168.025.  Teacher externships, requirements — rulemaking authority — sunset provision. — 1.  For purposes of this section, "teacher externship" means an experience in which a teacher, supervised by his or her school or school district, gains practical experience at a business located in Missouri through observation and interaction with employers and employees.

  2.  The department of economic development and the department of elementary and secondary education shall develop and recommend:

  (1)  Requirements for teacher externships that can be considered the equivalent of the completion of credit hours in graduate-level courses for purposes of salary schedules; and

  (2)  An equivalency schedule that sets forth the number of credit hours in graduate-level courses that shall be considered equivalent to and awarded for each type of teacher externship.  To classify teacher externships and determine the number of credit hours that would be appropriate for each type, the length of the teacher externship, the practical experience gained, or any other factor deemed relevant may be considered.

  3.  The department of economic development and the department of elementary and secondary education shall adopt and publish on their websites, before July 1, 2020, requirements for teacher externships that can be considered the equivalent of the completion of credit hours in graduate-level courses for purposes of salary schedules and an equivalency schedule as described in subsection 2 of this section.  Any teacher externship that meets the published requirements shall be known as and considered a certified teacher externship for purposes of this section.

  4.  If a school district or charter school uses a salary schedule in which a teacher receives a higher salary if he or she has earned credit hours in graduate-level courses, the school district or charter school shall consider any teacher who has completed a certified teacher externship to have completed credit hours in graduate-level courses on its salary schedule in the manner prescribed by the equivalency schedule developed under this section and compensate the teacher accordingly.

  5.  The department of elementary and secondary education and the department of economic development may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.  Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028.  This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable, and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2019, shall be invalid and void.

  6.  Under section 23.253 of the Missouri sunset act:

  (1)  The provisions of the new program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset five years after August 28, 2019, unless reauthorized by an act of the general assembly;

  (2)  If such program is reauthorized, the program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset ten years after the effective date of the reauthorization of this section; and

  (3)  This section shall terminate on September first of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the program authorized under this section is sunset.