BOISE - Idaho's board of education unanimously approved a stricter teacher certification process with the promise of increased pay to make the new licensing plan more attractive to school officials.

The board voted Thursday to approve the rules after spending the past few months listening to hundreds of concerned teachers, parents and school administrators from across the state.

Under the new certification plan, commonly referred to as tiered licensure, beginning teachers with less than three years of experience will be required to a residency certificate. Teachers with more experience would go on to earn a professional certificate.

Board members amended the rules Thursday to remove a third level of certification along with new performance-based requirements for renewing professional certificates.

However, the plan to increase teacher pay, which is tied to the new certification process, has not yet been approved.