I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5357 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize 

an interstate teaching application program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 26, 2016 

Mr. CARSON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. SCHRADER, and Mr. HANNA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 to authorize an interstate teaching application 

program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Interstate Teaching 

5 Mobility Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROGRAM FOR INTERSTATE TEACHING APPLICA2 TIONS. 

3 Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

4 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by add5 ing at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘PART E—INTERSTATE TEACHING APPLICATIONS 

7 ‘‘SEC. 2501. PROGRAM FOR INTERSTATE TEACHING APPLI8 CATIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta10 tion with an eligible entity, may establish and carry out 

11 a program to allow States to voluntarily participate in an 

12 interstate teaching application process that allows teach13 ers who are licensed or certified in any participating 

14 State— 

15 ‘‘(1) to be eligible for licensure or certification 

16 in other participating States without subsequently 

17 completing additional licensure or certification re18 quirements; and 

19 ‘‘(2) to be able to apply for open teaching posi20 tions in schools that receive funds under part A of 

21 title I in other participating States, unless the open 

22 position falls outside the applicant’s content area or 

23 grade level for which the applicant is already li24 censed or certified. 


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1 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out a 

2 program established under subsection (a), the Secretary, 

3 in consultation with an eligible entity, shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) create an application for eligible teachers 

5 licensed or certified in a State participating in the 

6 program who wish to teach in other States partici7 pating in the program; 

8 ‘‘(2) require each participating State to recog9 nize a teaching licensure or certification of each such 

10 teacher who meets the application requirements 

11 under subsection (c)(1), and allow such teacher to 

12 teach in an open teaching position described in sub13 section (a)(2), without requiring such teacher to 

14 complete additional requirements for licensure or 

15 certification; 

16 ‘‘(3) ensure that participating States maintain 

17 the eligibility requirements described in subsection 

18 (d); 

19 ‘‘(4) provide technical assistance to partici20 pating States; and 

21 ‘‘(5) provide an electronic application process 

22 for teachers to apply for the program. 

23 ‘‘(c) PARTICIPATING TEACHERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each teacher seeking to 

2 participate in a program established under sub3 section (a) shall submit an application containing— 

4 ‘‘(A) proof of an active teaching license or 

5 certification in a participating State; 

6 ‘‘(B) the teacher’s results on each of the 

7 assessments described in subparagraphs (A) 

8 through (C) of subsection (d)(1) that are re9 quired by the initial licensing or certifying par10 ticipating State; and 

11 ‘‘(C) such other information as the Sec12 retary considers appropriate. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONTRACT.—The eligible entity referred to 

14 in subsections (a) and (b) shall collect and assist the 

15 Secretary in reviewing the teacher applications sub16 mitted under paragraph (1). 

17 ‘‘(d) PARTICIPATING STATES.—A State shall be eligi18 ble to participate in a program established under sub19 section (a) if— 

20 ‘‘(1) such State, in awarding a teaching license 

21 or certification to an individual, requires— 

22 ‘‘(A) an assessment of the content knowl23 edge necessary for postsecondary education and 

24 a career before a teacher begins teaching in a 

25 classroom; 


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1 ‘‘(B) an assessment of pedagogical skills 

2 not later than 1 year after the date on which 

3 a teacher first begins teaching in a classroom; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(C) a performance assessment not later 

6 than one year after the date on which a teacher 

7 first begins teaching, which may include a per8 formance assessment completed as part of a 

9 teacher preparation program; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the assessments described in paragraph 

11 (1) and required by such State are identified as suf12 ficiently rigorous by an organization such as the 

13 Council of Chief State School Officers. 

14 ‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may issue such 

15 regulations as the Secretary considers necessary to carry 

16 out this section. 

17 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘eligible 

18 entity’ means an organization or other entity that provides 

19 support to States and teachers in teacher certification and 

20 licensure, approved by the Secretary.’’. 

21 SEC. 3. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 

22 The table of contents for the Elementary and Sec23 ondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting 

24 after the item relating to section 2441 the following: 


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‘‘PART E—INTERSTATE TEACHING APPLICATIONS

‘‘Sec. 2501. Program for interstate teaching applications.’’. 

Æ 


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