SEA No. 1 Part 2: Teacher License Requirements
Welcome to another dive into Indiana SEA No. 1. In this episode, we will explore section 5 and 6, which outlines the new requirements for teacher licensure in Indiana. I want to make it clear from the beginning I am not against professional development that helps equip teachers with knowledge to improve their instruction and improves the quality of education students receive. I do, however, do not agree with the way state legislators have mandated this professional development. With that being said, let’s dig into section 5.
Section 5 starts out with a mandate that is not new. I believe this was part of House Bill 1558. It states that:
No later than July 1, 2024, the state board shall establish and require a literacy endorsement for individuals first licensed after June 30, 2025, to teach a content area involving literacy instruction, including special education, in pre-kindergarten through grade 5.
Anyone enrolled in college, working on their bachelor's in elementary education, is required to get their literacy endorsement before they can receive their teaching license. Colleges are supposed to have added training in this area that is aligned with the science of reading to their coursework. Students then must pass the praxis exam before applying for their first teaching license.
This requirement better equips new teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to teach literacy. I do not have any issues with this. My opinion is, this training is one of a few courses taught in college that will prepare a student for their teaching career.
The next requirement under section 5. Part b states that:
Except as provided in section 19.8(a) of this chapter, beginning July 1, 2027, the department may not renew a practitioner license or an accomplished practitioner license, or a comparable license under prior rules, issued to an individual who:
Based on the content area for which the individual is licensed, including special education, provides literacy instruction to students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5 unless the individual receives a literacy endorsement under this section.
Let’s pause and recap here. Anyone who holds an Indiana teacher's license for pre-K-5th grade, must obtain a literacy endorsement by July 1, 2027, in order to renew their teaching license. Without a literacy endorsement, you cannot renew your teaching license. The intent is to equip all teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively teach literacy skills, however, this is not how to go about it.
Frist of all, the state put out a free course in December for educators to equip them with Science of Reading training. Anyone who completes the course, housed in the INLeanring Lab by May 31st, can apply for a $1,200 stipend. The course is worth 25 PGP (professional growth points). To renew your license, a teacher must accumulate 90 PGPs over the course of five years. The new law requires teachers to complete 80 hours of professional development in one year.
Most teachers are going to jump on this opportunity because they not only get several PGPs, but they will be paid for it. Just so everyone is aware, most PGPs teachers earn to keep their license are not free, and they do not get paid for it. The school pays for it, or the teacher pays for it out of pocket. The fact that the state incentivized this professional development already had many current teachers taking part in it.
With this requirement the state has certain requirements for obtaining your literacy endorsement. Part c states:
To be eligible to receive a literacy endorsement, an individual must meet the following:
Complete 80 hours of evidence based professional development that is:
Aligned to the science of reading and
Approved by the department.
Demonstrate proficiency in scientifically based reading instruction skills aligned to the science of reading on a written examination or through other procedures prescribed by the department in accordance with this section.
Parts D-H cover the details of what the professional development and examination should include. There are several things to cover in this section. First, let’s talk about the 80 hours of professional development. What is being demanded is that teachers who have already completed their bachelor’s and some even their master’s degrees in education now have to maintain a full-time teaching position while at the same time being a full-time college student again. These same individuals have husbands, wives, and children of their own to take care of. And we expect to get high quality instruction from individuals who are being stretched to the max?
Second, we have educators who have been teaching 15 years or more. Their experience far outweighs what they will gain from this state mandated professional development. Many will toss in the towel because it isn’t worth the stress, especially when they are only a few years away from retirement. We have a teacher shortage. An unintended outcome of this legislation is that more teachers leave the field with no one waiting to take their place.
Third, this does not just affect the teachers who teach in grades pre-kindergarten through 5. It is anyone, including gym, music, art teachers and administrators, who want to maintain their teaching license in case they choose or have to go back into the general education classroom.
Section 6 does provide for a waiver. Let’s look at what it says.
An individual described in section 19.7(b) (that’s teachers) who cannot comply with the requirements of section 19.7 of this chapter may apply for a waiver fromm the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department.
(b) If the department determines that an individual cannot comply with the requirements of section 19.7 of this chapter, the department may grant the individual a waiver that provides an exception to the requirements.
(c) The department may grant a waiver under this section to an individual that:
Is not more than one year and
Does not extend beyond July 1, 2028
However, the department may extend the waiver described in this subsection if the department determines a hardship exists for the individual in meeting the requirements under section 19.7 of this chapter.
Part D under section 6 covers the process of applying for a waiver. I will not read that to you, but it reads as if there must be a major roadblock for the waiver to be approved. Which means, you must complete the training to maintain your teaching license.
Teachers many of you received an email from the DOE on March 20, 2024, about the opportunity to earn your literacy endorsement for free. Let’s look at the verbiage in this email, as I found it to be misleading.
