South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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Bill 3476

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT AMENDED AND ADOPTED

June 5, 2007

H. 3476

Introduced by Reps. Walker, Harrell, Cato, Barfield, Battle, Jennings, Kennedy, Miller and Mulvaney

S. Printed 6/5/07--S.

Read the first time March 21, 2007.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 4 TO CHAPTER 25, TITLE 59, TO ENACT THE "TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IMPROVEMENT ACT" SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY HIRE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN BOARD FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF TEACHER EXCELLENCE (ABCTE) PURSUANT TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    This act may be cited as the "American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence Act".

SECTION    2.    Chapter 25, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 4

American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence

Section 59-25-310.    In addition to individuals certified for employment as school teachers pursuant to Article 3 of this chapter, a school district may hire individuals who have received a passport certificate issued by the American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) and who meet the requirements of this article in the content areas of biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, physics, or science. Additional areas of certification may be approved by the State Board of Education upon review of the longitudinal information required in Section 59-25-350.

Section 59-25-320.    A person who has received a passport certificate issued by the ABCTE must not be hired by a school district in South Carolina without submitting to the State Department of Education, Office of Educator Certification at the time of application a Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint card and without having undergone a criminal records check by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and a national criminal records check supported by fingerprints and conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to Section 59-25-115(B) completed within the previous eighteen months.

Section 59-25-330.    A person who has received a passport certificate issued by the ABCTE, who has a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university or an institution with a teacher education program that has been approved by the State Board of Education for certification purposes, and who has met the requirements of Section 59-25-320 is considered to have met the requirements for certification and must be issued an appropriate alternative route certificate as determined by the State Board of Education. The alternative route certificate must be valid for one year and may be renewed annually for two additional years upon the successful completion of teaching and of the hiring district's induction program.

Section 59-25-340.    A person who has received a passport certificate issued by the ABCTE, possesses an alternative route certificate, and has been initially hired by a school district must be required, as a condition for professional certification, to successfully pass the South Carolina adopted pedagogy examination.

Section 59-25-350.    The State Department of Education shall submit annually by March thirty-first to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly the total number of individuals employed in South Carolina with a passport certificate issued by ABCTE by district and nonprivileged information collected on these individuals through the ADEPT reporting system."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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