Legislative Updates

2012 MACTE Day on the Hill

assistant — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:04:15 -0500

MACTE MN Day at the Capital
Tentative date - February 28, 2012
Cyndy Crist email. cyndy.crist@gmail.com

Day on the Hill - Washington D.C. (Date TBD)
Jo Olsen,The College of St. Scholastica
tel. 218-723-7040 fax. 218-723-6709 email. olsen@css.edu

2011 Day on the Hill

assistant — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:16:07 -0500

5th Annual MACTE Day on the Hill

Thursday, March 3, 2011

We have new political dynamics in Minnesota and it is important for legislators to hear about our work as MACTE institutions. Plan to visit with your local legislators during MACTE's Day on the Hill on March 3l. The MACTE Day on the Hill was discussed at the MACTE Winter meeting. For additional information, please contact Scott Page at scott.page@mnsu.edu.

MACTE Talking points

Key Issues

We believe all teacher candidates should be held to the same standards.
We believe all teacher preparation programs should be held to the same standards.
Higher education is involved in innovation and supporting alternative pathways. Higher education should be involved with teacher preparation. We have expertise; we collaborate with P-12; and we have the students who are preparing for careers after they finish college.
We agree the option should be eliminated that allows new teachers to teach for up to 3 years while they attempt to pass the tests.
We don't have a stand on tiered licensure at this time.
MACTE believes that the MTLE cut scores should be reviewed and set at the Pearson recommendation.
MACTE believes that teacher preparation programs should be evaluated on valid and reliable measures. The NCTQ study with U.S. News and World Report does not use such measures.

2009 Day on the Hill Handout

assistant — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:23:46 -0500

Day on the Hill- February 25, 2009

Teacher Preparation: All teachers must be well-prepared and licensed in order to ensure quality.

Teacher professional preparation is a continuum that begins with teacher candidate recruitment and rigorous admission processes and continues throughout the professional career of a teacher through ongoing professional development and advanced certifications. Pre-service preparation, while comprehensive and complex, is just the first step in the preparation of teachers. Candidates must meet all the state's standards for subject matter and teaching knowledge before becoming a teacher of record.
Quality preparation makes a difference and must include well-defined standards of both content and performance. Additionally, it must involve a substantial knowledge of child and adolescent development, and learning theory. Extended clinical experiences must support ideas and practices presented in coursework.

Teaching Conditions: Schools must be organized to support quality teaching in professional learning communities.

Professional development must be driven by student learning and student performance, and should be primarily school-based. The development of a quality learning community involves teachers in the identification of what they need and the processes to be used to engage questions that are both practical and theoretical.
Professional development is ongoing and incorporates evaluation of multiple sources of information on outcomes for students. Professional educators must use reliable and valid data to make instructional decisions.

Teaching as a Profession: Rewarding career paths for teachers from induction to accomplished teaching must be developed with pay and pay systems that recognize teachers as professionals.

Induction programs matter and are necessary for the continuation of strong pre-professional preparation. Induction programs must be based on teaching standards, supported by school leadership, include external stakeholders, and use mentoring as a cornerstone support system. Teachers must have time to collaborate on school-based student achievement problem solving activities.
Retention of teachers in high need fields such as science and mathematics is a financial matter. Salary schedules need to be competitive for all teachers at the entry level, and they must be differentiated for hard to staff subjects and schools. Financial incentives for science and mathematics teacher candidates have the potential to increase the number of qualified teachers in these competitive fields.

* Citation: Misty Sato, University Minnesota Department of Curriculum and Instruction-Presentation to legislative committee Feb. 2009.

