MS SB2482

Clarifies membership of the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development to include representatives from congressional districts and at-large members with specified roles (classroom teachers, administrators, higher education representatives, school board members, and laypersons)

Revises entrance requirements for teacher candidates in standard license approved programs and nontraditional teaching routes, effective January 1, 2019, requiring either a composite ACT score of 21 or equivalent, a qualifying score on the Core Academic Skills for Educators examination, or a minimum 3.0 GPA on pre-major coursework

Modifies the Teach Mississippi Institute (TMI) to include an intensive eight-week summer program or fall/spring semester curriculum with a three-hour supervised internship, with TMI sites located in up to four congressional districts

Expands grounds for denial of educator licensure to include immediate denial for sex offense convictions or probation/post-release supervision for sex offenses, and authorizes probation as a disciplinary option with specific requirements and consequences for non-compliance

Clarifies procedures for educator licensure suspension and revocation, allows for reinstatement petitions after one year or half the suspension period has elapsed, and permits reinstatement hearings before the commission, with appeals to the State Board of Education reviewed for substantial evidence and arbitrary/capricious action