issue a Tier 4 license if the applicant meets
all of 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 licensure area sought;
(b) an associate's degree aligned to the
licensure area sought; or
(c) a
professional certification aligned to the licensure area sought from an
approved certifying organization.
B. The applicant must have completed one of
the following:
(1) a board-approved teacher
preparation program aligned to the licensure area sought. The board must accept
certifications for related services professionals under parts
8710.6000 to
8710.6400 in lieu of completion of
a board-approved teacher preparation program; or
(2) a preparation program approved in another
state aligned to the licensure area sought that included field-specific student
teaching equivalent to field-specific student teaching in Minnesota-approved
teacher preparation programs. The applicant is exempt from field-specific
student teaching if the applicant has at least two years of field-specific
experience teaching as the teacher of record.
C. The applicant must obtain passing scores
on the board-approved skills, pedagogy, and content examinations aligned to the
licensure area sought. Any licensure area that does not have a board-approved
content examination is exempt from the content examination
requirement.
D. The applicant must
have at least three years of experience teaching in Minnesota as the teacher of
record.
E. The applicant's most
recent summative evaluation must not have resulted in placing or otherwise
keeping the teacher in an improvement process aligned to the district's teacher
development and evaluation plan.
F.
The applicant must have participated in mentorship and 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. 3.
Adding a Tier 4 license.
To add an additional Tier 4 license, the applicant must show
evidence of meeting the requirements of subpart
2, item C, and part
8710.0313, subpart
2, item C, subitem (1), (2),
(3), or (4), in the licensure area sought. An applicant may add a teachers of
science endorsement by meeting the requirements of part
8710.4770. When a licensure area
is added to a Tier 4 license issued under this part, the expiration date is the
date previously established for the Tier 4 license in effect.
Subp. 4.
Duration.
A Tier 4 license is valid for up to five years and expires on
June 30 of the expiration year.
Subp.
5.
Renewal.
A Tier 4 license may be renewed an unlimited number of times.
To renew a Tier 4 license, the applicant must complete:
A. mentorship and evaluation aligned to the
district's teacher development and evaluation model under Minnesota Statutes,
section 122A.40, subdivision 8, or
122A.41, subdivision 5; and
B.
board-approved licensure renewal requirements, including obtaining approval
from the applicant's local continuing education/relicensure committee, under
parts 8710.7100 and
8710.7200 and Minnesota Statutes,
section 122A.187, subdivision
3.
Subp. 6.
Restrictions and expansions.
A.
An applicant whose content training or experience does not align to a currently
approved Minnesota license, but for which past rules have been adopted, and who
meets all other requirements of this part must be issued a Tier 4 license
restricted to the scope and licensure area of the applicant's content training
or experience.
B. Applicants with
content training or experience within two grade levels of a currently approved
Minnesota licensure scope must be granted the full scope of the Minnesota
license.
(1) the teacher has two years of
teaching experience in the content area within two grade levels of a currently
approved Minnesota licensure scope ;
(2) the teacher has completed field-specific
student teaching within two grade levels of a currently approved Minnesota
licensure scope; or
(3) the teacher
has completed:
(a) field-specific methods in
a state-approved teacher preparation program aligned to the scope of the
currently approved Minnesota license; and
(b) an evaluated field experience aligned to
the scope of the currently approved Minnesota
license.
C.
Upon request and at the time of application or renewal, a teacher who holds a
Tier 4 license that is restricted or limited in scope must be granted the full
scope of a currently approved Minnesota license when:
Subp. 7.
Moving from Tier 3 to Tier 4
license.
An applicant who holds a Tier 3 license and is seeking a Tier
4 license after three years of teaching experience in Minnesota, and who has
passed the board-approved skills exam, must meet the renewal clock hour
requirements in part 8710.7200,
subpart 2, and
the professional development requirements in part
8710.7200, subpart
2a.