Day on the Hill

assistant — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:47:12 -0400

The status of No Children Left Behind (NCLB) met with vigorous discussion at one of the AACTE "Day on the Hill" activities in June 2008. MACTE members Michael A. Miller and Maureen C. Prenn, John Clementson, Elaine Ackerman and George Guidera were in Washington D.C. to lobby senators and representatives about teacher education funding for Teacher Quality Grants and education policy. "We met with staff from Senator Klobuchar's office, Senator Colman's office, Representative Walz's office and Representative McCollum's office, " MACTE President Prenn said. "Most staff members were quite knowledgeable about education policy and the issues surrounding NCLB." Michael Miller is chair of AACTE's Government Relations Committee. (See attached Power Point below)

ISSUE BRIEF: Higher Education’s Capacity and Role in Educator Professional Development

assistant — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:59:30 -0500

2008 Legislative Session

Recent policy conversations regarding teacher and school quality have focused mostly on issues of data and accountability. While important, necessary and timely, these conversations have led to system interventions that have decreased teacher control and ownership of choices. To get to the next level of effectiveness, teachers must be provided options for their own professional development.

Schools will improve as good teachers develop into great leaders, able to make choices about the meaning of data and interventions that make sense for each child and each context. Great teachers do remarkable things for children and may become principals, data coaches, lead teachers, curriculum coordinators and community leaders. Induction, mentoring and professional development increase the capacity of teachers, enhance effective schools, and improve retention of the very best teachers.

Teacher educators are invested in preparing teachers who are learners, advocates, thinkers, doers and professionals. Individual professional development and the system-wide development of teachers lead to better learning for students. Teacher educators understand adult learning, E-16 learning, and issues of diversity and disability. Teacher educators currently work across educational systems, in partnership with schools, communities and post-secondary institutions.

It is right to invest in professional and leadership development of teachers, and to call upon teacher educators to enhance the capacity of teachers, schools and E-16 systems of education.

Action Needed by Minnesota Legislature:

Fund teacher induction, mentoring, and professional and leadership development.
Hold teacher education accountable for the quality of professional development available to teachers and schools.
Call upon higher education systems to provide professional development necessary for Minnesota to have quality schools for each child.

Action Needed by Higher Education:

Assure the relevance of programs and professional development options offered to school and teachers.
Commit resources to partnerships and co-ownership for the learning of all students in MN schools.

ISSUE BRIEF: Funding for New Teacher Induction Programs

assistant — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:45:51 -0500

2008 Legislative Session

"The traditional ‘sink or swim' model for beginning teachers has not worked very well. Facing challenging work conditions and insufficient support, nearly half of new teachers leave the classroom within the first five years. Among those who stay, it can take years to develop the skills they need to be most effective in the classroom. These factors have a negative impact on student learning, particularly in poor and low-performing schools where new teachers are often assigned. The financial cost of teacher turnover adds to the problem, draining resources from already tight budgets" (American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 2006).

There are several very promising models for statewide induction programs:
The New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA)
It is estimated that for every $1.00 spent on induction, there is an estimated payoff of nearly $1.50.

State-wide teacher induction programs with adequate funding at the state level can help teachers realize their full potential, keep them in the profession, promote greater student learning, and save money.

Action Needed:

All teachers new to the profession engage in a year-long induction and mentoring program.

The Minnesota legislature should increase funding to all school districts by 1%. These monies would be used to provide structured induction and mentoring for all new teachers in the district.

Board of Teaching-approved teacher preparation programs would partner with districts to assist with new teacher induction.

ISSUE BRIEF: Funding for Access To Diversify the Teaching Force

assistant — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:48:38 -0500

2008 Legislative Session

Enrollment of students of color in Minnesota continues to increase, while enrollment of White non-Hispanic continues to decline. According to the 2006 State of Students of Color, Minnesota had an enrollment of 20% students of color in Minnesota schools. It is important that these students and all students in Minnesota schools have an opportunity to learn with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Building a workforce of teachers of color Teachers of color serve as mentors, role models, cultural translators, and advocates for students of color according to a 2004 report, Minority Teacher Recruitment, Development, and Retention from Brown University. The knowledge of community and the world that teachers of color possess affects their interaction with students as well as their effectiveness of instruction. Teachers who understand the reality of students of color and their families can help overcome the cultural barriers that can block communication between schools and families.

It is critical that we think both about preparation and about retention of teachers of color. The teacher preparation pipeline begins in elementary and middle school and continues into high school. Funding is needed for 1) pre-college support programs that include skill development as well as apprenticeships in schools so that students have an experience in a teaching role; 2) scholarships for potential teachers of color; 3) support structures for advising, test preparation; and 4) creation of a support network for preservice and inservice teachers of color that includes direct support for preservice teachers who need to focus on full-time student teaching.

