HOUSE BILL 347
48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008
INTRODUCED BY
Teresa A. Zanetti
AN ACT
RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; ADDING REQUIREMENTS FOR GIFTED EDUCATION TEACHERS; AMENDING AND ENACTING SECTIONS OF THE SCHOOL PERSONNEL ACT; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. A new section of the School Personnel Act is enacted to read:
"[NEW MATERIAL] REQUIREMENTS FOR GIFTED EDUCATION TEACHERS.--
A. The department shall establish an assessment examination and competencies for gifted education teachers.
B. Beginning January 1, 2010, gifted education teachers shall be highly qualified in gifted education and shall demonstrate the competencies for gifted education teachers.
C. A gifted education teacher may meet the requirement of being highly qualified by:
(1) completing a minimum of twelve graduate hours of courses in the teaching of gifted students from an accredited college or university;
(2) passing a state-approved assessment examination for gifted education; or
(3) completing three or more years of gifted education teaching and successfully completing a portfolio process reviewed by two or more individuals who already meet the highly qualified requirement for gifted education teachers.
D. For the purpose of this section, "gifted education teacher" means a teacher who provides special instruction to a student who qualifies as gifted in accordance with Sections 22-13-6 and 22-13-6.1 NMSA 1978."
Section 2. Section 22-10A-6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1986, Chapter 33, Section 8, as amended) is amended to read:
"22-10A-6. EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE.--
A. The [state board] department shall require a person seeking licensure or reciprocity in elementary or secondary education to have completed the following minimum requirements in the college of arts and sciences:
(1) twelve hours in English;
(2) twelve hours in history, including American history and western civilization;
(3) six hours in mathematics;
(4) six hours in government, economics or sociology;
(5) twelve hours in science, including biology, chemistry, physics, geology, zoology and botany; and
(6) six hours in fine arts.
B. In addition to the requirements specified in Subsections A and C of this section, the [state board] department shall require that a person seeking standard or alternative elementary licensure shall have completed six hours of reading courses, and a person seeking standard or alternative secondary licensure shall have completed three hours of reading courses in subject matter content. The [state board] department shall establish requirements that provide a reasonable period of time to comply with the provisions of this subsection.
C. Except for licensure by reciprocity, the [state board] department shall require, prior to initial licensure, no less than fourteen weeks of student teaching, a portion of which shall occur in the first thirty credit hours taken in the college of education and shall be under the direct supervision of a teacher and a portion of which shall occur in the student's senior year with the student teacher being directly responsible for the classroom.
D. Nothing in this section shall preclude the
[state board] department from establishing or accepting equivalent requirements for purposes of reciprocal licensure or minimum requirements for alternative licensure.
E. Vocational teacher preparatory programs may be exempt from Subsections A through C of this section upon a determination by the [state board] department that other licensure requirements are more appropriate for vocational teacher preparatory programs.
F. In addition to the requirements specified in Subsections A through C of this section, the department shall require three hours in gifted education instruction for persons seeking licensure in 2010 and subsequent years."
Section 3. APPROPRIATION.--Two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 and subsequent fiscal years to increase the gifted consultant position in the department to a full-time position, to provide for professional development of teachers to meet the requirements for a gifted education teacher, to increase the number of highly qualified gifted education teachers and to provide for an annual summer institute on gifted education. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.
Section 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2008.