SB 188

Abstract

This Act enacts the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC). The Council of State Governments partnered with the Department of Defense and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) to support the mobility of licensed teachers through the development of this new interstate compact. The ITMC will create reciprocity among participant states and reduce barriers to license portability and employment. The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC) is an interstate occupational licensure compact. Interstate compacts are constitutionally authorized, legislatively enacted, legally binding agreements among states. The ITMC will allow teachers to use an eligible license held in a compact member state to be granted an equivalent license in another compact member state, lowering barriers to teacher mobility and getting teachers back into the classroom more seamlessly. The ITMC utilizes a different model than other interstate occupational licensure compacts. Compact member states submit licenses that are eligible for the compact and meet a set of criteria outlined in the legislation. To be eligible, a license must require a bachelor’s degree and completion of a state-approved program for teacher licensure like a teacher preparation program at a college or university. Furthermore, for a license to be eligible under the ITMC, the license must be unencumbered, which means it is not restricted, probationary, provisional, substitute, or temporary. Teachers holding a compact-eligible license can apply for licensure in another member state and receive the closest equivalent license without submitting additional materials, taking state-specific exams or completing additional coursework. Special carveouts were created for some populations in the ITMC to support equitable access. Due to the mobility patterns of military spouses, the barriers to receiving a license that would be considered unencumbered under the compact are much higher. Teachers meeting the definition of an eligible military spouse will be able to use a temporary or provisional license for the purposes of the ITMC. Career and Technical Education Teaching Licenses often do not require a bachelor’s degree as a requirement for licensure, so the compact allows these licenses to be considered eligible without that requirement. The ITMC will not close any existing pathways to teacher licensure or teacher mobility. The ITMC aims to provide additional tools to state licensing authorities to more efficiently license out of state teachers and get them into the classroom. State licensing authorities will also appoint their state’s representatives to the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact Commission, which serves as the administrative body of the ITMC. In addition to the NASDTEC, the following organizations contributed to the development process for the ITMC: • National Association of Elementary School Principals. • American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. • National Education Association. • Council of Chief State School Officers. • Education Commission of the States. • Southern Regional Education Board. • American Association of School Administrators. • National Conference of State Legislatures. • National Association of State Boards of Education. • National Governors Association. • National Council on Teacher Quality. • National School Boards Association. The ITMC must be enacted in 10 states to become effective. The ITMC has been enacted in 8 states and legislation to enact it is pending in 13 states.