Schools, departments and colleges of education have been doing their part by recruiting students and providing alternatives to full-time day programs. But working in schools full-time with master teachers during the student teaching experience poses a particular set of issues for students of color and career changers. The support of future teachers in their preparation programs both undergraduate and graduate will go a long way in achieving the goal of a more diverse teaching force.

Action Needed by Minnesota Legislature: · Funding for scholarships and incentives for new Teachers of Color · Funding for school and higher education partnerships to recruit, prepare and retain teachers of color.

Action Needed by Higher Education:· Recruit more faculty of color· Utilize personal recruitment strategies targeting students of color who may be interested in teaching· Partnering with schools to provide strong induction and retention programs for fully prepared teachers.

Day at the Capitol

assistant — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:29:08 -0500

Countdown to MACTE Day at the Capitol

February 27, 2008

Issue Brief #1

Issue Brief #2

Issue Brief #3

January: Begin publicizing the Day—talk with colleagues, students, community members. Bringing a team to the Day at the Capitol is especially effective.

Talk with your institution’s Government Relations Department about MACTE’s Day at the Capitol. Give them a copy of MACTE’s Talking Points to make sure that MACTE’s positions do not conflict with those of your institution. Prepare a one-page information sheet about activities that are happening at your institution that are of particular interest to your congress-person. Share those with your institution, also.

February: Finalize plans for the team that you will bring.

Week of Feb. 5: Begin setting up appointments with your Representatives and Senators. To reach your Senators, go to the Minnesota Senate home page at h ttp://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/ and to reach your Representatives, go to the Minnesota House of Representatives home page at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/.

Contact the scheduler in the Member’s office at least two weeks prior to Day at the Capitol. The scheduler will likely require a meeting request letter faxed to their office (a sample letter is at the end of this section). The Member’s scheduler will be able to provide details on faxing a request. Inform the scheduler that you are a Member of MACTE and your institution and briefly explain the purpose for the meeting.

Day at the Capitol meetings should be scheduled for February 27, 2008 between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM. If the scheduler sets your appointment time prior to 9:30AM – take the meeting at that time and don’t worry about missing the Day at the Capitol Briefing. We will make sure your group is ready to go with all the necessary information ahead of time.

February 27

8:30-9:30 MACTE Briefing in the State Office Building Cafeteria

9:30-12:00 Meetings with legislators

12:00-1:00 Lunch in the Senate Cafeteria

1:00-3:30 Meetings with legislators

3:30-4:00 MACTE Debriefing in the State Office Building Cafeteria

ISSUE BRIEF: High and Consistent Standards for All Teachers

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:08:39 -0400

2007 Legislative Session

MACTE is committed to having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. The Minnesota Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Department of Education, Education Minnesota, educational policymakers, school district administrators, school boards, and parents also express this commitment.

What really does stand behind the “highly qualified teacher” heading? It denotes a person who has obtained a bachelor’s degree, is “fully licensed in the core academic subject” that he/she teaches, and has passed the required state licensure tests. However, it is certainly more than a title. We would refer you to the substance of the definition. It also means someone who:

Meets the Minnesota standards of effective practice
Assures the academic success of every learner
Advocates for every learner
Demonstrates a positive regard for the safety and welfare of all learners
Teaches flexibly and manages the classroom responsibly
Articulates well with parents, teachers and administrators
Demonstrates a strong commitment to the advancement of shared principles of the school and its data-driven decision-making processes

Minnesota’s current rigorous standards for licensure serve students best. Rigorous teacher licensure ensures strong content knowledge and effective teaching skills. Standards-based licensure programs use multiple measures of content, pedagogy, dispositions, and demonstration of classroom teaching ability. All of the MACTE institutions ensure that individuals are prepared to work with children and youth. Institutions are committed to working with individuals to meet standards.

