Current through February 27, 2024
(a) Except as provided in AS 14.20, the
department will issue an initial teacher certificate, valid for up to five
years from the issue date or for a period described under (d) of this section,
to an applicant who
(1) has satisfied a
baccalaureate degree requirement under AS 14.20;
(2) for purposes of competency examination
requirements under
AS
14.20.020 or
14.20.022, meets or exceeds the
qualifying scores for this state on one of the competency examinations
designated in
4
AAC 12.310;
(3) has met or will meet within two years the
requirements of
AS
14.20.020(h);
(4) meets the certification requirements of
AS
14.20.015,
14.20.017,
14.20.020, or
14.20.022;
(5) if the applicant seeks to qualify for
certification under
AS
14.20.020 or
14.20.022, provides
(A) a recommendation or proof of program
enrollment from an approved preparation program accepted under
4
AAC 12.307(a); and
(B) for each endorsement area listed on the
recommendation or proof of program enrollment provided under (A) of this
paragraph, a score that meets or exceeds the required score on a content area
examination for any endorsement area designated in
4
AAC 12.407 or each equivalent content area examination
required by a certifying state agency for an endorsement on a comparable
certificate held by the applicant;
(6) if the applicant has completed an
approved program accepted under
4
AAC 12.307(a)(2), provides evidence
of a comparable certificate issued by the certifying state agency with
jurisdiction over the program or an assurance by the certifying state agency or
preparing institution that all requirements, including testing required by the
jurisdiction, have been satisfied by the applicant and that the applicant is
eligible to gain the comparable certification in the state where the preparing
institution is located;
(7) has met
the requirements of
4
AAC 12.397(a);
(8) satisfies the requirements for an initial
teacher certificate under
AS
14.20.020; and
(9) if the applicant seeks to qualify for
certification under
AS
14.20.020 to teach students in grades K - 3,
has met the requirements of
4
AAC 12.393(a).
(b) The department will issue a professional
teacher certificate, valid for five years to an applicant who has
(1) met the requirements of (a) of this
section for an initial teacher certificate;
(2) passed
(A) the competency examination by achieving
qualifying scores as described in (a)(2) of this section, if under
AS
14.20.015,
14.20.017, or
14.20.022 the applicant had not
yet met competency examination requirements as of the date of the initial
teacher certificate; and
(B) a
content area examination for any requested endorsement area designated in
4
AAC 12.407 by meeting or exceeding the required score,
or each equivalent content area examination required by a certifying state
agency for a comparable endorsement held by the applicant;
(3) completed three semester hours in Alaska
studies and three semester hours in multicultural education or cross cultural
communications;
(4) completed a
teacher education program, or an alternate teacher preparation program accepted
by the commissioner under
4
AAC 12.307 or (e) of this section, and from which the
applicant has obtained a recommendation for certification;
(5) completed any academic or other training
that the department designated, at the time of application, as necessary for
professional development, based on student achievement data;
(6) within the five years immediately
preceding application, earned at least
(A) six
semester hours of college credit;
(B) 90 hours of continuing education units;
or
(C) equivalent microcredentials
(i) aligned with one of the statewide goals
adopted by the board under
AS
14.07.165;
(ii) approved by the department;
and
(iii) based on a completed
application form submitted to the department by a district or an educational
organization
(7) had at least two years of employment as a
teacher while holding a valid teacher certificate issued by a state with an
evaluation under the state's evaluation system indicating the applicant's
performance is proficient or exemplary on the state's standards for teachers;
and
(8) met the requirements of
4
AAC 12.397(a).
(c) The department will issue a master
teacher certificate, valid for five years, to an applicant who has met
(1) the requirements of (a) and (b) of this
section for a professional teacher certificate;
(2) one of the following requirements:
(A) national board certification from the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; or
(B) master certification from a recognized
national certification program as approved by the department;
and
(3) the requirements
of 4 AAC
12.397(a).
(d) An initial teacher certificate is valid
for five years, or for the period set in
AS
14.20.015,
14.20.017,
14.20.020(h), or
14.20.022 if the initial teacher
certificate is issued under one of those provisions.
(e) In addition to programs accepted under
(b)(4) of this section, the commissioner will approve an alternate teacher
preparation program if the program meets standards that are substantially
equivalent to the standards met by programs accepted under (b)(4) of this
section.
(g) A teacher who has
not met the qualifications for a professional teacher certificate under (b) of
this section when the teacher's initial teacher certificate issued under
AS
14.20.020 expires under (d) of this section
may apply for renewal of the initial teacher certificate.
(i) To maintain an initial teacher
certificate issued under (a) of this section, a teacher who is enrolled in but
has not completed a teacher preparation program, must, at the beginning of each
school year, provide evidence to the department from the teacher preparation
program that the teacher continues to be enrolled in and is making satisfactory
progress in the teacher preparation program. If the teacher terminates
enrollment in the teacher preparation program, the teacher must notify the
department immediately. A teacher who terminates enrollment in a teacher
preparation program is no longer certified to teach in the state and must
surrender the teacher's certificate.
Authority:
AS
14.07.060
AS 14.20.015
AS 14.20.017
AS 14.20.020
AS
14.20.022
