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AN ACT relating to teachers. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 161.030 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) Notwithstanding the age of the pupil, the certification of all teachers and other 4
school personnel, in public schools only, is vested in the Education Professional 5
Standards Board. When so certified, teachers and other school personnel shall not 6
be required to have licensure, certification, or other forms of approval from any 7
other state agency for the performance of their respective assignments within the 8
system of public schools, except as provided for by law. All certificates authorized 9
under KRS 161.010 to 161.126 shall be issued in accordance with the 10
administrative regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board.[ After 11
July 15, 1994,] All certificate applications and other data collection instruments of 12
the board shall include a request for voluntary information about the applicant's 13
ethnic background. This information shall be available to help local school districts 14
locate minority candidates. A person who holds a certificate prior to this 15
requirement may request that ethnic information be added to his or her file. Nothing 16
in this section shall preclude the right of an individual in a nonpublic school from 17
seeking voluntary certification by the Education Professional Standards Board. 18
(2) Certificates shall be issued upon written application and in accordance with statutes 19
and regulations in effect at the time of application to persons who have completed, 20
at colleges, universities, or local school district programs approved by the 21
Education Professional Standards Board for the preparation of teachers and other 22
school personnel, the curricula prescribed by the administrative regulations of the 23
Education Professional Standards Board. 24
(3) [(a) ]Certification of all new teachers and teachers seeking additional certification 25
shall require the successful completion of appropriate and approved teacher 26
preparation programs[assessments] prior to certification.[ The assessments shall be 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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selected by the Education Professional Standards Board and shall measure 1
knowledge in the specific teaching field of the applicant, including content of the 2
field and teaching of that content. The Education Professional Standards Board 3
shall determine the minimum acceptable level of achievement on each assessment. 4
The assessments shall measure those concepts, ideas, and facts which are being 5
taught in teacher education programs in Kentucky.] Upon successful completion of 6
an[the assessments and the] approved teacher preparation program, a professional 7
certificate valid for five (5) years shall be issued. 8
[(b) If an applicant for teacher certification has completed the approved teacher 9
preparation program and has taken but failed to successfully complete the 10
appropriate assessments selected by the Education Professional Standards 11
Board, a conditional certificate may be issued for a period not to exceed one 12
(1) year. The employing school district, in collaboration with the teacher 13
education institution, shall provide technical assistance and mentoring support 14
to the conditionally certified teacher. The teacher shall retake the assessments 15
during the validity period of the conditional certificate. The conditional 16
certificate shall not be reissued. Upon successful completion of the required 17
assessments, a professional certificate valid for five (5) years shall be issued. 18
The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative 19
regulations to establish the standards and procedures for issuance of a 20
conditional certificate. 21
(c) If an out-of-state teacher with less than two (2) years' experience comes to 22
Kentucky after the deadline for taking the assessments, a temporary certificate 23
may be issued for a period up to six (6) months. The teacher shall take the 24
assessments during the period of the temporary certificate. If the teacher fails 25
the assessments, the temporary certificate shall be valid only for the current 26
semester. If the teacher passes the assessments, a professional certificate valid 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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for five (5) years shall be issued. 1
(4) A reasonable fee to be paid by the teacher and directly related to the actual cost of 2
the administration of the assessments shall be established by the Education 3
Professional Standards Board. Provisions shall be made for persons having less than 4
minimum levels of performance on any assessment to repeat that assessment, and 5
candidates shall be informed of their strengths and weaknesses in the specific 6
performance areas. The Education Professional Standards Board shall provide for 7
confidentiality of the individual assessment scores. Scores shall be available only to 8
the candidate and to the education officials who are responsible for determining 9
whether established certification standards have been met. Scores shall be used only 10
in the assessment for certification of new teachers and of out-of-state teachers with 11
less than two (2) years of teaching experience who are seeking initial certification 12
in Kentucky.] 13
(4)[(5)] If an applicant establishes eligibility for a five (5) year professional certificate 14
under[ the provisions of] subsection (3)[(3)(a)] of this section, the applicant shall 15
also be eligible for the issuance of a certificate for substitute teaching as provided 16
by the administrative regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board. 17
(5)[(6)] (a) The Education Professional Standards Board shall issue a ten (10) year 18
