Read the full stored bill text
An Act
ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3076 By: Lepak of the House
and
Seifried of the Senate
An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 6-133, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 349,
O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 6-133),
which relates to new and innovative pathways toward
teacher certification; expanding definition of
provider; clarifying definition of program; replacing
State Board of Education with Commission for
Educational Quality and Accountability; striking
pilot program language; requiring the Commission to
initiate a request for information from potential
providers; providing a timeline for the approval or
denial of applications; requiring the Commission to
provide notice for a denial and an opportunity to
remedy deficiencies; directing the Commission to
develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness
program; requiring the Commission to promulgate
rules; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-122.3, as
last amended by Section 162, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024
(70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 6-122.3), which relates
to alternative placement teaching certificates;
adding alternative teacher preparation programs to
eligibility requirements; providing an effective
date; and declaring an emergency.
SUBJECT: Teachers
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-133, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 349, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025,
Section 6-133), is amended to read as follows:
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 2
Section 6-133. A. As used in this section:
1. "Provider" means an eligible school district, regional
education service agency, institution of higher education, or other
private or not-for-profit entity which is, or will be within three
(3) years of being approved by the Commission for Educational
Quality and Accountability, accredited by the Council for the
Accreditation of Educator Preparation or the Association for
Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation that seeks or has obtained
approval of an alternative teacher preparation program consistent
with this section; and
2. "Program" means an alternative teacher preparation program
with content provided by a provider that leads toward teacher
certification or licensure in a specific content area.
B. 1. The State Board of Education Commission for Educational
Quality and Accountability shall identify providers to implement new
and innovative pathways toward teacher certification on a pilot
program basis through alternative teacher preparation programs. The
Commission shall initiate a request for information from potential
providers and shall provide eligible providers with information
concerning the application process. Providers seeking to
participate in the pilot program shall submit applications to the
State Board of Education Commission. The Commission shall approve
or deny an application within sixty (60) days of submission. If the
Commission denies an application, the Commission shall provide
notice with the reasons for the denial and permit the provider an
opportunity to remedy the deficiencies.
2. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability
shall develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness program to
be utilized in making potential teachers aware of approved providers
and their programs. The State Board of Education shall post on its
Internet website a list of approved providers, program requirements,
and the cost of each program.
C. A provider chosen approved by the State Board of Education
to participate in the pilot program Commission for Educational
Quality and Accountability shall offer a program that:
1. Provides evidence and history of fiscal solvency, capacity,
operation, and program effectiveness;
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 3
2. Provides evidence of necessary infrastructure to provide
accurate, timely, and secure data for the purpose of admission,
teacher candidate monitoring, testing, and certification
recommendations;
3. Has policies and procedures in place ensuring the security
of teacher candidate records under applicable laws and regulations;
4. Has the instructional capacity within an existing novice
teacher support program, the ability to obtain the instructional
capacity, or has established a partnership with an accredited
institution of higher education institution to provide adequate
instruction in accordance with this subsection;
5. Offers an instructional phase that provides intensive
preparation before the teacher candidates assume classroom
responsibilities;
6. Offers a research-based and results-oriented approach
focused on best teaching practices to increase student achievement
and growth measured against state academic standards;
7. Provides assessment, supervision, and evaluation of teacher
candidates to determine their specific needs throughout the program
and to support efforts to successfully complete the program;
8. Provides intensive and ongoing professional development
opportunities that accelerate a teacher candidate's professional
growth, support student learning, and provide a workplace
orientation, professional staff development, and mentoring;
9. Offers peer review focused on standards of professional
practice and continuous professional growth; and
10. Provides a process to review a teacher candidate's final
competency of required certification content standards that leads to
a potential candidate being recommended for teacher certification in
accordance with subsection F of this section.
D. The State Board of Education Commission for Educational
Quality and Accountability shall ensure that providers approved to
participate in the pilot program allow teacher candidates to
demonstrate pedagogy and content standard proficiency in school-
based programs and through other nontraditional means.
Nontraditional means may include, but not be limited to, previous
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 4
work experience, teacher experience, educator evaluations, industry-
recognized certifications, and other essentially equivalent
demonstrations.
E. If the State Board of Education Commission determines that a
provider fails to meet or is deficient in any of the requirements of
this section including failing to become accredited by the Council
for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation or the Association for
Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation within three (3) years of
the date of approval by the Commission, it the Commission may
suspend or revoke the approval of the provider after providing
notification of the deficiencies and an opportunity to remedy the
deficiencies within a specified period of time as determined by the
Commission.
F. A teacher candidate that completes a program offered by an
approved provider shall be eligible for certification, provided he
or she meets the certification requirements set forth in Section 6-
187 of this title in the area of specialization for which
certification is sought and is recommended for certification by the
approved provider.
G. The State Board of Education shall issue a certificate to
teach to any person who meets the requirements set forth in this
section and who has on file with the Board a current Oklahoma
criminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation as well as a national criminal history record check as
defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The
person applying for the certificate shall be responsible for the
cost of the criminal history record checks.
H. A provider shall submit a report to the State Department of
Education Office of Educational Quality and Accountability after one
(1) year of operation showing the percentage of teacher candidates
who have completed the program and who have successfully completed
or who have failed the competency examinations for certification and
the provider's efforts to help candidates successfully pass the
examinations. A provider shall annually submit a report to the
State Department of Education Office of Educational Quality and
Accountability outlining the success of the program.
