Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel, a Late-filed Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Education
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1478
Committee Amendment CA_A_H597 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1478, "Resolve, Regarding 
Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education 
Personnel, a Late-filed Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Education" 
Amend the resolve by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. Adoption. Resolved: That final adoption of portions of Department of 
Education rule Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel, a provisionally 
adopted major substantive rule of the Department of Education, referred to in this section 
as "the department, n that has been submitted to the Legislature for review pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A outside the legislative rule 
acceptance period, is authorized only if the following changes are made: 
1. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6(1)(A)(4) to require as a general 
qualification for certification by the department that the applicant hold a bachelor's degree 
from a regionally accredited college or university; 
2. 
The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to provide eligibility for 
certification by the department for an applicant who, within 7 years prior to applying for 
certification, has 5 years of valid teaching experience under an appropriate comparable 
certificate in the same certification subject area and has completed a bachelor's degree or 
graduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university; 
3. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to clarify that the in-service training 
eligibility criteria for an applicant for renewal of a certified educational technician 
certificate requires completion of 45 hours of such in-service training; 
4. The rule must be amended in Part I, Section 6 to clarify that the condition under 
that subparagraph requires that the individual has no interruption in service, excluding 
normal school vacations, paid leave and unpaid leave; 
5. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section l.2(A) regarding Endorsement 020: 
Elementary Teacher as follows: 
A. The endorsement must allow the holder to teach students in the grade span of 
kindergarten to grade 8 until July 1, 2022; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMJ.TTEEAMENDMENT'A "toH.P.1080,L.D.1478 
B. Beginning July 1, 2022, the endorsement must allow the holder to teach students 
in the grade span of kindergarten to grade 6; 
6. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.2(B)(2) regarding Endorsement 
020: Elementary Teacher to require as an eligibility criterion for Endorsement Eligibility 
Pathway 2 that the applicant has passed pedagogical knowledge and skills assessment at 
the appropriate grade span, in accordance with Department of Education Reg. 13, or 
demonstrated successful completion of an approved alternative professional studies 
program; 
7. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.3(B)(2)(i) regarding Endorsement: 
Secondary Teacher to retain as an eligibility criterion for Endorsement Eligibility 
Pathway 2 that the applicant has completed a minimum of 6 semester hours in 
foundations of literacy and literacy methods relative to the subject area; 
8. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.4, regarding Secondary Teacher 
endorsement, as necessary, to include an Endorsement 710: Junior Reserve Officers' 
Training Corps teacher, which would allow the holder of that endorsement to serve as a 
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps teacher for students from grade 9 to grade 12. 
The internal 710 endorsement checklist must include that an applicant for such 
endorsement must be required to meet applicable general credentialing requirements in 
Part I of the rule and must be required to satisfy additional specific eligibility 
requirements as determined by the department and as specified in Part II of the rule, 
except that the rule must provide that an applicant who does not meet such additional 
eligibility requirements under Part II of the rule is eligible for a conditional certificate for 
this endorsement upon a determination that the applicant has received a Junior Reserve 
Officers' Training Corps instructor certification from the United States Department of 
Defense in accordance with the applicable standards of the United States Department of 
Defense for senior military instructors and has completed a course approved by the 
department regarding the teaching of exceptional students in the regular classroom; 
9. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.3 regarding Endorsements: Middle 
Level Teacher, to retain the Middle Level Teacher endorsement with the following 
amendments: 
A. In subsection (A) and subsection (B)(2)(a)(ii), remove the provisions regarding 
world language endorsements; 
B. In subsection (B), specify that individuals who are not eligible through any 
pathway may be eligible for a conditional certificate; 
C. In Endorsement Eligibility Pathway 1, remove the requirement of the completion 
of an approved course for teaching exceptional students in the regular classroom, 
which is already required elsewhere in the rule, and clarify that the applicant must 
have: 
(1) Graduated from a state-approved program for the education of middle level 
teachers, together with a formal recommendation from the preparing institution 
for the endorsement being sought; and 
(2) Earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, 
in accordance with Part I, Section 6 of the rule; 
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COMMJ..TTEEAMEND"MENTA "toH.P.1080,L.D.1478 
D. In Endorsement Eligibility Pathway 2, amend the rule as follows: 
(1) The applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally 
accredited college or university, in accordance with Part I, Section 6 of the rule; 
(2) The applicant does not have to hold a valid provisional or professional 
teaching certificate with a public preschool to grade 3, kindergarten to grade 6, 
grade 4 to grade 8, grade 6 to grade 12 or public preschool to grade 12 
endorsement and instead must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours 
in the area relevant to the middle school level endorsement being sought and that, 
for the purposes of this requirement, life and physical sciences must be 
aggregated and must include a minimum of 9 semester hours in life sciences and 
a minimum of 9 semester hours in physical sciences; and 
(3) The applicant must have passed a content area methods course, in accordance 
with Department of Education Reg. 13; and 
E. The rule must be amended in the conditional certificate for endorsement to clarify 
that the applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited 
college or university in accordance with Part I, Section 6 of the rule and that the 
applicant must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours in the areas relevant 
to the middle level teacher endorsement being sought and that the applicant is not 
required to hold a valid Maine provisional or professional teaching certificate with a 
public preschool to grade 3, kindergarten to grade 6, grade 4 to grade 8, grade 6 to 
grade 12 or public preschool to grade 12 endorsement; 
10. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.4(A) regarding Endorsement: 