emeritus certificate to an applicant who has: 19
1. Retired or will retire not more than one (1) year prior to the expiration 20
date of the certificate; 21
2. Met the requirements to receive an emeritus certificate as set forth in 22
administrative regulation promulgated by the Education Professional 23
Standards Board; and 24
3. Completed the required application unless the provisions of KRS 25
161.120 apply. 26
(b) The Education Professional Standards Board shall issue a one (1) time five (5) 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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year exception certificate to an individual: 1
1. Whose certificate has expired; 2
2. Whose rank upon expiration was Rank I or Rank II; 3
3. Who has met the requirements to receive an exception certificate as set 4
forth in administrative regulation promulgated by the Education 5
Professional Standards Board; 6
4. Who completed three (3) years of classroom instruction prior to the 7
certificate's expiration; and 8
5. Who has completed the required application unless the provisions of 9
KRS 161.120 apply. 10
(6)[(7)] The Education Professional Standards Board shall approve the curricula of 11
any college or university, or of any department thereof, for the training of teachers, 12
and any nontraditional or alternative teacher preparation program offered in a 13
public or private postsecondary education institution, private contractor, or state 14
agency, and shall also approve the curricula of any local district alternative 15
certification program, when the curricula comply with the administrative 16
regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board for the issuance of 17
certificates and when the institution has met the terms and conditions provided in 18
KRS 161.010 to 161.120. Any student who has completed any of these curricula, as 19
approved by the Education Professional Standards Board, and who has completed 20
the prescribed requirements for the issuance of certificates shall be granted a 21
certificate corresponding to the curricula completed. 22
(7)[(8)] The issuance of any certificate, except emergency certificates issued pursuant 23
to KRS 161.100, by the Education Professional Standards Board shall not be 24
dependent upon an offer of employment. The certification process, except for 25
emergency certificates, is independent of any job prospects and certification shall 26
be awarded on the basis of completing a teacher preparation program or an 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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alternative certification pathway[ and passing required assessments]. 1
Section 2. KRS 161.048 is amended to read as follows: 2
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that: 3
(a) 1. There are persons who have distinguished themselves through a variety 4
of work and educational experiences that could enrich teaching in 5
Kentucky schools; 6
2. There are distinguished scholars who wish to become teachers in 7
Kentucky's public schools, but who did not pursue a teacher preparation 8
program; 9
3. There are persons who should be recruited to teach in Kentucky's public 10
schools as they have academic majors, strong verbal skills as shown by 11
a verbal ability test, and deep knowledge of content, characteristics that 12
empirical research identifies as important attributes of quality teachers; 13
4. There are persons who need to be recruited to teach in Kentucky schools 14
to meet the diverse cultural and educational needs of students; and 15
5. There should be alternative procedures to the traditional teacher 16
preparation programs that qualify persons as teachers; 17
(b) There are hereby established alternative certification program options as 18
described in subsections (2) to (10) of this section; 19
(c) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Education Professional 20
Standards Board inform scholars, persons with exceptional work experience, 21
and persons with diverse backgrounds who have potential as teachers of these 22
options and assist local boards of education in implementing these options and 23
recruitment of individuals who can enhance the education system in 24
Kentucky; 25
(d) The Education Professional Standards Board may reject the application of any 26
candidate who is judged as not meeting academic requirements comparable to 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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those for students enrolled in Kentucky teacher preparation programs; and 1
(e) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative 2
regulations establishing standards and procedures for the alternative 3
certification options described in this section. If the certification option 4
requires employment prior to certification, the procedures shall establish a 5
process for candidates to obtain an eligible for hire letter from the Education 6
Professional Standards Board. 7
(2) Option 1: Certification of a person with exceptional work experience. An individual 8
who has exceptional work experience shall receive a one (1) year provisional 9
certificate with approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an 10
application by the individual under the following conditions: 11
(a) The application contains documentation of all education and work experience; 12
(b) The candidate has documented exceptional work experience in the area in 13
which certification is being sought; and 14
(c) The candidate possesses: 15
1. A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; 16
2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 17
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point 18
average of three (3.0) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) 19
hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate 20
coursework from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary 21
