An Act To Revise Certification Statutes for Educational Personnel
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1569
Committee Amendment CA_A_H515 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §13019-A

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569, Bill, "An Act To 
Revise Certification Statutes for Educational Personnel" 
Amend the bill in section 2 in §13001-A by striking out all of subsections 1 and 2 
(page 4, lines 1 to 9 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'1. Administrator. "Administrator" means an individual who provides leadership 
services to assist in the operation of schools, including, but not limited to, in the 
following capacities: superintendent, assistant superintendent, building administrator and 
principal. 
2. Certificate. "Cettificate" means the credential issued by the depmtment to a 
qualified individual to serve as a teacher, educational specialist, educational technician or 
administrator.' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in § 13001-A in subsection 5 in the last line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "and" and insetting the following: 'or' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in §13001-A in subsection 7 in the 2nd line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "in any of the following capacities:" and 
inserting the following: 'to a school, including, but not limited to, an' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in § 13001-A by insetting after subsection 7 the following: 
'8. Educational technician. 
"Educational technician" means an individual who 
provides supportive educational services in accordance with section 13019-H.' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in § 13001-A in subsection 8 in the 3rd line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by insetting after the following: "502 as" the following: 'prekindergmten to 
grade 12' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in §13001-A in subsection 9 in the first line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "issued to a teacher" 
Amend the bill in section 2 in §13001-A in subsection 9 in the 2nd line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "area" the following: 'or work area' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
,_/'!:_. 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT ·A "to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569 
Amend the bill in section 2 in § 13001-A in subsection 10 in the last line (page 4, line 
in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "specialist" the following: 'or an 
administrator' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in § 13001-A by striking out all of subsection 11 (page 4, 
lines 38 and 39 and page 5, lines 1 and 2 in L.D.) and insetting the following: 
'11. Semester hours. "Semester hours" means units of academic credit that each 
reasonably approximate one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a 
minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks 
or an equivalent amount of academic work at an institution of higher education, including 
laborat01y work, internships, practice studio work or other academic work leading toward 
the awarding of a credit hour of approved study.' 
Amend the bill in section 2 in §13001-A by renumbering the subsections to read 
consecutively. 
Amend the bill in section 5 in §13006-A in subsection 1 in paragraph A (page 7, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "chapter 502-A" and inserting the following: 
'section 13032' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in § 13007 in subsection 1 by striking out all of the 
blocked paragraph (page 8, lines 1 to 9 in L.D.) and insetting the following: 
'The depattment shall annually post at the beginning of the fiscal year the fees established 
by the commissioner for the initial issuance of and the renewal of teacher, education 
specialist and administrator ce1tificates a credential on its publicly accessible website. 
The commissioner shall adopt n.1les to carry out this subsection. Rules adopted under this 
subsection to establish and assess fees for the initial issuance of and the renewal of 
teacher, education specialist and administrat03:· ce1tificates are major substantive rules 
pmsuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2 ,A.., 
A fee established pursuant to this 
subsection may not increase by more than 10% of the previous fiscal year's fee, unless the 
increase is approved by the state board.' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 in subsection 1 in paragraph A in the first line 
(page 9, line 5 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "administrators" the following: '.,, 
educational specialists, educational technicians' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 by striking out all of subsection 5 (page 9, lines 
to 39 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'5. 
Administrator certificates. 
The state board rules shall must establish 
qualifications for cettifying administrators in accordance with sections 13012-A and 
13019-I to be superintendents of schools, building administrators or principals and 
directors of career and technical education and shall also establish qualifications for such 
other certificates for administrators as may be determined to be necessary and beneficial 
for the efficient operation of the schools.' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in §13011 in subsection 6-A in the 2nd line (page 10, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "as identified in" and insetting the following: 'in 
accordance with' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 by insetting after subsection 6-A the following: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·A "to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569 
1' 
'6-B. 
Educational technician certificates. 