510, 517, 520, 614, 620, 625, 640, 670, 680 and 700, public preschool to grade 12, to 
describe endorsement area 700 as industrial arts/engineering and technology; 
11. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.ll(B)(2)(e) and Part II, Section 
1.ll(B)(3)(c) regarding Endorsement 092: Literacy Specialist to retain that; in addition to 
having earned a master's degree in literacy and reading from a regionally accredited 
college or university in accordance with Part I, Section 6 of the rule, the applicant has 
earned graduate semester hours for a literacy and reading clinic encompassing course 
content in educational and instructional leadership, instructional supervision, adult 
learning theory and instructional coaching practices; 
12. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 1.12 regarding Certificate 215: 
Athletic Director to clarify that there are 2 steps and add the requirement that the 
applicant have completed an approved course for teaching exceptional students in the 
regular classroom; 
13. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 2.l(B)(3)(a)(iii), Part II, Section 
2.l(B)(3)(b)(iii) and Part II, Section 2.l(B)(3)(c)(iii) regarding Endorsement 282: 
Teacher of Children with Disabilities to provide that, as an eligibility criterion under 
Endorsement Eligibility Pathways 1 to 3 for a conditional certificate for that 
endorsement, an applicant must have participated in an alternative certification and 
mentoring program designated by the department; 
14. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 2.2(B)(2)(a)(iii), Part II, Section 
2.2(B)(2)(b)(iii) and Part II, Section 2.2(B)(2)(c)(iii) regarding Endorsement 286: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'ft" to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1478 
Teacher of Children with Severe Disabilities to provide that, as an eligibility criterion 
under Endorsement Eligibility Pathways 1 to 3 for a conditional certificate for that 
endorsement, an applicant must have participated in an alternative certification and 
mentoring program designated by the department; 
15. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 3 regarding Professional Teacher 
Certificate Based on Work Experience, by changing the title of Section 3 from 
"Professional Teacher Certificate Based on Work Experience" to "Professional Teacher 
Certificate Based on Authentic Field Experience"; 
16. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 3 to require that the applicant have 
passed a content area assessment, in accordance with Department of Education Reg. 13, 
and passed a pedagogical knowledge and skills assessment in accordance with 
Department of Education Reg. 13 or demonstrated successful completion of an approved 
alternative professional studies program; 
17. The rule must be amended in Part II, Section 4.2(B)(l )( c) regarding Endorsement 
860: Cooperative Education Coordinator to provide that as a general endorsement 
eligibility criterion, for each endorsement, the applicant must have completed a minimum 
of one year of paid applied employment or teaching in the endorsement area during the 4 
years preceding the initial application; 
18. 
All necessary grammatical, formatting, punctuation and other technical 
nonsubstantive editing changes must be made to the rule, including, but not limited to, the 
removal of strikethrough or underlined letters or words remaining from prior drafts and 
edits and the amendment of inconsistent section, subsection, paragraph and subparagraph 
numbering or lettering in the rule, or any other inconsistent numbering and lettering in the 
rule, to ensure consistency in the sequential numbering and lettering of the rule; and 
19. All other necessary changes must be made to the rule to ensure conformity 
throughout the rule and consistency with the provisions of this section. 
The Department of Education is not required to hold hearings or undertake further 
proceedings prior to final adoption of the rule in accordance with this section. 
Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the Department of Education, in consultation 
with the teacher preparation programs in the State, shall report to the Joint Standing 
Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on the progress, steps taken and 
implementation of the transition of the Endorsement 020: Elementary from a grade span 
of kindergarten to grade 8 to a grade span of kindergarten to grade 6 pursuant to section 
1, subsection 5 of this resolve. The department shall submit the report to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural 
affairs no later than March 1st of each year of the 3 years between the grade span 
changing from kindergarten to grade 8 to kindergarten to grade 6. 
Sec. 3. Funding in fiscal year 2019-20. Resolved: Notwithstanding any 
provision oflaw to the contrary, in fiscal year 2019-20 only, the Department of Education 
shall use funds within the Departmental Services, Other Special Revenue Funds account 
within the department to pay for the one-time programming charges and contracting staff 
necessary to implement the rule changes to Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education 
Personnel authorized pursuant to this resolve. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A "to H.P. 1080, L.D. 1478 
Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. Resolved: 
That the following 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
Leadership Team Z077 
Initiative: Allocates one-time funds for the programming costs and contracted support 
staff necessary to implement the changes in Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education 
Personnel. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
2019-20 
$93,125 
$93,125 
2020-21 
$0 
$0 
Amend the resolve by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment authorizes final adoption by the Department of Education of 
portions of Department of Education rule Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education 
Personnel, a late-filed provisionally adopted major substantive rule of the department, 
only if a number of specified changes to the rule are made prior to final adoption. 
This amendment also requires the Department of Education to submit annual reports 
to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by March 1st of the 
next 3 years on the progress toward implementation of transitioning the grade span for the 
elementary endorsement from kindergarten to grade 8 to kindergarten to grade 6. 
This amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Revised: 06/12/19 ::wac.. 
LD 1478 
LR2461(02) 
Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Portions of Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education 
Personnel, a Late-filed Major Substantive Rule of the Department of'd{cation 11 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'If{ //,· 5°/7; 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY2019-20 
FY2020-21 
$93,125 
$0 
Projections 
FY2021-22 
$0 
Projections 
FY2022-23 
$0 
This bill directs the Department of Education to utilize funds within its Depaiimental Services, Other Special Revenue 
Funds account for the programming costs and contracted staff necessary to implement the required changes to Chapter 
115, The Credentialing of Education Personnel. The bill includes a one-time Other Special Revenue Funds allocation 
of $93,125 in fiscal year 2019-20 for that purpose. 
LR2461(02)- Fiscal Note - Page 1 of I