institution; and 22
3. An academic major [or a passing score on the academic content 23
assessment in the area ]in which certification is being sought by the 24
applicant as designated by the Education Professional Standards Board. 25
After successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the 26
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be 1
subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a 2
professional certificate. 3
(3) Option 2: Certification through a local school district training program. A local 4
school district or group of school districts may seek approval for a training 5
program. The state-approved local school district training program is an alternative 6
to the college teacher preparation program as a means of acquiring teacher 7
certification for a teacher at any grade level. The training program may be offered 8
for all teaching certificates approved by the Education Professional Standards 9
Board, including interdisciplinary early childhood education, except for specific 10
certificates for teachers of exceptional children. To participate in a state-approved 11
local school district alternative training program, the candidate shall possess: 12
(a) A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; and 13
(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 14
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average 15
of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit 16
completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a 17
nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution[; and 18
(c) A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 19
certification is being sought by the applicant as designated by the Education 20
Professional Standards Board. To be eligible to take an academic content 21
assessment, the applicant shall have completed a thirty (30) hour major in the 22
academic content area or five (5) years of experience in the academic content 23
area as approved by the Education Professional Standards Board]. 24
An individual may participate in a local school district training program upon 25
meeting the participation requirements as established in this subsection and 26
approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by the 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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individual. The candidate shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate by 1
the Education Professional Standards Board. After successful completion of the 2
local school district training program, one (1) year of teaching, and upon the 3
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional 4
Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be 5
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; and 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. 15
After successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the 16
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional 17
Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be 18
subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with 19
professional certificates. 20
(5) Option 4: Certification of an adjunct instructor. A person who has expertise in areas 21
such as art, music, foreign language, drama, science, computer science, and other 22
specialty areas may be employed as an adjunct instructor in a part-time position by 23
a local board of education under KRS 161.046. 24
(6) Option 5: Certification of a veteran of the Armed Forces. The Education 25
Professional Standards Board shall issue a statement of eligibility, valid for five (5) 26
years, for teaching at the elementary, secondary, and secondary career technical 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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education levels to a veteran of the Armed Forces who was honorably discharged 1
from active duty as evidenced by Defense Department Form 214 (DD 214) or 2
National Guard Bureau Form 22 or to a member of the Armed Services currently 3
serving with six (6) or more years of honorable service, including Reserves, 4
National Guard, or active duty. The candidate shall possess: 5
(a) A bachelor's degree or graduate degree; 6
(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy-five 7
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average 8
of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit 9
completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a 10
nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; and 11
(c) An academic major [or a passing score on the academic content assessment 12
]in the area in which certification is being sought by the applicant as 13
designated by the Education Professional Standards Board. 14
The eligible veteran shall receive a one (1) year provisional certificate with 15
approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by the 16
veteran. After successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the 17
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional 18
Standards Board, the veteran shall receive a professional certificate. 19
(7) Option 6: University alternative program. With approval of the Education 20
Professional Standards Board, a university may provide an alternative program that 21
enrolls students in a postbaccalaureate teacher preparation program concurrently 22
with employment as a teacher in a local school district. A student in the alternative 23
program shall be granted a one (1) year provisional certificate. The one (1) year 24
provisional certificate may be renewed four (4) additional years, and shall be 25
contingent upon the candidate's continued enrollment in the preparation program 26
and compliance with all requirements established by the board. A professional 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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certificate shall be issued upon the teacher candidate's successful completion of the 1
