To amend sections 3319.22 and 3319.223 and to enact section 3319.227 of the Revised Code to qualify Teach for America participants for a resident educator license.

SECTION 1. That sections 3319.22 and 3319.223 be amended and section 3319.227 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3319.22.  (A)(1) The state board of education shall issue the following educator licenses:

(a) A resident educator license, which shall be valid for four years, except that the state board, on a case-by-case basis, may extend the license's duration as necessary to enable the license holder to complete the Ohio teacher residency program established under section 3319.223 of the Revised Code;

(b) A professional educator license, which shall be valid for five years and shall be renewable;

(c) A senior professional educator license, which shall be valid for five years and shall be renewable;

(d) A lead professional educator license, which shall be valid for five years and shall be renewable.

(2) The state board may issue any additional educator licenses of categories, types, and levels the board elects to provide.

(3) The state board shall adopt rules establishing the standards and requirements for obtaining each educator license issued under this section.

(B) The rules adopted under this section shall require at least the following standards and qualifications for the educator licenses described in division (A)(1) of this section:

(1) An applicant for a resident educator license shall hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited teacher preparation program or be a participant in the teach for America program and meet the qualifications required under section 3319.227 of the Revised Code.

(2) An applicant for a professional educator license shall:

(a) Hold at least a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting organization;

(b) Have successfully completed the Ohio teacher residency program established under section 3319.223 of the Revised Code, if the applicant's current or most recently issued license is a resident educator license issued under this section or an alternative resident educator license issued under section 3319.26 of the Revised Code.

(3) An applicant for a senior professional educator license shall:

(a) Hold at least a master's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting organization;

(b) Have previously held a professional educator license issued under this section or section 3319.222 or under former section 3319.22 of the Revised Code;

(c) Meet the criteria for the accomplished or distinguished level of performance, as described in the standards for teachers adopted by the state board under section 3319.61 of the Revised Code.

(4) An applicant for a lead professional educator license shall:

(a) Hold at least a master's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting organization;

(b) Have previously held a professional educator license or a senior professional educator license issued under this section or a professional educator license issued under section 3319.222 or former section 3319.22 of the Revised Code;

(c) Meet the criteria for the distinguished level of performance, as described in the standards for teachers adopted by the state board under section 3319.61 of the Revised Code;

(d) Either hold a valid certificate issued by the national board for professional teaching standards or meet the criteria for a master teacher or other criteria for a lead teacher adopted by the educator standards board under division (F)(4) or (5) of section 3319.61 of the Revised Code.

(C) The state board shall align the standards and qualifications for obtaining a principal license with the standards for principals adopted by the state board under section 3319.61 of the Revised Code.

(D) If the state board requires any examinations for educator licensure, the department of education shall provide the results of such examinations received by the department to the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents, in the manner and to the extent permitted by state and federal law.

(E) Any rules the state board of education adopts, amends, or rescinds for educator licenses under this section, division (D) of section 3301.07 of the Revised Code, or any other law shall be adopted, amended, or rescinded under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code except as follows:

(1) Notwithstanding division (D) of section 119.03 and division (A)(1) of section 119.04 of the Revised Code, in the case of the adoption of any rule or the amendment or rescission of any rule that necessitates institutions' offering preparation programs for educators and other school personnel that are approved by the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents under section 3333.048 of the Revised Code to revise the curriculum of those programs, the effective date shall not be as prescribed in division (D) of section 119.03 and division (A)(1) of section 119.04 of the Revised Code. Instead, the effective date of such rules, or the amendment or rescission of such rules, shall be the date prescribed by section 3333.048 of the Revised Code.

(2) Notwithstanding the authority to adopt, amend, or rescind emergency rules in division (F) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code, this authority shall not apply to the state board of education with regard to rules for educator licenses.

(F)(1) The rules adopted under this section establishing standards requiring additional coursework for the renewal of any educator license shall require a school district and a chartered nonpublic school to establish local professional development committees. In a nonpublic school, the chief administrative officer shall establish the committees in any manner acceptable to such officer. The committees established under this division shall determine whether coursework that a district or chartered nonpublic school teacher proposes to complete meets the requirement of the rules. The department of education shall provide technical assistance and support to committees as the committees incorporate the professional development standards adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 3319.61 of the Revised Code into their review of coursework that is appropriate for license renewal. The rules shall establish a procedure by which a teacher may appeal the decision of a local professional development committee.

(2) In any school district in which there is no exclusive representative established under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, the professional development committees shall be established as described in division (F)(2) of this section.

Not later than the effective date of the rules adopted under this section, the board of education of each school district shall establish the structure for one or more local professional development committees to be operated by such school district. The committee structure so established by a district board shall remain in effect unless within thirty days prior to an anniversary of the date upon which the current committee structure was established, the board provides notice to all affected district employees that the committee structure is to be modified. Professional development committees may have a district-level or building-level scope of operations, and may be established with regard to particular grade or age levels for which an educator license is designated.

Each professional development committee shall consist of at least three classroom teachers employed by the district, one principal employed by the district, and one other employee of the district appointed by the district superintendent. For committees with a building-level scope, the teacher and principal members shall be assigned to that building, and the teacher members shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers assigned to that building. For committees with a district-level scope, the teacher members shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers of the district, and the principal member shall be elected by a majority vote of the principals of the district, unless there are two or fewer principals employed by the district, in which case the one or two principals employed shall serve on the committee. If a committee has a particular grade or age level scope, the teacher members shall be licensed to teach such grade or age levels, and shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers holding such a license and the principal shall be elected by all principals serving in buildings where any such teachers serve. The district superintendent shall appoint a replacement to fill any vacancy that occurs on a professional development committee, except in the case of vacancies among the elected classroom teacher members, which shall be filled by vote of the remaining members of the committee so selected.