The state board shall establish 
qualifications for certifying educational technicians in accordance with section 13019-H 
and for other educational technicians as may be determined to be necessaty and beneficial 
for the efficient operation of the schools.' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 in subsection 7 in the first line (page 10, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "Credential" and inserting the following: 
'Certification' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in §13011 in subsection 7 in the 3rd line (page 10, line 20 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "certificate credential" and inserting the following: 
'certificate' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in §13011 in subsection 7 by striking out all of paragraph 
A (page 10, lines 22 to 25 in L.D.) and inse1iing the following: 
'A. Receives allegedly inaccurate, incomplete or untimely information or action from 
the depatiment,the or from a local or regional supp01i system or a regional support 
system. The waiver must be for a reasonable period of time to permit the applicant to 
complete certification requirements; or' 
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 in subsection 7 in paragraph B in the first line 
(page 10, line 26 in L.D.) by striking out the following: ''certification credentialing" and 
inserting the following: 
1ce1iification
Amend the bill in section 9 in § 13011 in subsection 7 by inserting at the end the 
following blocked paragraph: 
'The commissioner may not grant a waiver to an individual who is seeking an 
endorsement for special education.' 
Amend the bill in section 11 in § 13012-A in subsection 1 in paragraph A in the 2nd 
line (page 11, line 37 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "13019-A" and inse1iing the 
following: 113019-I' 
Amend the bill in section 11 in § 13012-A in subsection 4 in the first paragraph in the 
last line (page 12, line 7 in L.D.) by inse1iing after the following: "unit shall" the 
following: 'for at least the first year of employment or longer if determined to be 
necessaty' 
Amend the bill in section 12 in § 13013 by striking out all of subsection 2-B (page 13, 
lines 5 to 33 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
12-B. 
Qualifications. 
State board rules goveming the qualifications for a 
professional teacher certificate must require that the cetiificate may be issued only to an 
applicant who, at a minimum, meets one of the following: 
A. Has graduated from an educator preparation program and has passed a qualifying 
exam; 
B. Can demonstrate subject matter competency obtained through work experience 
that is directly related to any endorsements being sought and has held a conditional 
certificate under section 13012-A for 3 years, unless the applicant is seeking only an 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"/~" to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569 
· · 1 
endorsement for middle school and secondary school, in which case the applicant is 
not required to have held a conditional certificate; 
C. Has successfully completed a preparation program in a state with which the State 
is participating in an interstate compact, subject to the following: 
(1) Completion of an approved preparation program for the endorsement or 
certificate being sought with a formal recommendation for certification from the 
institution; or 
(2) In the 5 years prior to applying for ce1tification in this State, the applicant has 
years of successful teaching experience under a valid comparable ce1tificate in 
a state with which the State is paiticipating in the interstate compact. 
If advanced study or tests are required in the State, the commissioner has the right, as 
specified in the interstate compact, to issue only a conditional ce1tificate under 
section 13012-A; or 
D. Is otherwise qualified by having met the criteria established by the state board for 
teaching in a specified area.' 
Amend the bill in section 12 in §13013 in subsection 3 in the 3rd line (page 13, line 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: "deemed" and insetting the following: 'deemed' 
Amend the bill in section 12 in § 13013 in subsection 5 in the 2nd line (page 14, line 2 
in L.D.) by insetting after the following: "teacher" the following: ', whether employed or 
unemployed,' 
Amend the bill in section 12 in §13013 in subsection 5 in the last line (page 14, line 4 
in L.D.) by insetting after the following: "field." the following: 'If the teacher has attained 
certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the renewal 
period is for 10 years.' 
Amend the bill in section 18 in §13019 by striking out all of subsection 1 (page 14, 
lines 13 to 19 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'1. Clearance. 
A visiting teacher permit is designed to allov,c those \Yho do not 
intend to enter the teaehing profession fall time to offer their speeial ffiqJertise to sehools 
from a count1y other than the United States who is paiticipating in a visiting teacher 
program established and administered by the department or a locally established 
sister-school exchange may teach in a school as long as the teacher is issued a clearance 
by the depaitment. The visiting teacher shall is authorized to act as an adjunct to existing 
staff and shall may not be used to avoid the hiring of professional, certified teachers.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 19 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 19. 20-A MRSA §13019-A, as amended by PL 2001, c. 534, §§5 and 6, is 
6 
repealed.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 25 and insetting the following: 
'Sec. 25. 20-A MRSA §§13019-G to 13019-1 are enacted to read: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT "h "to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569 
§13019-G. Educational specialist certificate 
1. Requirement. An educational specialist certificate is required for employment as 
an educational specialist at a public school or a private school approved for attendance 
purposes pursuant to section 2901, subsection 2, paragraph B. 
2. Qualifications. The state board shall adopt rules establishing the qualifications 
for an educational specialist certificate. 
