SB 1056

This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to issue a tier II provisional teaching license that authorizes the license holder to be employed as a speech-language pathologist in a public school to an individual who 1) holds a valid speech-language pathology license issued by the Hearing and Speech Examining Board or a valid speech-language pathologist compact privilege and 2) is eligible for a teaching license based on a successful background check.

Under DPI’s current administrative rules, there are multiple pathways through which an applicant may obtain a DPI license that authorizes the license holder to be employed as a speech-language pathologist in a public school. For example, an applicant is eligible for a tier II provisional license to teach as a speech-language pathologist if the applicant completes an approved teacher training program in school speech-language pathology and demonstrates to DPI certain content and pedagogical knowledge. Alternatively, an applicant is eligible for a tier I license in speech-language pathology if the applicant holds a master’s degree and holds a speech-language pathologist license issued by the Hearing and Speech Examining Board. A tier I license is valid for one year but may be renewed if the license holder is not yet eligible for a tier II license at the end of the one-year term. An applicant who has worked as a school speech-language pathologist under the tier I license for at least one year in this state is eligible for a tier II provisional license if the applicant completes training on 1) children with disabilities, 2) minority group relations, and 3) resolving conflicts in a school setting. The bill eliminates the tier I license for speech-language pathology and the subsequent tier II license based on teaching under the tier I license for one year. The bill also specifies that an applicant is eligible for a tier II license that authorizes the license holder to be employed as a speech-language pathologist in a public school if the applicant holds a valid speech-language pathology license issued by the Hearing and Speech Examining Board or a valid speech-language pathologist compact privilege.