program [and all academic content assessments ]in the specific teaching field of the 2
applicant as designated by the Education Professional Standards Board, and upon 3
the recommendation of the employing school district. 4
(8) Option 7: Certification of a person in a field other than education to teach in 5
elementary, middle, or secondary programs. This option shall not be limited to 6
teaching in shortage areas. An individual certified under[ provisions of] this 7
subsection shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate, renewable for a 8
maximum of four (4) additional years with approval of the Education Professional 9
Standards Board. 10
(a) The candidate shall possess: 11
1. A bachelor's degree with a declared academic major in the area in which 12
certification is sought or a graduate degree in a field related to the area 13
in which certification is sought; and 14
2. 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 16
average of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours 17
of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework 18
from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution. 19
(b) Upon meeting the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection and 20
enrolling in an approved institute, the Education Professional Standards Board 21
shall issue the candidate a one (1) year provisional certificate or during the 22
first year of the certificate, the teacher shall complete the following: 23
1. For elementary teaching, the individual shall successfully complete a 24
two hundred forty (240) hour institute that is an equivalent of six (6) 25
hour days for eight (8) weeks. The providers and the content of the 26
institute shall be approved by the Education Professional Standards 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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Board. The content shall include research-based teaching strategies in 1
reading and math, research on child and adolescent growth, knowledge 2
of individual differences, including teaching exceptional children, and 3
methods of classroom management. 4
2. For middle and secondary teaching, the individual shall successfully 5
complete a one hundred eighty (180) hour institute that is an equivalent 6
of six (6) hour days for six (6) weeks. The providers and the content of 7
the institute shall be approved by the Education Professional Standards 8
Board and shall include research-based teaching strategies, research on 9
child and adolescent growth, knowledge of individual differences, 10
including teaching exceptional children, and methods of classroom 11
management. 12
(c) The candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be subject to 13
certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a professional 14
certificate: 15
1. After meeting the requirements of this option; 16
2. [After obtaining a passing score on the academic content assessment in 17
the area in which certification is being sought; 18
3. ]After successfully completing one (1) year of teaching; and 19
3.[4.] Upon the recommendation of the employing school district to the 20
Education Professional Standards Board. 21
(9) Option 8: Certification of a Teach for America participant to teach in elementary, 22
middle, or high schools. Nothing in this subsection shall conflict with the 23
participation criteria of the Teach for America program. An individual certified 24
under this subsection shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate. 25
(a) The candidate shall possess: 26
1. A bachelor's degree; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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2. A successful completion of the summer training institute and ongoing 1
professional development required by Teach for America, including 2
instruction in goal-oriented, standards-based instruction, diagnosing and 3
assessing students, lesson planning and instructional delivery, classroom 4
management, maximizing learning for diverse students, and teaching 5
methodologies[; and 6
3. A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 7
certification is being sought as designated by the Education Professional 8
Standards Board]. 9
(b) The provisional certificate granted under this subsection may be renewed two 10
(2) times with a recommendation of the superintendent and approval of the 11
Education Professional Standards Board. 12
(c) A Teach for America participant shall be issued a professional certificate 13
upon the participant's successful completion of one (1) year of teaching[ and 14
the assessments relating to teaching of subject matter required by the 15
Education Professional Standards Board under KRS 161.030,] and upon the 16
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education 17
Professional Standards Board. 18
(d) Notwithstanding any statute or administrative regulation to the contrary, a 19
teacher certified under this subsection shall have ten (10) years to complete a 20
master's degree or fifth year program, or the equivalent as specified by the 21
Education Professional Standards Board in administrative regulation. 22
(10) Option 9: Expedited certification of a person to teach at any grade level through a 23
cooperative program. With approval of the Education Professional Standards 24
Board, a college or university may partner with a school district to develop an 25
expedited certification program that results in a bachelor's degree and initial 26
certification within three (3) school years. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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(a) The program shall: 1
1. Include a residency or paraprofessional component which employs the 2
person within the participating district for the duration of the program to 3
gain work experience to supplement the expedited program and reduced 4
