LANSING – Teacher qualifications in Michigan may be tightened.

Licenses may be broken into tiers based on experience and performance and programs would have to meet national standards under a restructuring proposed by the state Department of Education.

Supporters say that restructuring would help ensure that college education programs are turning out graduates who meet the needs of the classroom.

“We’ve been pushing for this for a long time,” said Kathy Cummings, associate dean of education at Western Michigan University.

She was one of the first educators to recommend the plan to the Department of Education.

“Our university is seeking national accreditation and just waiting for the state to follow suit,” Cummings said.

The plan would provide a three-tiered system, with new teachers licensed as “initial,” more experienced teachers who completed a mentoring program licensed as “professional” and those with additional training licensed as “advanced professional.”

“We don’t want to just look at the courses teachers take, but how those courses affected them and their knowledge in their particular specialty,” Cummings said.

Cummings said the certification process would include data on past and present education students to assess where their education benefited them the most, where it needs improvement and how it can better fulfill student needs.

The proposal is still under discussion, and many education professionals are offering suggestions.

“In general, if there was a system that allowed teachers to be mentored, not working full days right out of school, that would be fantastic,” said David Hecker, president of the Michigan Federation of Teachers.

Although Hecker said he was unaware of the proposal’s specifics, he believes education colleges must constantly change and have a systematic process to fill holes in teacher preparation.

“Any accreditation program also needs to teach about diversity of students in all communities so teachers know how to reach students in all demographics,” Hecker said.

Cummings said the revamp is generally favored, adding that 12 of the state's 32 education colleges have indicated an interest in developing it.

However, there is concern about smaller, private institutions that might be unable to afford such large-scale revisions.

But Cummings said, “I think most larger universities would be willing to help private universities financially.”

There’s also concern that experience-based licensing will be a disadvantage for new teachers.

“We need to ensure that teachers’ rights are protected,” said Doug Pratt, communications director at the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest union of school employees.

“If assessment is based on a subjective basis, we need to ensure that there is not a bias or focus on certain disciplines and less on others.”