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AN ACT relating to teacher certification. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
ď˘Section 1. KRS 161.048 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that: 4
(a) 1. There are persons who have distinguished themselves through a variety 5
of work and educational experiences that could enrich teaching in 6
Kentucky schools; 7
2. There are distinguished scholars who wish to become teachers in 8
Kentucky's public schools, but who did not pursue a teacher preparation 9
program; 10
3. There are persons who should be recruited to teach in Kentucky's public 11
schools as they have academic majors, strong verbal skills as shown by 12
a verbal ability test, and deep knowledge of content, characteristics that 13
empirical research identifies as important attributes of quality teachers; 14
4. There are persons who need to be recruited to teach in Kentucky schools 15
to meet the diverse cultural and educational needs of students; and 16
5. There should be alternative procedures to the traditional teacher 17
preparation programs that qualify persons as teachers; 18
(b) There are hereby established alternative certification program options as 19
described in subsections (2) to (10) of this section; 20
(c) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Education Professional 21
Standards Board inform scholars, persons with exceptional work experience, 22
and persons with diverse backgrounds who have potential as teachers of these 23
options and assist local boards of education in implementing these options and 24
recruitment of individuals who can enhance the education system in 25
Kentucky; 26
(d) The Education Professional Standards Board may reject the application of any 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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candidate who is judged as not meeting academic requirements comparable to 1
those for students enrolled in Kentucky teacher preparation programs; and 2
(e) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative 3
regulations establishing standards and procedures for the alternative 4
certification options described in this section. If the certification option 5
requires employment prior to certification, the procedures shall establish a 6
process for candidates to obtain an eligible for hire letter from the Education 7
Professional Standards Board. 8
(2) Option 1: Certification of a person with exceptional work experience. An individual 9
who has exceptional work experience and has been offered employment in a local 10
school district shall receive a one (1) year provisional certificate with approval by 11
the Education Professional Standards Board of a joint application by the individual 12
and the employing school district under the following conditions: 13
(a) The application contains documentation of all education and work experience; 14
(b) The candidate has documented exceptional work experience in the area in 15
which certification is being sought; and 16
(c) The candidate possesses: 17
1. A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; 18
2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 19
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point 20
average of three (3.0) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) 21
hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate 22
coursework from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary 23
institution; and 24
3. An academic major or a passing score on the academic content 25
assessment in the area in which certification is being sought by the 26
applicant as designated by the Education Professional Standards Board. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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The candidate shall participate in the teacher internship program under KRS 1
161.030. After successful completion of the internship program, the candidate shall 2
receive a professional certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal 3
requirements the same as other teachers with a professional certificate. 4
(3) Option 2: Certification through a local school district training program. A local 5
school district or group of school districts may seek approval for a training 6
program. The state-approved local school district training program is an alternative 7
to the college teacher preparation program as a means of acquiring teacher 8
certification for a teacher at any grade level. The training program may be offered 9
for all teaching certificates approved by the Education Professional Standards 10
Board, including interdisciplinary early childhood education, except for specific 11
certificates for teachers of exceptional children. To participate in a state-approved 12
local school district alternative training program, the candidate shall possess: 13
(a) A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; 14
(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 15
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average 16
of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit 17
completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a 18
nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; 19
(c) A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 20
certification is being sought by the applicant as designated by the Education 21
Professional Standards Board. To be eligible to take an academic content 22
assessment, the applicant shall have completed a thirty (30) hour major in the 23
academic content area or five (5) years of experience in the academic content 24
area as approved by the Education Professional Standards Board; and 25
(d) An offer of employment in a school district which has a training program 26
approved by the Education Professional Standards Board. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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Upon meeting the participation requirements as established in this subsection, the 1
candidate shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate by the Education 2
Professional Standards Board. The candidate shall participate in the teacher 3
internship program under KRS 161.030. After successful completion of the 4
internship program, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall 5
be subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a 6
professional certificate. 7
(4) Option 3: Certification of a professional from a postsecondary institution: A 8