Terms of office on professional development committees shall be prescribed by the district board establishing the committees. The conduct of elections for members of professional development committees shall be prescribed by the district board establishing the committees. A professional development committee may include additional members, except that the majority of members on each such committee shall be classroom teachers employed by the district. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for which a predecessor was appointed shall hold office as a member for the remainder of that term.

The initial meeting of any professional development committee, upon election and appointment of all committee members, shall be called by a member designated by the district superintendent. At this initial meeting, the committee shall select a chairperson and such other officers the committee deems necessary, and shall adopt rules for the conduct of its meetings. Thereafter, the committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the filing of a petition with the district superintendent signed by a majority of the committee members calling for the committee to meet.

(3) In the case of a school district in which an exclusive representative has been established pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, professional development committees shall be established in accordance with any collective bargaining agreement in effect in the district that includes provisions for such committees.

If the collective bargaining agreement does not specify a different method for the selection of teacher members of the committees, the exclusive representative of the district's teachers shall select the teacher members.

If the collective bargaining agreement does not specify a different structure for the committees, the board of education of the school district shall establish the structure, including the number of committees and the number of teacher and administrative members on each committee; the specific administrative members to be part of each committee; whether the scope of the committees will be district levels, building levels, or by type of grade or age levels for which educator licenses are designated; the lengths of terms for members; the manner of filling vacancies on the committees; and the frequency and time and place of meetings. However, in all cases, except as provided in division (F)(4) of this section, there shall be a majority of teacher members of any professional development committee, there shall be at least five total members of any professional development committee, and the exclusive representative shall designate replacement members in the case of vacancies among teacher members, unless the collective bargaining agreement specifies a different method of selecting such replacements.

(4) Whenever an administrator's coursework plan is being discussed or voted upon, the local professional development committee shall, at the request of one of its administrative members, cause a majority of the committee to consist of administrative members by reducing the number of teacher members voting on the plan.

(G)(1) The department of education, educational service centers, county boards of developmental disabilities, regional professional development centers, special education regional resource centers, college and university departments of education, head start programs, the eTech Ohio commission, and the Ohio education computer network may establish local professional development committees to determine whether the coursework proposed by their employees who are licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code, or under the former version of either section as it existed prior to the effective date of this amendment October 16, 2009, meet the requirements of the rules adopted under this section. They may establish local professional development committees on their own or in collaboration with a school district or other agency having authority to establish them.

Local professional development committees established by county boards of developmental disabilities shall be structured in a manner comparable to the structures prescribed for school districts in divisions (F)(2) and (3) of this section, as shall the committees established by any other entity specified in division (G)(1) of this section that provides educational services by employing or contracting for services of classroom teachers licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code, or under the former version of either section as it existed prior to the effective date of this amendment October 16, 2009. All other entities specified in division (G)(1) of this section shall structure their committees in accordance with guidelines which shall be issued by the state board.

(2) Any public agency that is not specified in division (G)(1) of this section but provides educational services and employs or contracts for services of classroom teachers licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code, or under the former version of either section as it existed prior to the effective date of this amendment October 16, 2009, may establish a local professional development committee, subject to the approval of the department of education. The committee shall be structured in accordance with guidelines issued by the state board.

Sec. 3319.223.  (A) Not later than January 1, 2011, the superintendent of public instruction and the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents jointly shall establish the Ohio teacher residency program, which shall be a four-year, entry-level program for classroom teachers. The teacher residency program shall include at least the following components:

(1) Mentoring by teachers who hold a lead professional educator license issued under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code;

(2) Counseling to ensure that program participants receive needed professional development;

(3) Measures of appropriate progression through the program.

(B) The teacher residency program shall be aligned with the standards for teachers adopted by the state board of education under section 3319.61 of the Revised Code and best practices identified by the superintendent of public instruction.

(C) Each person who holds a resident educator license issued under section 3319.22 or 3319.227 of the Revised Code or an alternative resident educator license issued under section 3319.26 of the Revised Code shall participate in the teacher residency program. Successful completion of the program shall be required to qualify any such person for a professional educator license issued under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 3319.227.  (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code or any rule adopted by the state board of education to the contrary, the state board shall issue a resident educator license under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code to each person who is assigned to teach in this state as a participant in the teach for America program and who meets the following conditions:

(1) Holds a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education;

(2) Maintained a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 out of 4.0, or its equivalent;

(3) Has passed an examination prescribed by the state board in the subject area to be taught;

(4) Has successfully completed the summer training institute operated by teach for America.

(B) The state board shall issue a resident educator license under this section for teaching in any grade level or subject area for which a person may obtain a resident educator license under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code.

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code or any rule adopted by the state board to the contrary, the state board shall issue a resident educator license under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code to any applicant who has completed at least two years of teaching in another state as a participant in the teach for America program and meets all of the conditions of divisions (A)(1) to (4) of this section. The state board shall credit an applicant under this division as having completed two years of the teacher residency program under section 3319.223 of the Revised Code.

(D) In order to place teachers in this state, the Teach for America program shall enter into an agreement with one or more accredited four-year public or private institutions of higher education in the state to provide optional training of Teach for America participants for the purpose of enabling those participants to complete an optional master's degree or an equivalent amount of coursework. Nothing in this division shall require any Teach for America participant to complete a master's degree as a condition of holding a license issued under this section.

SECTION 2. That existing sections 3319.22 and 3319.223 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

SECTION 3.  Section 3319.22 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 1 and Sub. S.B. 79 of the 128th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.