HB 256 HIGHER ED TEACHER PREPARATION

Rep Tara Jaramillo

Actions: [4] not prntd-HRC

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 House Bill 256 (HB 256):  This bill is related to higher education, specifically addressing requirements for colleges of education at public four-year educational institutions. 

 

 House Bill 256 (HB 256) Section 1: Four-Year Colleges of Education - Teacher Preparation Program Requirements
Teacher Residencies:
•	By the 2028-2029 school year, teacher preparation programs must ensure that every undergraduate student, during the final year of their undergraduate teacher preparation, is placed in a teacher residency program or another year-long paid classroom clinical experience.

Alternative Licensure:
•	Alternative licensure programs must also ensure that every student is placed in a teacher residency program or another year-long paid classroom clinical experience by the 2028-2029 school year.
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Cooperating Teachers:
•	Establishes criteria for selecting cooperating teachers, including recommendations from a school principal and peer teacher, recruiting teachers reflecting the student population, and providing training in research- and evidence-based best practices.

Curricula Requirements:
•	Specifies the content of teacher preparation program curricula, including structured literacy, mathematics and science instruction, provisions of education acts, special education laws, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed teaching practices, developmental psychology, assessment literacy, and more.

Accreditation:
•	Requires teacher preparation programs to receive national accreditation from the council for the accreditation of teacher preparation or equivalent national accrediting body by the 2028-2029 school year.
•	Requires collaboration among institutions offering teacher preparation programs to ensure consistency in foundational content, course requirements, and a unified course numbering system.

Definition:
•	Defines "cooperating teacher" as a teacher employed by a school district or charter school who meets qualifications established by the public education department.
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Section 2: Amendment to Section 22-2-2 NMSA 1978
•	Amends the duties of the Department of Education, including the power to withhold program approval from a college of education or teacher preparation program that fails to offer a course on teaching reading based on scientifically based reading research.

Section 3: The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2024.

•	The bill emphasizes the importance of teacher residency programs, outlines specific curricular requirements, and aims for accreditation standards alignment among teacher preparation programs. It also introduces criteria for cooperating teachers and emphasizes the importance of teaching reading based on scientifically based reading research.