Nebraska State Register

Amend 92 NAC 51 (Special Education)

Amend 92 NAC 47 (Career Academy Programs)

Amend 92 NAC 89 (Distance Education)

Amend 92 NAC 20 (Educator Preparation Programs)

Amend 92 NAC 11 (Early Childhood Education Programs)

Amend 92 NAC 86 (Public School Breakfast Program Reimbursement)

Amend 92 NAC 8 (Community Achievement Plan Approval)

Amend 92 NAC 15 (English Learner Programs)

Amend 92 NAC 15 (English Learner Programs)

Amend 93 NAC 1-16 (Personnel Rules)

Amend 92 NAC 3 (High Ability Learners)

Repeal 92 NAC 26 (Mentor Teacher Program)

Repeal 92 NAC 25 (Excellence in Teaching Act)

Repeal 92 NAC 22 (Master Teacher Program)

Repeal 92 NAC 8 (School Finance and Budgeting)

Amend 92 NAC 3 (High Ability Learners)

Amend 92 NAC 24 (Certificate Endorsements). Chapter 24 is adopted pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 79-318, 79-805 through 79-815, and 79-1505 and changes made by the Legislature in section 69 of LB 1329 enacted in 2024. The purpose of the proposed revisions to Rule 24 is to address the educator shortage by removing barriers, ensure alternative pathways, align regulations with recent statutory changes, and general maintenance. The current version of Rule 24 was last updated June 2, 2024. Changes contained in the draft rule revision include: 1. Eliminate the identification of a singular company to be utilized for a content examination; 2. Eliminate the requirement of a content test to qualify for an endorsement; 3. Provide for additional pathways to earn additional endorsements as outlined in Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-810; 4. Eliminate requirement for additional student teaching requirements for applicants adding an endorsement; 5. Provide educator preparation programs the ability to reduce the total required credit hours for any teaching endorsement by up to fifty (50) percent based on demonstrated competency in the endorsement area; 6. Eliminate redundancy of the two years of teaching experience requirement as 92NAC21 requires two years of teaching experience to qualify for an administrative certificate; 7. Add Computer Science endorsement; 8. Clarify semester hour requirements for Special Education Generalist endorsement to reflect endorsement hours needed in special education content; 9. Adjust regulations allowing for undergraduate semester hours to be accepted toward a Special Education Early Childhood endorsement; 10. Adjust semester hour requirements for the Special Education Early Intervention Specialist endorsement; and 11. Add designated endorsements section to comply with Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-810.

Amend 92 NAC 21 (Educator Certification). Chapter 21 is adopted pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 79-318, 79-807 through 79-816.01, and 79-8,145 through 79-8,145.01 and changes made by the Legislature in section 4 through 6, of LB 298 enacted in 2023, section 87 and 88 of LB 705 enacted in 2023, and section 69 through 71 of LB 1329 enacted in 2024. The purpose of the proposed revisions to Rule 21 is to address the educator shortage by removing barriers, ensuring alternative pathways, retaining quality, simplifying the educator certification regulations, and aligning regulations with recent statutory changes. The current version of Rule 21 was last updated February 18, 2024. Changes contained in the draft rule revision include: 1. Section 002.08, 002.13, and 002.30, add definitions to operationalize Neb. Rev. Stat. 1505, Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact; 2. Section 003.01, elimination of transcripts from Nebraska standard institutions of higher education when a certification officer provides a recommendation to the Department for the purpose of certification; 3. Section 004.06 and 004.07, provides for equivalent professional development to be considered toward renewal requirements of administrative certificates while also simplifying the renewal requirements, making no distinction to the length of time the certificate has expired; 4. Section 005.04, 005.09, and the elimination of 005.10, provides for equivalent professional development to be considered toward renewal requirements of regular teaching certificates while also simplifying the renewal requirements, making no distinction to the length of time the certificate has expired; 5. 005.10 through 005.12, simplifies the alternative program teaching permit from seven pathways to one inclusive pathway; 6. Section 005.13 through 005.15, operationalizes the alternative teaching certificate as identified in Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-8,145.01; 7. Section 005.26, aligns the credit hour requirement for local substitute permit holders to an equivalent level required for a temporary certificate as outlined in Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-8,145; 8. Section 005.28 through 005.30, creates a Paraprofessional Substitute Teaching Permit allowing paraprofessionals who hold this permit the ability to substitute teach with a limited scope of practice; 9. 005.26 through 005.30, eliminates the Nebraska Entry Teaching Permit as the permit type does not provide any additional flexibility given the combination of revisions made to this chapter; 10. Section 006, revisions made to align temporary certificates to Neb. Rev. Stat.79-808 and

92 NAC 4 (Textbook Loans w/o nonsectarian). The purpose of the proposed revisions to Rule 4 is to set forth the procedures for the Commissioner of Education to loan textbooks to private school children in response to the changes made in Section 80 of LB705 enacted in 2023.

Amend 92 NAC 28 (Professional Practices) and Repeal 92 NAC 29 (Professional Practices)