candidate who possesses the following qualifications may receive a one (1) year 9
provisional certificate for teaching at any level: 10
(a) A master's degree or doctoral degree in the academic content area for which 11
certification is sought; 12
(b) A minimum of five (5) years of full-time teaching experience, or its 13
equivalent, in the academic content area for which certification is sought in a 14
regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher education; and 15
(c) An offer of employment in a school district which has been approved by the 16
Education Professional Standards Board. 17
The candidate shall participate in the teacher internship program under KRS 18
161.030. After successful completion of the internship program, the candidate shall 19
receive a professional certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal 20
requirements the same as other teachers with professional certificates. 21
(5) Option 4: Certification of an adjunct instructor. A person who has expertise in areas 22
such as art, music, foreign language, drama, science, computer science, and other 23
specialty areas may be employed as an adjunct instructor in a part-time position by 24
a local board of education under KRS 161.046. 25
(6) Option 5: Certification of a veteran of the Armed Forces. The Education 26
Professional Standards Board shall issue a statement of eligibility, valid for five (5) 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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years, for teaching at the elementary, secondary, and secondary career technical 1
education levels to a veteran of the Armed Forces who was honorably discharged 2
from active duty as evidenced by Defense Department Form 214 (DD 214) or 3
National Guard Bureau Form 22 or to a member of the Armed Services currently 4
serving with six (6) or more years of honorable service, including Reserves, 5
National Guard, or active duty. The candidate shall possess: 6
(a) A bachelor's degree or graduate degree; 7
(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 8
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average 9
of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit 10
completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a 11
nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; and 12
(c) An academic major or a passing score on the academic content assessment in 13
the area in which certification is being sought by the applicant as designated 14
by the Education Professional Standards Board. 15
Upon an offer of employment by a school district, the eligible veteran shall receive 16
a one (1) year provisional certificate with approval by the Education Professional 17
Standards Board of a joint application by the veteran and the employing school 18
district. During this year, the veteran shall participate in the teacher internship 19
program under KRS 161.030. After successful completion of the internship 20
program, the veteran shall receive a professional certificate. 21
(7) Option 6: University alternative program. With approval of the Education 22
Professional Standards Board, a university may provide an alternative program that 23
enrolls students in a postbaccalaureate teacher preparation program concurrently 24
with employment as a teacher in a local school district. A student in the alternative 25
program shall be granted a one (1) year provisional certificate and shall participate 26
in the Kentucky teacher internship program, notwithstanding provisions of KRS 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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161.030. A student may not participate in the internship program until the student 1
has successfully completed the assessments required by the board. The one (1) year 2
provisional certificate may be renewed four (4) additional years, and shall be 3
contingent upon the candidate's continued enrollment in the preparation program 4
and compliance with all requirements established by the board. A professional 5
certificate shall be issued upon the teacher candidate's successful completion of the 6
program, the internship program requirements, and all academic content 7
assessments in the specific teaching field of the applicant as designated by the 8
Education Professional Standards Board. 9
(8) Option 7: Certification of a person in a field other than education to teach in 10
elementary, middle, or secondary programs. This option shall not be limited to 11
teaching in shortage areas. An individual certified under provisions of this 12
subsection shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate, renewable for a 13
maximum of four (4) additional years with approval of the Education Professional 14
Standards Board. 15
(a) The candidate shall possess: 16
1. A bachelor's degree with a declared academic major in the area in which 17
certification is sought or a graduate degree in a field related to the area 18
in which certification is sought; and 19
2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 20
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point 21
average of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours 22
of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework 23
from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution[; 24
3. A passing score on the GRE or equivalent as designated by the 25
Education Professional Standards Board. A candidate who has a 26
terminal degree shall be exempt from the requirements of this 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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subparagraph; and 1
4. A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 2
certification is being sought as designated by the Education Professional 3
Standards Board]. 4
(b) Upon meeting the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection and 5
enrolling in an approved institute, the Education Professional Standards 6
Board shall issue the candidate a[Prior to receiving the] one (1) year 7
provisional certificate.[ or] During the first year of the certificate, the teacher 8
shall complete the following: 9
1. For elementary teaching, the individual shall successfully complete [the 10
equivalent of ]a two hundred forty (240) hour institute that is an 11
equivalent of[, based on] six (6) hour days for eight (8) weeks. The 12
providers and the content of the institute shall be approved by the 13
Education Professional Standards Board. The content shall include 14
research-based teaching strategies in reading and math, research on child 15
and adolescent growth, knowledge of individual differences, including 16
teaching exceptional children, and methods of classroom management. 17
2. For middle and secondary teaching, the individual shall successfully 18
complete [the equivalent of ]a one hundred eighty (180) hour institute 19
that is an equivalent of[, based on] six (6) hour days for six (6) weeks. 20
The providers and the content of the institute shall be approved by the 21
Education Professional Standards Board and shall include research-22
based teaching strategies, research on child and adolescent growth, 23
knowledge of individual differences, including teaching exceptional 24
children, and methods of classroom management. 25
(c) The candidate shall participate in the teacher internship program under KRS 26
161.030. After successful completion of the internship program and obtaining 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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a passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 1
certification is being sought, the candidate shall receive a professional 2
certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as 3
other teachers with a professional certificate. 4
(9) Option 8: Certification of a Teach for America participant to teach in elementary, 5
middle, or high schools. Nothing in this subsection shall conflict with the 6
participation criteria of the Teach for America program. An individual certified 7
under this subsection shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate. 8
(a) The candidate shall possess: 9
1. An offer of employment from a local school district; 10
2. A bachelor's degree; 11
3. A successful completion of the summer training institute and ongoing 12
professional development required by Teach for America, including 13
instruction in goal-oriented, standards-based instruction, diagnosing and 14
assessing students, lesson planning and instructional delivery, classroom 15
management, maximizing learning for diverse students, and teaching 16
methodologies; and 17
4. A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 18
certification is being sought as designated by the Education Professional 19
Standards Board. 20
(b) The provisional certificate granted under paragraph (a) of this subsection may 21
be renewed two (2) times with a recommendation of the superintendent and 22
approval of the Education Professional Standards Board. 23
(c) A Teach for America participant who is approved for a second renewal of his 24
or her provisional certificate under paragraph (b) of this subsection may 25
participate in the teacher internship program under KRS 161.030. 26
(d) A Teach for America participant shall be issued a professional certificate 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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upon the participant's successful completion of the internship program and 1
assessments relating to teaching of subject matter required by the Education 2
Professional Standards Board under KRS 161.030. 3
(e) Notwithstanding any statute or administrative regulation to the contrary, a 4
teacher certified under this subsection shall have ten (10) years from the date 5
that the teacher successfully completed the internship program to complete a 6
master's degree or fifth year program, or the equivalent as specified by the 7
Education Professional Standards Board in administrative regulation. 8
(10) Option 9: Expedited certification of a person to teach at any grade level through a 9
cooperative program. With approval of the Education Professional Standards 10
Board, a college or university may partner with a school district to develop an 11
expedited certification program that results in a bachelor's degree and initial 12
certification within three (3) school years. 13
(a) The program shall: 14
1. Include a residency or paraprofessional component which employs the 15
person within the participating district for the duration of the program to 16
gain work experience to supplement the expedited program and reduced 17
coursework; 18
2. Utilize experienced teachers employed by the district to provide 19
coaching and to mentor the candidates; and 20
3. Be designed to meet the needs of the participating district and may 21
include an emphasis in developing a teacher pipeline for the district's 22
students, improving the numbers of underrepresented populations 23
among the district's workforce, or focusing on increasing the number of 24
teachers with certification areas that are in high demand. 25
(b) A school district entering into a cooperative partnership shall ensure the 26
availability of funding for each candidate employed within the district in the 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2221
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residency or paraprofessional program for the duration of the candidate's 1
participation in the program. However, nothing in this subsection shall be 2
interpreted as requiring the district to continue employing the candidate 3
during the program or after the candidate has received initial certification. 4
(c) A person who has begun a traditional path or another option for certification 5
shall be eligible to transfer into this option if the person meets the program's 6
requirements. 7
(d) If a school district participating in a cooperative partnership determines to end 8
the partnership, the district shall no longer accept new candidates to the 9
program but shall continue the partnership until the district's employed 10
candidates for Option 9 certification complete the program or are no longer 11
employed by the district. 12
(11) A public school teacher certified under subsections (2) to (10) of this section shall 13
be placed on the local district salary schedule for the rank corresponding to the 14
degree held by the teacher. 15
(12) Subsections (1) to (3) of this section notwithstanding, a candidate who possesses 16
the following qualifications may receive certification for teaching programs for 17
exceptional students: 18
(a) An out-of-state license to teach exceptional students; 19
(b) A bachelor's or master's degree in the certification area or closely related area 20
for which certification is sought; and 21
(c) Successful completion of the teacher internship program requirement required 22
under KRS 161.030. 23