Senate passes Acosta’s bill that extends teacher certifications

            STATE HOUSE – The Senate today approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Jonathon Acosta that would extend teacher certifications to address the significant teacher shortage plaguing Rhode Island.

            “Anyone with children in school knows that Rhode Island is facing a significant and critical teacher shortage in the state’s classrooms.  This serious and unfortunate situation then affects our children’s learning and development, setting our kids further back from the educational and social progress they should be attaining when attending school.  By allowing our teachers to have more flexibility in how they are certified, it will enhance the number of high-quality and certified teachers in our children’s classrooms, benefitting the students and the community,” said Senator Acosta (D-Dist. 16, Central Falls, Pawtucket).

            The legislation (2024-S 2743) would extend teacher certifications without fee or penalty for three or five years for teachers who hold certifications as of July 1, 2024, and would permit a teacher who has three years of certified teaching experience to acquire an additional certification through examination or content coursework.

            The bill would also direct the Department of Elementary and Secondary education to revise its regulations pertaining to certification to create multiple pathways to obtain teacher and administrator certification.

            The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration where Rep. Joshua J. Giraldo (D-Dist. 56, Central Falls) has introduced the legislation (2024-H 7906).