By Nicarlyle Hanchard / Jambar Contributor
Ohio Senate Bill 168, which took effect Oct. 24, has lowered the threshold for teacher education and licensure in the state among other policies.
Senate Bill 168 Section 3319.22 seeks to provide school districts with more candidates for teachers, as it has reevaluated some previous educator licensure guidelines.
Charles Howell, dean of the Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Education, said the most relevant change to Youngstown State University students is a new provision that allows those in a student-teaching program to be paid.
“There is a provision that allows students who are in a teacher licensure program to be paid for work in the school, while they’re in their preparation program. That is the one that’s going to make the biggest difference to our students,” Howell said.
Getting paid as a student teacher isn’t guaranteed, he said. Payment depends on the school district.
Patrick Spearman, an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies, said the new legislation helps those with a master’s degree outside of the education field transition into a classroom setting.
“What they are advocating is, individuals who have resident licenses — these are people who already have bachelor’s degrees — and the change now is that if you have a master’s degree you don’t have to get certified. They will count your master’s degree as experience leading toward certification,” Spearman said.
Howell said some of the changes aren’t dramatic. Some, he said, are important for people looking to become educators in K-12.
“There are a couple of different provisions that are relevant. One is that a substitute teaching license no longer requires a bachelor’s degree,” Howell said.
According to the new bill, people can become a substitute teacher with only an associate degree.
“That effectively means that you can enter either an alternative licensure program or a regular licensure program, while you’re actively teaching in the school,” Howell said.
Spearman said the change only affects a small percentage of prospective teachers. Students coming from a traditional program would still be required to have a bachelor’s degree and licensure after graduating.
“Just to be clear, you still need to be licensed to be a full-time teacher in public schools,” Spearman said.
Spearman said alternative licensure programs give people with a bachelor’s degree the ability to become certified educators after working in their field.
“Let’s say you go to undergrad and your major is political science. You worked in that for a little while, but you always had a passion to teach. You can then go through a program like Teach for America where they’ll send you through a summer enrichment program and they’ll place you in a school that needs teachers,” Spearman said.
After two years in a school, Spearman said people can stay on as teachers. He noted there are several alternative teacher licensure programs in Ohio, as well as nationwide.
For more information on other new provisions and changes, see Senate Bill 168.
