Report Title:
Education; Hawaii Teachers Standard Board; Vocational Education
Description:
Directs the Hawaii Teachers Standards Board to create alternative criteria and other measures of qualification for highly qualified vocational education and career pathway teachers.
|
THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2887 |
|
TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
||
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
||
|
|
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO EDUCATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that vocational, technical, and career pathway classes provide students with opportunities to apply knowledge and skills to real life work experiences. These classes also help students develop the technical, academic, employability, and life skills needed for a career or post-secondary education. The required core classes and specific area classes encompass six major career pathways:
(1) Industrial and educational technology;
(2) Arts and communication;
(3) Natural resources;
(4) Human services;
(5) Health; and
(6) Business.
For the 2004 school year, there were forty thousand public school students from grades nine to twelve enrolled in vocational, technical, and career pathway education classes. The legislature finds that there is a need to provide an adequate number of highly qualified vocational, technical, and career pathway education teachers.
The purpose of this Act is to increase the number of vocational, technical, and career pathway teachers by directing the Hawaii Teachers Standards Board to set alternative criteria and establish other measures of qualification necessary for these types of teachers to meet licensing standards.
SECTION 2. Section 302A-802, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§302A-802 Licensing standards; policies. (a) The board shall establish licensing standards that govern teacher licensing in Hawaii. Licensing standards established by the board shall be adopted as rules under chapter 91 unless otherwise specified in this subpart.
(b) In the development of its standards, the board shall consider the existing teacher applicant pool that is available in the State and the level of the qualification of these applicants, as well as the nature and availability of existing preservice higher education teacher training programs.
The licensing standards shall include alternative criteria and measures of qualification for highly qualified vocational, technical, and career pathway teachers.
(c) The board shall adopt policies, exempt from chapters 91 and 92, to initiate the following:
(1) Develop and implement a plan for licensing more individuals with practical experience, journeyworker level certification, accelerated or abbreviated courses in teaching techniques, or other measures of qualification for teaching in vocational[/], technical, and career pathway programs;
(2) Develop a plan to accept teachers from any state as long as they have completed state-approved teacher education programs and pass relevant Hawaii teacher examinations or their equivalent;
(3) Clarify the requirements, on a state-by-state basis, for out-of-state licensed teachers to obtain a license in Hawaii;
(4) Develop a plan to facilitate licensing for those who intend to teach in Hawaii immersion programs, the island of Niihau, or any other [[]extraordinary[]] situation as defined by the [[]superintendent[]] or the superintendent's designee; and
(5) Pursue full teacher license reciprocity with the mid-Atlantic states, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Washington."
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
|
INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |