Teacher Certification and Preparation The “Do’s” and “Don’ts”

2. Teacher Certification and Preparation The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” July 27, 2006 Terry Rinaudo, Program Consultant Blanche Adams, Program Consultant

3. Out-of-State Applicants: The Do’s: • Verify teaching experience prior to informing applicant that he/she will qualify for PRAXIS exclusion. • Inform applicant that he/she must apply for LaTAAP exclusion within the first six weeks of employment. • Inform applicant that if he/she does not have thirty (30) semester hours or a master’s degree as a pure content area that he/she must complete the PRAXIS content area exam to meet NCLB guidelines for Highly Qualified “HQ.” • Do require the applicant to submit a copy of a teaching certificate from the state in which he/she completed the education program.

4. Out-of-State Applicants Continued: The Don’ts • Don’t assume that the applicant has four successful years of teaching experience. Encourage them to get verification of their out-of-state experience as soon as possible. • Don’t assume that the applicant will be “HQ” in all teaching areas on their OS certificate. • Don’t assume that an applicant who is certified in educational leadership in another state will automatically qualify for the same endorsement in Louisiana. • Don’t request a renewal of an OS certificate; the certificate is valid for three years only.

5. Experience Verification Form: The Do’s • List all teaching experience on the application form; this includes teaching experience in another parish, in another state, and in a private school system. • List all inclusive years of experience on application form, e.g. 1996-2006. • Verify grade level and subject taught, e.g. 8th grade social studies. • Be specific when verifying administrative experience, e.g. principal, supervisor of either instruction or curriculum, assistant superintendent, etc.

6. Experience Verification Form Continued: The Don’ts • Don’t list total number of years taught, e.g. 20. • Don’t list general subjects, e.g. middle grades; more specificity is needed. • Don’t submit an experience verification form that has not been signed by the personnel director/superintendent or authorized designee.

7. Foreign Applicants: The Do’s • Have the applicant request a course-by-course evaluation from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), Office of International Education Services. • Inform the applicant of the NCLB guidelines to obtain “HQ” status.

8. Certification Add-On’s, Extensions & Renewals: The Do’s • Submit official transcripts for all endorsement and degree additions. • Be specific in your request to add additional teaching endorsements to a teaching certificate. • Submit experience verification form when requesting a higher level certificate, student teaching or internship waiver, or PRAXIS exclusion. • Do submit court documents when an applicant indicates that he/she has had a previous criminal conviction.

9. Certification Add-On’s, Extensions, & Renewals Continued: The Don’ts • Do not submit applicant’s original PRAXIS/NTE score report if the scores appear on Teach Louisiana. • Do not presume that an additional endorsement will be added to a certificate with the addition of a master’s degree. • When requesting a +30 endorsement, have the dean of the graduate school verify all coursework that was a part of the master’s degree program. • Do not use the Change of Action form to renew an Ancillary certificate, use the ancillary form for this transaction.

10. Extensions of Level 2 & 3 Certificates: • A teacher must complete 150 continuing learning units (CLUs) of district-approved professional development over the five (5) year time period during which he/she holds the certificate. The Louisiana employing authority must request renewal of a Level 2 or Level 3 certificate. • University credit may be accepted to fulfill part of the CLU requirement. One three semester hour course equals 45 CLUs of professional development.

11. Extensions of Level 2 & 3 Certificates continued: • A teacher with an existing Level 2 or 3 certificate may renew that certificate based upon completion of NBC during the period of certificate validity, as satisfaction in full of the 150 CLUs required for renewal. • If the teacher holding a Level 2 or 3 certificate has not earned the required 150 CLUs of professional development, the certificate may be reactivated upon request of the employing authority for a period of one year, during which time the certificate holder must complete the required 150 CLUs. Failure to complete necessary CLUs during the one-year reactivation period will result in an expired certificate that cannot be reinstated until evidence is provided of completed professional development requirements.

12. PRAXIS Requirements: • PRAXIS/NTE scores are required for all out-of-state applicants with less than four years of teaching experience from another state. • The Professional Knowledge exam of the NTE is not acceptable to add a teaching level or area to an existing teaching certificate. • Original PRAXIS/NTE scores are not required if an individual’s scores are listed on Teach Louisiana.

13. Proposed Changes for PRAXIS: Effective September 1, 1006: An ACT composite score of 22 or a SAT combined verbal and math score of 1030 may be used in lieu of PPST exams.

14. PRAXIS Updates • Early Childhood Education Exam (#0020) will be retired August 2007 by ETS • PPST to CBT - Praxis I PPST paper administrations will be reduced from seven administration per testing year to four administrations beginning with the 2006-2007 testing year. The administration dates are as follows: November 18, 2006 January 13, 2007 April 28, 2007 August 4, 2007 • Praxis Information and Registration Bulletins will be replaced by a PDF Information Bulletin

15. Temporary Authority to Teach Certificates (TATs) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has approved new guidelines relative to the issuance of initial TAT certificates. • Applicant must have passing scores on PRAXIS PPST: Reading & Writing exams and at least a 2.00 GPA prior to the issuance of a TAT certificate. • Upon completion of the three (3) years of employment on this certificate, for continued employment as a teacher in a Louisiana school system, the holder must fulfill guidelines for a Practitioner License or a higher-level certificate.

16. On Every TAT Application... The school district personnel director or superintendent must verify that good faith efforts for recruiting certified personnel have been made, including posting the position for which a TAT is requested on the Teach Louisiana Recruitment Center (www.teachlouisiana.net); that there is no regularly certified, competent, and suitable person available for this position and that the TAT applicant is the best qualified person for employment in the position.

17. Conditions for Issuance of TAT Certificates: Condition 1: Individual who graduates from a teacher preparation program, but does not pass all required Praxis exams Condition 2: Individual who applies for admission to a Practitioner teacher or other alternate program, but (a) does not pass the Praxis examinations required for admission to the program, and/or (b) does not have the required 2.20 GPA for admission to an alternate program Condition 3: Individual who is hired after the start of an available alternate certification program Condition 4: Individual who has a minimum of a 2.35 GPA on a 4.00 scale and has completed all other requirements for certification

18. TAT Renewals • November 1st is the TAT Renewal deadline date. • 2006-2007 TAT 2’s and TAT 3’s will continue to be issued to a teacher if they did not pass the Praxis PPST: Reading and Writing exams.

19. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATION Individuals who are attempting to add Principal, Supervisor of Instruction, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, Superintendent, etc. will have until December 31, 2008 to complete guidelines to add this endorsement their teaching certificate. NOTE:Universities will not be able to accept anyone into an “old” graduate program after June 30, 2006.

20. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP TITLE EQUIVALENCIES:

21. EQUIVALENCIES Continued:

22. “Old” Post-Baccalaureate Alternate Programs • August 31, 2006 — last date for post-bacc candidates in early childhood education (nursery/kindergarten), elementary (grades 1-8), secondary (grades 7-12), and mild/moderate special education to complete their programs. • August 31, 2008 — last date for post-bacc candidates in the all-level (K-12) areas of art, dance, foreign language, health and physical education, and music to complete their programs. • August 31, 2009 — last date for post-bacc candidates in the areas of early interventionist, hearing impaired, severe/profound, and visual impairments/blind to complete their programs.

23. Practitioner License Updates: Upon completion of three years on any PL, for continued employment in a Louisiana school system, the individual must meet requirements for a Level 1or higher-level certificate. PL1 (Practitioner Teacher Program) • The End-of-Year Status Form is no longer required for renewal or upgrade to a Level 1. • Grades PK-3 certification level has been approved as an option for the Practitioner Teacher Program. PL2 and PL3 (Non-Master’s and Master’s Alternate Programs) Candidates affected by the Hurricanes of 2005 may be granted one additional renewal year with documentation of their inability to complete requirements within the prescribed three years. PL4 (OId Post-Baccalaureate Alternate Program) 2006-2007 licenses will be issued in the all-level (K-12) areas of art, dance, foreign languages, health and physical education, and music. Licenses will also be issued in the areas of early interventionist, hearing impaired, severe/profound, and visual impairments/blind.

24. Practitioner License Updates Continued: PL2 (Non-Master’s/Certification-Only Program) Internship or Student Teaching • If the PL2 candidate has accumulated three (3) years of successful teaching experience in an approved Louisiana school in the area(s) of certification, the university may substitute the three (3) years of successful teaching experience for the requiredinternship or studentteaching portion of the program. Experience accumulated by elementary education certification candidates must be in core content areas at appropriate grade levels. Successful experience is determined by the following: • Recommendation for certification from the most recent employing school district; • Verification of assessment results: • In the case of a public school candidate, successfully complete the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program (LaTAAP); • In the case of a nonpublic school candidate, provide evidence of successful completion of a teacher assessment program.

25. Temporary Employment Permit (TEP) • Upon completion of the three (3) years of employment on this certificate, for continued employment in a Louisiana school system, the holder must fulfill guidelines for a Level 1 or higher-level certificate. • Renewal Requirements: An individual can be reissued a permit two (2) times only if evidence is presented that the required exam has been re-taken twice within one (1) yearfrom the date the permit was last issued. • NOTE: TEPs issued during 2005-2006 SY were advised in feedback letters - to renew must retake the exam once. If a TEP renewal applicant has only taken the exam once, Teacher Certification and Preparation will honor what we advised these individuals to do for 2006-2007 renewal.

26. All information contained in this presentation may be found at: www.teachlouisiana.net, orwww.louisianaschools.net,orhttp://pdbb.doe.state.la.us Teacher Certification and Preparation contact information: (225) 342-3490