I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1706

To prohibit the Federal Government from planning, developing, implementing,

or administering any national teacher test or method of certification

and from withholding funds from States or local educational agencies

that fail to adopt a specific method of teacher certification.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 5, 1999

Mr. PAUL (for himself, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. MCINTOSH, Mr.

FLETCHER, and Mr. TANCREDO) introduced the following bill; which was

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To prohibit the Federal Government from planning, developing, implementing, or administering any national

teacher test or method of certification and from withholding funds from States or local educational agencies

that fail to adopt a specific method of teacher certification.

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 Congress finds the following:
2

•HR 1706 IH

1 (1) The Secretary of Education unveiled a na2 tional teacher certification proposal on February 16,

3 1999.

4 (2) The Texas State Legislature has introduced

5 legislation to prohibit the use of any standardized,

6 national certification examination of any teacher.

7 (3) The State of Texas is already implementing

8 a rigorous framework for preparing, certifying, and

9 recognizing the professional growth of educators.

10 (4) The State and local governments have the

11 responsibility for the training and certification of

12 teachers not the Federal Government.

13 (5) The Coalition of Independent Education As14 sociations (CIEA), which represents the majority of

15 the over 300,000 teachers who belong to inde16 pendent educators associations, has passed a resolu17 tion opposing the monopolization of teacher edu18 cation and certification by the National Council on

19 Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) or

20 any other federally supported organization.

21 (6) Having the Federal Government require

22 States, local governments, or local educational agen23 cies to engage in any type of teacher testing or cer24 tification will require Federal oversight of what

25 knowledge is necessary to be a teacher.
3

•HR 1706 IH

1 (7) Giving the Federal Government power to

2 determine what knowledge is necessary to be a

3 teacher will lead to a national curriculum.

4 (8) National teacher testing or certification will

5 make teachers de facto employees of the Federal

6 Government.

7 (9) Establishment of a national curriculum will

8 destroy any control remaining in the American edu9 cation system and is not in the interest of either

10 teachers or students.

11 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON TESTING OR CERTIFICATION.

12 Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law,

13 the Department or Education is prohibited from using

14 Federal funds to plan, develop, implement, or administer

15 any national teacher test or certification.

16 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON WITHHOLDING FUNDS.

17 The Department is prohibited from withholding funds

18 from any State or local educational agency if such State

19 or local educational agency fails to adopt a specific method

20 of teacher certification.

21 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

22 For purposes of this Act:

23 (1) The terms ‘‘teacher testing’’ and ‘‘teacher

24 test’’ mean any test or examination required by any

25 unit of government that requires passage of such
4

•HR 1706 IH

1 test or examination as a condition of obtaining a li2 cense to teach.

3 (2) The term ‘‘teacher certification’’ means any

4 process of education or training required by any unit

5 of government as a condition of obtaining a license

6 to teach.

Æ