A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Board shall provide for the issuance of three-year licenses to qualified individuals to teach, either full time or part time, high school career and technical education courses in specific subject areas.

B. The Board shall issue a three-year license to teach high school career and technical education courses in a specific subject area to an individual who:

1. Submits an application to the Board, in the form prescribed by the Board, that includes a recommendation for such a license from the local school board;

2. Meets certain basic conditions for licensure as prescribed by the Board;

3. Meets one of the following requirements: (i) holds, at a minimum, a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education and has completed coursework in the career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach, (ii) holds the required professional license in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach, where applicable, or (iii) holds an industry certification credential, as that term is defined in § 22.1-298.1, in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach;

4. Has at least four years of full-time work experience or its equivalent in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach; and

5. If appropriate, has obtained qualifying scores on the communication and literacy professional teacher's assessment prescribed by the Board.

C. The employing school board shall assign a mentor to supervise an individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section during his first two years of teaching.

D. Except as otherwise provided in subsection E, any individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section may be granted subsequent three-year extensions of such license by the Board upon recommendation of the local school board.

E. Any individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section who completes (i) nine semester hours of specialized professional studies credit from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or (ii) an alternative course of professional studies proposed by the local school board and approved by the Department of Education shall be granted a three-year extension of such license by the Board and may be granted subsequent three-year extensions of such license by the Board upon recommendation of the local school board. Any such specialized professional studies credit or alternative course of professional studies may be completed through distance learning programs and shall include human growth and development; curriculum, instructional, and technology procedures; and classroom and behavior management.

F. No three-year license issued by the Board pursuant to this section shall be deemed a provisional license or a renewable license, as those terms are defined in § 22.1-298.1.

G. Individuals issued a three-year license pursuant to this section shall not be eligible for continuing contract status while teaching under such license and shall be subject to the probationary terms of employment specified in § 22.1-303.

H. The provisions of this article and of Board regulations governing the denial, suspension, cancellation, revocation, and reinstatement of licensure shall apply to three-year licenses issued pursuant to this section.

I. The Board shall report at least triennially to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health on the issuance of three-year licenses pursuant to this section by high school, local school division, and career and technical education subject area.

2016, cc. 642, 651; 2018, cc. 748, 749.