coursework; 5
2. Utilize experienced teachers employed by the district to provide 6
coaching and to mentor the candidates; and 7
3. Be designed to meet the needs of the participating district and may 8
include an emphasis in developing a teacher pipeline for the district's 9
students, improving the numbers of underrepresented populations 10
among the district's workforce, or focusing on increasing the number of 11
teachers with certification areas that are in high demand. 12
(b) A school district entering into a cooperative partnership shall ensure the 13
availability of funding for each candidate employed within the district in the 14
residency or paraprofessional program for the duration of the candidate's 15
participation in the program. However, nothing in this subsection shall be 16
interpreted as requiring the district to continue employing the candidate 17
during the program or after the candidate has received initial certification. 18
(c) A person who has begun a traditional path or another option for certification 19
shall be eligible to transfer into this option if the person meets the program's 20
requirements. 21
(d) If a school district participating in a cooperative partnership determines to end 22
the partnership, the district shall no longer accept new candidates to the 23
program but shall continue the partnership until the district's employed 24
candidates for Option 9 certification complete the program or are no longer 25
employed by the district. 26
(11) A public school teacher certified under subsections (2) to (10) of this section shall 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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be placed on the local district salary schedule for the rank corresponding to the 1
degree held by the teacher. 2
(12) Subsections (1) to (3) of this section notwithstanding, a candidate who possesses 3
the following qualifications may receive certification for teaching programs for 4
exceptional students: 5
(a) An out-of-state license to teach exceptional students; and 6
(b) A bachelor's or master's degree in the certification area or closely related area 7
for which certification is sought. 8
Section 3. KRS 161.053 is amended to read as follows: 9
(1) The Education Professional Standards Board shall have the authority and 10
responsibility to certify as a teacher of exceptional children/communication 11
disorders, an individual who has: 12
(a) Completed an approved program of preparation that corresponds to the 13
certificate; 14
(b) [Achieved a passing score on an appropriate assessment as determined by the 15
Education Professional Standards Board; 16
(c) ]Fulfilled other requirements for teacher certification as determined by the 17
Education Professional Standards Board, in accordance with KRS Chapter 18
161 and administrative regulations promulgated thereunder; and 19
(c)[(d)] Completed the requirements set forth in subsection (2) of this section. 20
(2) The Education Professional Standards Board shall issue two (2) levels of 21
certification for teachers of exceptional children/communication disorders: 22
(a) Baccalaureate level certification shall be issued to a person who has: 23
1. Completed an approved program of preparation leading to a bachelor's 24
degree in speech-language pathology; 25
2. Been granted licensure as a speech-language pathology assistant from 26
the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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under KRS Chapter 334A; and 1
3. Completed the other requirements set forth in subsection (1) of this 2
section; and 3
(b) Master's level certification shall be issued to a person who has: 4
1. Completed an approved program of preparation leading to a master's 5
degree in speech-language pathology; and 6
2. Completed the other requirements specified in subsection (1) of this 7
section. 8
(3) A person holding licensure through the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language 9
Pathology and Audiology as a speech-language pathology assistant, but not 10
certified as a teacher of exceptional children/communication disorders, may: 11
(a) Continue to work in the public schools as a classified employee under[ the 12
provisions of] KRS Chapter 334A and administrative regulations promulgated 13
by the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; or 14
(b) Pursue certification as a baccalaureate level teacher of exceptional 15
children/communication disorders while working as a speech-language 16
pathology assistant. 17
(4) A bachelor's level teacher of exceptional children/communication disorders shall 18
work under requirements for speech-language pathology assistants set forth in KRS 19
Chapter 334A. 20
(5) The Education Professional Standards Board shall develop a policy through the 21
promulgation of administrative regulations by June 30, 2001, to permit a speech-22
language pathology assistant with two (2) years or more of successful professional 23
experience pursuing certification as a baccalaureate level teacher of exceptional 24
children to: 25
(a) Substitute prior professional experience for student teaching requirements; 26
and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 470
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(b) Substitute prior professional experience for beginning teacher internship 1
requirements. 2
(6) A teacher of exceptional children/communication disorders shall receive salary and 3
benefits, including membership in the Teachers' Retirement System, commensurate 4
with his or her education, certification, and experience as prescribed by law. Years 5
of experience as a speech-language pathology assistant shall be included in the 6
calculation of all benefits, including membership in the Teachers' Retirement 7
System, for individuals with baccalaureate level certification as a teacher of 8
exceptional children/communication disorders. 9