Teachers Must Pass Basic-Skills Test, Under Woodbury Rep. Kieffer’s Bill

Teacher candidates in Minnesota will have to pass a basic-skills exam before becoming certified under a bill Gov. Mark Dayton signed today, Feb. 22.

Authored by state Rep. Andrea Kieffer, a Republican from Woodbury, the bill will require teachers to pass a test in reading, writing and math. The bill passed the Senate 60-1 and 132-0 in the House.

The bill eliminates a three-year window teachers previously had to pass the test, Kieffer told Patch. The state Board of Teaching reported that there were 30 such teachers in Minnesota classrooms working under a provisional license last year, she said.

Kieffer has been since she was a freshman lawmaker last session. She spoke with higher-education officials, online institutions, the Minnesota Department of Education and others about the legislation.

“There were a lot of stakeholders involved,” Kieffer said. “We wanted to make sure it was something we’d all be pleased with and made good policy.”

Teachers whose licenses come from outside Minnesota will also need to take the test.

The Star Tribune has a story on the wider-reaching implications of the bill.

Kieffer says she’s not planning to run for the new District 53 senate seat.

“Not at this point,” she said.

While Kieffer said she is still digesting all the information from the changes, she too is , adding that the setup makes it easier to communicate with city leaders.

“Overall, when you look at the lines, they pretty much make sense,” Kieffer said. “I don’t have a problem with it. It’s well balanced.”

There will be some changes at the congressional level, however, where Kieffer said U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, who has primarily represented a democratic stronghold, “will have to listen more to conservative voices, as well.”