A. The department shall require a person seeking licensure or reciprocity in elementary, special, early childhood or secondary education to have completed the following minimum requirements in the college of arts and sciences:

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(1)     nine semester hours in communication;

(2)     six semester hours in mathematics;

(3)     eight semester hours in laboratory science;

(4)     nine semester hours in social and behavioral science; and

(5)     nine semester hours in humanities and fine arts.

B. In addition to the requirements specified in Subsections A and C of this section, the department shall require that a person seeking standard or alternative elementary licensure shall have completed six hours of reading courses, and a person seeking standard or alternative secondary licensure shall have completed three hours of reading courses in subject matter content. The department shall establish requirements that provide a reasonable period of time to comply with the provisions of this subsection.

C. Except for licensure by reciprocity, the department shall require, prior to initial licensure, no less than sixteen weeks of student teaching, a portion of which shall occur in the first thirty credit hours taken in the college of education and shall be under the direct supervision of a teacher and a portion of which shall occur in the student’s senior year with the student teacher being directly responsible for the classroom.

D. Nothing in this section shall preclude the department from establishing or accepting equivalent requirements for purposes of reciprocal licensure or minimum requirements for alternative licensure.

E. Vocational teacher preparatory programs may be exempt from Subsections A through C of this section upon a determination by the department that other licensure requirements are more appropriate for vocational teacher preparatory programs.

F. Before December 31, 2021, the department shall create a license endorsement in secondary computer science available to all teachers who hold a valid license and demonstrate sufficient content knowledge in computer science as determined by the department. The department shall consult with computer science education experts with experience in creating or supporting computer science endorsement pathways when developing computer science endorsement requirements.