Gov. Tim Pawlenty weighed in today with his proposal for an education reform bill, listing seven priorities, many of which he proposed in 2008 but that never passed.

Legislators could begin discussing the measure Tuesday, and Education Minnesota is sure to weigh in. Pawlenty said he's talked with the teachers union about which of his proposals they'd embrace. "So far, it's been none," he said.

Pawlenty said if the Legislature makes the appropriate changes, he would consider resubmitting a new application for the federal Race to the Top funding. His office said in a statement:

Minnesota’s first round Race to the Top application received good marks for our charter school environment, strong standards and assessments, our Q Comp performance pay for teachers system, and our focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects.

The federal reviewers docked Minnesota’s application for failing to have alternative pathways to teacher licensure, not strongly linking student achievement to teacher evaluations, failing to define “highly effective teachers,” incomplete teacher preparation programs, an inability to intervene in failing schools, and lack of support from teachers unions.

Highlights from the governor's current proposal:

Teacher Quality and Effectiveness
* Align teacher preparation standards with K-12 student standards.
* Require that candidates for college teacher preparation programs pass the basic skills test prior to entry into the program.
* Strengthen teacher preparation in elementary mathematics and require teaching candidates to pass a math content exam.
* Require teaching candidates to complete at least one course online and also learn how to teach an online course to their students.
* Use student performance data to monitor the effectiveness of college of education teacher and administrator programs.
* Incorporate national standards for effective school leadership, such as the standards developed by the National Institute for School Leaders, into the licensing standards for principals.

Alternative Pathways to Teacher Licensure
* Authorize alternative teacher preparation and licensure programs provided by various types of qualified providers to create pathways for mid-career professionals and others to earn a teaching license.

Tiered Licensure for Teachers and Principals
* Implement a three-tiered system for teacher and principals: Beginning teachers will hold an “initial license,” tenured teachers and principals will hold a “standard license,” and highly effective teachers and principals will hold a “master license.”

Statewide Teacher and Principal Evaluation System and Enhanced Q Comp
* Create the Minnesota Annual Teacher Appraisal System (MNATAS) and the Minnesota Annual Principal Appraisal System (MNAPAS).
* For both MNATAS and MNAPAS, a task force will develop an annual review and appraisal process and an evaluation system based on standards of professional practice. Evaluation will include multiple measures of student achievement with at least 35 percent linked to student growth.
* Each teacher or principal will be rated “highly effective,” “effective,” “needs improvement” or “ineffective.”
* Enhance Q Comp by including principals in this performance pay program.

Professional Development and Continuing Tenure for Teachers and Principals
* Currently teachers receive tenure after just a three-year probationary period. This measure would require ongoing formal evaluation at least once every five years beyond that. Annual evaluations will enable tenured teachers to build a portfolio highlighting professional growth and student achievement, with continued tenure based on this portfolio of work.
* This proposal also puts more professional development and mentoring in place, especially in the crucial first years of teaching.

Authority to Intervene in Persistently Low Performing Schools
* Create authority for the commissioner of Education to intervene in struggling schools and establish plans to turn around those schools. This would give the commissioner express authority to intervene in struggling schools and help them implement a turnaround strategy.
* Create authority for superintendents to assign highly effective teachers to high-need schools.

Allow Successful Charter Schools to Open Additional Sites
* Allow Minnesota to replicate high-performing charter schools serving high-need students. National models like the highly effective KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) would be able to open more sites without having to charter each individual site.