HF 2230: A bill for an act relating to teacher education and licensing, including by modifying provisions related to practitioner preparation programs and licenses issued by the board of educational examiners. - Iowa

Enrolled → Enrolled with Governor's Action · 5 edits · May 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill adds new requirements for teacher preparation programs in Iowa to better prepare future educators for working with students with disabilities and English learners. It mandates specific clinical experience hours, introduces a standardized end-of-program assessment, and requires new rules for individuals seeking special education teaching licenses.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of teacher education requirements to explicitly include differentiated instruction for students with disabilities and English learners, and it applies new assessment and remediation standards to all approved practitioner preparation programs.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for all teacher preparation programs to include clinical experiences focused on serving students with disabilities and English learners starting July 1, 2027.

Established specific minimum practicum hours: 15 hours for general special populations and 40 hours for English learner instruction endorsements.

Created a new summative end-of-program assessment administered by the department to measure student mastery in content areas before program completion.

Required the department to publish data on student passage rates and examples of remediation plans for students who did not meet minimum scores.

Added a new rule requiring applicants for special education teaching licenses to complete a self-paced course on special education laws and competencies.

Signed Enrolled Bill (PDF) → Enrolled · 5 edits · May 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Iowa's teacher education laws to require specific clinical training hours for future teachers working with students with disabilities and English learners. It also mandates a standardized end-of-program assessment to ensure new teachers are prepared before they begin working in classrooms.

REQUIREMENT

New clinical experience requirements: All teacher preparation students must complete at least 15 hours of focused practicum on special populations, while those seeking English learner endorsements must complete at least 40 hours.

New standardized testing requirement: A unified end-of-program assessment must be administered to all teacher candidates before they graduate to measure their content mastery.

TIMELINE

New effective dates: The clinical experience requirements and the distribution of the new assessment are scheduled to begin on July 1, 2027.

ENFORCEMENT

New reporting and transparency rules: The Department of Education must publish data on student passage rates and program remediation efforts starting August 1, 2028.

DEFINITION

Clarified definition: The term 'English learner' is now explicitly defined to match the existing definition in section 280.4.

Introduced → Signed Enrolled Bill (PDF) · 5 edits · May 13, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Iowa's teacher education laws to require higher education programs to include specific clinical training for students preparing to teach special education or English learners. It also mandates a new standardized end-of-program assessment to ensure teachers have mastered necessary content before entering the classroom.

Scope change

The bill expands requirements to all higher education institutions providing practitioner preparation programs in Iowa, specifically targeting special education and English learner instruction pathways.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates that teacher preparation programs include clinical experiences focused on serving students with disabilities and English learners starting July 1, 2027.

Requires a minimum of 15 practicum hours for all students in special education preparation and 40 hours for English learner instruction candidates.

Establishes a new summative end-of-program assessment to measure teacher candidate mastery of content areas required for their specific endorsement.

Requires the Department of Education to set minimum passing scores for the new assessment and publish program-level data on student passage rates.

Mandates that individuals applying for special education teaching licenses must complete a new self-paced course on special education laws and competencies.

A bill for an act relating to teacher education and licensing, including by modifying provisions related to practitioner preparation programs and licenses issued by the board of educational examiners.

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