Idaho’s state Board of Education has voted unanimously to give preliminary approval to a new tiered certification system for teachers, opening the way for a public comment period and public hearing before final consideration of the rule in November. The new way of approaching teacher certification and licensing was developed as part of the governor’s education task force’s 20 recommendations for improving education in the state; the new licensing system would be tied to a new teacher pay system that would sharply increase Idaho teacher pay.

“This is a sea change in how we handle the certification of Idaho teachers,” said state Board President Emma Atchley.

However, the Idaho Education Association has opposed a key aspect of the new rule, Idaho Education News reports, arguing that a teacher’s license or certificate should not be dependent on educator evaluations performed at the local level. EdNews reporter Clark Corbin reports that IEA members have opposed the evaluations rule in committee meetings, but no one spoke against it as the state board considered it on Thursday.

Corbin reports that the new system essentially calls for two tiers of teacher certification. The first is a three-year, non-renewable residency certificate for teachers just starting out in the profession. The second is a professional certificate for teachers who have more than three years of experience and meet eligibility, student growth and performance standards. Within the professional tier, there are standard and master professional certificates. There’s also a contingent professional certificate for teachers who don’t meet all renewal requirements, and an interim certificate for teachers moving to Idaho from elsewhere. You can read Corbin’s full report here, and see the full state board rule here.