FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 2, 2024
CONTACT: Amy Dowell, Amy@edreformnow.org
New Teacher Track Praises House Passage of Educator Certification Bill
May 2, 2024 — Today, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to pass HB 5436, An Act Concerning Educator Certification—which seeks to modernize educator preparation and certification by:
Eliminating a certification tier in order to simplify the process for teachers to obtain professional status;
Broadening grade bands for various certification endorsements so that it’s easier to staff classrooms;
Prioritizing pathways for paraeducators to become teachers;
Reducing burdensome testing requirements for prospective teachers by: (1) eliminating edTPA as a gating requirement; and (2) exploring alternatives to the Praxis II; and
Establishing a new standards board to monitor systems of preparation and certification on an ongoing basis.
In response to the vote today, New Teacher Track Coalition released the following statement:
“Connecticut needs to update its preparation and certification systems so that every student has access to an effective and diverse teaching workforce. This bill represents considerable consensus across varied stakeholder groups—including the CT Innovation Cohort, the Connecticut Educator Certification Council, state officials, district administrators, teachers, advocates, business leaders, and the higher education community—who have all come together to modernize our teacher pipeline for the benefit of Connecticut students. With passage, this bill will show the state’s commitment to breaking down barriers, both now and in the future.
“New Teacher Track Coalition is incredibly proud of the progress that this bill represents. We are grateful to the Education Co-Chairs, Representative Currey and Senator McCrory, for their leadership on this issue, and to the members of the Connecticut House of Representatives for voting in favor of progress.”
The bill next moves to the Senate for consideration.
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About New Teacher Track:
New Teacher Track is a coalition of educators, researchers, advocacy leaders, and non-partisan legislative staff who are partnering to advance meaningful policy change, with the goal of modernizing educator preparation and certification in Connecticut to increase the efficacy and diversity of Connecticut’s teaching workforce. Visit NewTeacherTrack.org.