“Portfolio” is solid enough credential for Minn. teachers

In a December 31 ruling, district Judge Shawn Bartsh ruled that the Minnesota Board of Teaching broke the law when it stopped using its portfolio system to process applications for teaching licenses, according to a January 4 report from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.

In her ruling, Judge Bartsh rejected the board’s claim that the district court did not have jurisdiction over administrative decisions carried out by the board.

The administrative decision in question was the board opting to stop utilizing its portfolio system in 2012 – a system enacted into state law in 2008 – designed to make it more simplistic for out-of-state teachers to obtain licensure.

More specifically, the system allows applicants to submit a portfolio to demonstrate their competency for a teaching position in the state of Minnesota.

Without the portfolio system in place, teachers seeking to gain licensure in the state of Minnesota complained that the licensing process was too rigid, resulting in a plethora of lawsuit filed against the board.

Read more here.