I. The State Board of Education may Commission for Educational
Quality and Accountability shall promulgate rules to implement the
provisions of this section.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 5
J. The pilot program created in this section shall end no later
than July 1, 2026.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-122.3, as
last amended by Section 162, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp.
2025, Section 6-122.3), is amended to read as follows:
Section 6-122.3. A. The State Board of Education shall grant
an alternative placement teaching certificate to a person who makes
application to the Board and meets the following criteria:
1. a. holds at least a baccalaureate degree from an
institution whose accreditation is recognized by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and has
attained a retention grade point average of not less
than 2.50 on a 4.0 scale, or
b. has successfully completed a terminal degree, such as
a doctorate of philosophy, a doctorate in education,
professional doctorates, a master of fine arts degree
or a master of library science degree, from an
institution accredited by a national or regional
accrediting agency which is recognized by the
Secretary of the United States Department of
Education. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education shall be consulted to verify other terminal
degrees, or
c. holds at least a baccalaureate degree from an
institution whose accreditation is recognized by the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and has
qualified work experience in a field that corresponds
to an area of certification as determined by the State
Board of Education, and
d. in addition to the requirements of subparagraphs a, b
and c of this paragraph, has demonstrated competency
or completed a major in a field that corresponds to an
area of specialization for an Elementary-Secondary
Certificate or a Secondary Certificate as determined
by the State Board of Education or a vocational-
technical certificate as recommended by the Oklahoma
Department of Career and Technology Education;
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 6
2. Declares the intention to earn standard certification by
means of an alternative placement program or an alternative teacher
preparation program provided for in Section 6-133 of this title in
not more than three (3) years. The State Board of Education shall
determine the subject matter and the number of clock or semester
hours required for the professional education component for each
person making application for an alternative placement teaching
certificate based on the criteria of paragraph 1 of this subsection.
The State Board of Education shall establish a core minimum of
six (6) semester hours or ninety (90) clock hours and a maximum of
eighteen (18) semester hours or two hundred seventy (270) clock
hours for the professional education component.
The requirements set forth in this subsection shall exclude all
student teaching requirements pursuant to the provisions of
subsection E of this section;
3. Has passed the subject area portion of the competency
examination required in Section 6-187 of this title in the area of
specialization for which certification is sought; and
4. Either presents a document from an accredited public school
district in this state offering employment in the area of
specialization for which certification is sought on condition that
the person enroll in an alternative placement program approved by
the State Board of Education or declares the intention to seek
employment as a teacher at an accredited public school district in
this state. The certificate granted pursuant to this subsection
shall be considered a "valid certificate of qualification" for the
purposes of Sections 6-107 and 6-108 of this title, and the holder
of the certificate shall be considered an inductee for the purposes
of Section 6-195 of this title.
B. An alternative placement teaching certificate shall be
renewed for not more than a maximum of three (3) years upon
presentation of a document from an accredited public school district
in this state offering renewed employment in the same area of
specialization and a document from a teacher education institution
verifying satisfactory progress in an appropriate alternative
placement program.
C. Persons enrolled in an alternative placement program shall:
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 7
1. Have never been denied admittance to a teacher education
program approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and by the
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to offer teacher
education programs, nor have enrolled in and subsequently failed
courses necessary to successfully meet the minimum requirements of
the program, except those persons who hold a certificate;
2. Have on file with the director of teacher education at an
Oklahoma institution of higher education a plan for meeting standard
certification requirements within three (3) years; and
3. Participate in an induction program as required in Section
6-195 of this title and have the same duties and responsibilities as
other inductees.
D. The State Board of Education may grant an exception to the
requirements for certification and, upon demonstration by an
individual of specific competency in the subject area of
specialization, may grant a certificate to the individual. The
State Board may establish other requirements necessary to grant
exceptions.
E. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, may grant an
exception to the requirement to complete a subject area examination
for initial certification in a field which does not require an
advanced degree pursuant to this section if the candidate has an
advanced degree in a subject that is substantially comparable to the
content assessed on a subject area examination. The degree shall be
from an institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting
agency which is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department
of Education. The Commission shall provide the Board with the
necessary information to determine comparability.
F. Student teaching and a prestudent teaching field experience
shall not be required of alternative placement program participants
for standard certification.
G. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules
authorizing adjunct teachers who shall be persons with distinguished
qualifications in their field. Adjunct teachers shall not be
required to meet standard certification. A person employed as an
adjunct teacher pursuant to this subsection who does not hold a
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 8
valid certificate to teach shall not be considered a teacher as
defined by Section 1-116 of this title.
H. Each teacher education institution shall provide the
Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation an annual report of
information as specified by the Commission regarding participation
in the alternative placement programs offered by the institution.
I. The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation shall not
accredit, renew the accreditation of, or otherwise approve any
teacher education program of any institution of higher education in
this state that has not implemented alternative placement programs
in at least four areas of specialization including mathematics,
science and a foreign language. Each institution shall allow
individuals who meet the criteria of subsections A and C of this
section to be:
1. Admitted to an alternative placement program without further
qualification; and
2. Offered the opportunity to complete the requirements for
standard certification set forth in subsection A of this section
during the summer preceding and the summer following the first year
of teaching with an alternative placement teaching certificate. Any
person seeking standard certification through an alternative
placement program shall be permitted to take necessary courses
during regular semesters if offered.
J. The criteria specified in subsection I of this section can
be met through a cooperative arrangement entered into by two or more
institutions of higher education.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3076 Page 9
Passed the House of Representatives the 11th day of March, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the 4th day of May, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________