MN SF40

Establishes alternative teacher preparation programs allowing school districts and charter schools to partner with colleges, universities, or nonprofit education organizations to prepare teachers for a two-year limited-term license renewable for one additional year.

Requires alternative teacher preparation program candidates to hold a bachelor's degree with 3.0 GPA (waivable), pass skills examinations in reading, writing, and mathematics, and obtain qualifying scores on content area and pedagogy examinations.

Mandates alternative teacher preparation programs include minimum 200-hour instructional phase, research-based teaching practices, ongoing professional development, mentoring, and evaluation to ensure candidates progress toward standard licensure.

Requires local site teams comprised of teachers, administrators, and postsecondary faculty to evaluate teacher candidate performance and recommend standard license issuance based on board-adopted performance measures and state standards of effective practice.

Directs Board of Teaching to submit interim report by February 15, 2013, and final report by February 15, 2015, on program efficacy and requires exchange of best practices information between program participants and postsecondary institutions by July 31 of even-numbered years.