Any route to licensure should ensure a highly qualified educator. Today’s classrooms are demanding and complex. Each classroom contains learners with different abilities, languages, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. In effective teacher preparation programs, new teachers develop skill in differentiating instruction for learners and helping those learners to develop their own knowledge of content and skills. The integration of content knowledge and pedagogical skills allows teachers to make the content comprehensible to all types of learners and provides the specific knowledge about content specific procedures. Pedagogical instruction and practice during clinical experiences help new teachers manage current classroom complexities. Assessment of candidates’ ability to blend knowledge and skills in practice is imperative for ensuring a well qualified candidate for the classrooms in Minnesota.

All routes to licensure must meet the state standards. All routes to licensure should meet all standards. Minnesota has already invested in proven methods of alternative licensure to meet the needs of career changers who wish to go into teaching. Alternative programs involve weekend and evening programs and online options. All include clinical experiences, content specific pedagogy courses, and evaluation of dispositions.

Action Needed:

All teachers new to the profession and new to the state must meet all of the licensure standards

The legislature should reaffirm the Board of Teaching role in requiring all teachers to meet standards.
Incentives for hard to staff areas should be provided by the legislature
Alternate delivery of content for rural and small schools should be supported by state funds so that all children have access to high quality and fully licensed teachers.
Teacher development and teacher retention serve students best. Minnesota must support on-going professional and career development for all educators.

ISSUE BRIEF: School Readiness and Early Learning

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:04:15 -0400

2007 Legislative Session

MACTE is committed to the success and happiness of all Minnesota children, youth and families. In this work, MACTE chooses to support and collaborate with groups such as Ready-4-K, NAEYC, NCCCC, and MnAECTE. The following research findings support aggressive early childhood goals in Minnesota.

Developmentally-appropriate early learning experiences are critical to the success of children later in school and life. Children who experience early education experiences are more successful in kindergarten and are 40% less likely to be identified for special education and grade retention. As young adults, these individuals are more likely to graduate from high school, be literate and attend post-secondary education. In addition, their median annual earnings are higher and are more successful in some other metrics of adult success.

Through active exploration, children in early childhood education settings are provided the opportunity to engage in a broad base of important language, general knowledge, social interaction and experiential skill competencies that serve as a basis for school learning. Children experience rapid social-emotional, physical and cognitive growth during the first five years of life. Rich and stimulating experiences maximizes the growth opportunity during these years. Challenges to health and learning during these years cannot be recovered fully.

In order for every child to succeed, responsive and comprehensive family and community partnerships must be established, mobilizing all appropriate community resources in support of child and family needs as soon as needs are identified. The Ready-4-K “Building Initiative” project and the Rochester project funded by the Rochester Foundation are examples of coordinated efforts to develop community connections which serve the needs of children and their families during the early, preschool years of life. Integrated services are more likely to provide coherent and comprehensive assistance across service providers which results in maximized student readiness and rates of families who thrive.

Costs of early childhood school readiness screenings, learning experiences and family education save much more in expenses to families and society across the life of affected individuals. Rob Grunewald and Art Rolnick of the Minnesota Federal Reserve Bank cite research results -- every $1 spent on early education saves taxpayers up to $12. These savings consist of education, welfare and crime savings as well as increased tax earnings. In addition, savings and benefits to families are significant.

A substantial kindergarten experience is necessary to assure all children enter later academic learning situations ready to learn. Research shows that developmentally appropriate full day kindergarten results in greater achievement gains in first grade and beyond for students. These gains hold for students of color and students of poverty, therefore serving to decrease achievement gaps.

Action Needed:

All children must arrive to school healthy and ready to learn.

The legislature should mandate and fund all-day kindergarten for all Minnesota children.
The Legislature should mandate and fund a full screening (development, health, hearing, dental, speech) for all Minnesota children at age three and at the beginning of kindergarten. Organizations, agencies, schools and communities should coordinate processes of referral and available services to address the needs of children with identified needs and their families.
The Legislature should fund the study of the costs and benefits of universal preschool for Minnesota children.
The Legislature should fund the study of the needs of rapidly growing numbers of preschool-aged Minnesota children with significant and severe disabilities and their families in order to recommend, implement and coordinate appropriate services and interventions.