Indiana Provides Educators A Free Opportunity to Earn a Literacy Endorsement
INDIANAPOLIS –The Indiana Department of Education today announced that eligible educators can now enroll in a free professional development course designed to help them earn Indiana’s Literacy Endorsement. Eligible educators will receive up to $1,200 in stipends for completion of the course.
“For the first time ever, Indiana educators can add a literacy endorsement to their existing license, and the state has provided a way for educators to earn this distinction free of charge while also earning a stipend for their time spent completing the course,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “The literacy endorsement, created by state law in 2023, provides educators with tools focused on evidence-based instruction rooted in science of reading, ensuring more students across the state gain essential literacy skills necessary for future success.”
This course, tailored specifically for Indiana educators, is certified by the International Dyslexia Association and is aligned to Indiana Academic Standards and science of reading. By participating, educators will continue to improve upon existing knowledge allowing for enhanced instructional practices in the fundamental elements of early reading and writing.
Indiana educators who hold an active Pre-K through grade six or special education license are invited to enroll in the newly-developed course, offered by Keys to Literacy. The free course will be available through June 2025. The program’s instructional practices are designed to seamlessly integrate into classroom lessons with any curriculum or published literacy program.
Funding is allocated in the state’s biennial budget to allow educators to enroll in the 80-hour course, participate in the Praxis licensing exam, and, ultimately, earn the Indiana Literacy Endorsement. Following completion of the exam, beginning in August 2024, educators can apply to add the literacy endorsement to their license. Additional information will be available this spring for educators who have completed the necessary 80-hour professional development on science of reading through a different provider.
To support schools and educators, as well as parents and families in preparing students with foundational reading skills, Indiana continues to make historic investments in literacy, totaling over $170 million. Below are examples of how this investment continues to positively impact students –
· Launched a new data visualization tool with key literacy data to empower educators, parents and families, community leaders and policymakers with the information needed to continue improving state and local literacy rates.
· Increased school-level science of reading instructional coaching and support for educators through the Indiana Literacy Cadre. Participation in 2023 grew nearly five-fold, with 199 total schools opting into cohorts one and two.
· Provided over 105,000 hours of learning support and tutoring services to over 20,000 students through Indiana Learns, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
· Grew the Indiana Learning Lab from 6,000 users in 2021 to over 62,000 users just two years later, including launching the Parent and Family Support Hub, which provides no cost, 24/7 access to resources for parents and families to support their student’s learning.
· Developed online professional development modules supporting Indiana educators with additional science of reading training. Nearly 6,000 educators have signed up to participate, with 1,200 already completed. Eligible teachers receive a $1,200 stipend upon completion.
· Expanded the number of schools opting-in to administer the state’s IREAD assessment for second grade students to 1,099 schools. This allows teachers, parents and families to immediately know if a child is on-track or at-risk when it comes to mastering foundational literacy skills.
· Awarded the Expanding What Works grant to four regional partners serving over 3,000 students to increase access to high-quality summer programming providing supplemental literacy and math instruction using evidence-based strategies.
· Provided $10 million in cash stipends to teachers, instructional coaches and other school staff at all corporations and charter schools who are responsible for the implementation and delivery of early literacy and reading instruction through the Literacy Achievement Grants.
· Increased the implementation of evidence-based instructional practices for over 65,000 students across Indiana through the Competitive Science of Reading grant, which awarded nearly $15 million to 72 school corporations. This is in addition to the multiple other initiatives supporting science of reading.
To learn more about additional literacy supports available to Indiana schools, click here.
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About Keys to Literacy
Keys to Literacy (KTL) is a leader in providing research-based professional development aligned with a Structured Literacy approach to teach all reading and writing components. KTL has delivered similar training to thousands of teachers across the country.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Molly Williams
Indiana Department of Education
mowilliams1@doe.in.gov
(317) 234-3880
Nowhere in this email does it mention SEA No. 1 and the new literacy endorsement requirements. They use words like opportunity, can, are invited as if it is an option. Why are they not being straightforward?
Why is Keys to Literacy the only approved program now, when we had a list of several vendors for this training? What happened to LETRS, Orton-Gillingham and the others? I have to say this is suspicious to me, that we went down to one vendor. We should be questioning this.
It should also be noted on the Keys to Literacy website under the fine print they state that this training is only free from April 2024- June 2025. So, if teachers want to keep their teaching license and not pay for the required training and exam, they must complete it by June 2025.
Here are my final thoughts. If the state wants to provide professional development on the science of reading, great. Just don’t threaten to take away our teaching license if we don’t complete it. Many educators have already completed the first round of training and their reluctant colleagues are not far behind once they see the value in it.
Teachers, if you want to put an end to this, you are going to have to contact your state legislators. I have put a link in this blog post so you can easily find your representatives and email them. If I were in your shoes, I would also ask your state union reps if they knew about this bill before it passed. I have a feeling most of you were unaware of this bill and what it contained.
We all want quality education for our students, so let’s come together and get it done with educational awareness.