3. Endorsements. The educational specialist ce1iificate must be issued with an 
endorsement that specifies the work area for which the individual is determined to be 
qualified. A holder of an educational specialist cetiificate may not work outside the 
holder's area of endorsement. 
4. Certificate renewal. An educational specialist's cetiificate is issued for a 5-year 
period and may be renewed in accordance with state board rules, which must require, at a 
minimum, that the educational specialist, whether employed or unemployed, complete at 
least 6 semester hours of professional or academic study or the equivalent or in-service 
training designed to improve the performance of the educational specialist in the field. 
§13019-H. Educational technician certificate 
1. Requirement. An educational technician cetiificate is required for employment 
as an educational technician at a public school or a private school approved for 
attendance purposes pursuant to section 2901, subsection 2, paragraph B, if the employed 
individual will: 
A. 
Introduce new learning plans developed in consultation with the classroom 
teacher or appropriate content specialist; and 
B. Supervise small groups of students in community-based programs. 
2. Qualifications. The state board shall adopt rules establishing the qualifications 
and supervision for an educational technician ce1iificate. 
3. Certificate renewal. An educational technician certificate is issued for a 5-year 
period and may be renewed in accordance with state board rules, which must require, at a 
minimum, that the educational technician, whether employed or unemployed, complete at 
least 3 semester hours of professional or academic study or the equivalent or in-service 
training designed to improve the performance of the educational technician in the field. 
§13019-1. Administrator certificate 
1. Requirement. An administrator's ce1iificate is required for employment as an 
administrator at a school administrative unit in the State, at a public school or at a private 
school approved for attendance purposes pursuant to section 2901, subsection 2, 
paragraph B. 
2. Qualifications. State board rules governing the qualifications for an administrator 
certificate must require that the cetiificate may be issued only to an applicant who at a 
minimum: 
A. Has at least 3 years of satisfactory teaching experience or the equivalent; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·I~ "to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1569 
•·· j i 1 
B. 
Has academic and professional knowledge as demonstrated through the 
completion of required graduate or undergraduate courses or programs, performance 
in examinations or completion of specialized programs approved for this purpose; 
C. Has a basic level of knowledge in competency areas determined by the state 
board; and 
D. Has satisfactorily completed an approved internship or practicum relating to the 
duties of an administrator. 
3. Certificate renewal. An administrator's ce1tificate is issued for a 5-year period 
and may be renewed in accordance with state board rules, which must require, at a 
minimum, that the administrator, whether employed or unemployed, complete at least 6 
semester hours of professional or academic study or the equivalent or in-service training 
designed to improve the performance of the administrator in the field. 
4. Endorsements. The administrator ce1tificate must be issued with an endorsement 
that specifies the work area for which the individual is determined to be qualified. A 
holder of an administrator certificate may not work outside the holder's area of 
endorsement unless permitted under rules established by the state board. This includes the 
following areas: 
A. Employment as a superintendent of a school administrative unit in the State; 
B. Employment as a building administrator or principal of a public school or as chief 
administrator of a private school approved for attendance purposes pursuant to 
section 2901, subsection 2, paragraph B; and 
C. Employment as any other administrator as may be determined by the state board 
to be necessaty and beneficial for the efficient operation of the schools.' 
Amend the bill in section 30 in § 13032 by striking out all of the first paragraph (page 
16, lines 32 to 36 and page 17, lines 1 and 2 in L.D.) and insetting the following: 
'The provisional A professional teacher certificate may ett-ly be issued only to those 
applicants who have taken and passed the teacher qualifying examination. 
+he 
eJ(amination may be administered in separate pa1is and may be taken by applioants for 
provisional toaoher certifieates at any time after completion of the sophomore year of 
attendanoe at a post seoondary higher eduoation institution. The e1mmination must test the 
applicant in the follovling area: This limitation does not apply to applicants seeking a 
certificate under section 13013, subsection 2-B, paragraph B, but such applicants must 
meet any exam requirement necessmy for the endorsement being sought.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment amends the bill's proposals related to the laws governing the 
credentialing process for teachers, educational specialists and administrators. 
The 
amendment also provides a process for the certification of educational technicians. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 06/11/17 ::Wac 
LD 1569 
LR 698(02) 
An Act To Revise Certification Statutes for Educational Personnel 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment •fr• u+ , 5 \ sj 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Additional costs to the Department of Education to implement the provisions of this legislation can be absorbed 
within existing budgeted resources. 
LR0698(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1