Current through November 28, 2024
(a) The department will issue a one-year
limited world language immersion teacher certificate (Type W) with an
endorsement in an applicant's world language of expertise and in the content
areas requested by the school board of the district in which the applicant will
be teaching if
(1) the applicant has
demonstrated the world language expertise, content area knowledge, and
instructional skill described in (b), (c), and (d) of this section;
(2) the school board for the district in
which the applicant will be employed
(A) has
requested, through its chief school administrator, issuance of a limited world
language immersion teacher certificate for the applicant under
AS
14.20.023(c); and
(B) will provide an experienced mentor for at
least the first two years of the applicant's employment with the school
district; the mentor must hold or have held the position of a world language
immersion teacher in a school district in this state under a valid
certificate;
(3) the
applicant has successfully passed the criminal history background check in the
same manner as a teacher certified under
AS
14.20.020 and
4
AAC 12.300;
(4) the applicant has met the requirements of
4
AAC 12.397(a); and
(5) the applicant submits to the department
(A) one completed fingerprint card, with
fingerprinting performed by a law enforcement agency or a person who has been
trained in recording fingerprints, for separate submittal to the Department of
Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the department will
accept a name-based criminal history background check on an applicant from the
agency performing the background check if the requirements of
AS
14.20.020(j) are
met;
(B) the fee for the criminal
history background check in the amount charged by the Department of Public
Safety as set out in
13 AAC 68.900; and
(C) the fee for the issuance of a teacher
certificate as set out in
4
AAC 12.300(g).
(b) To demonstrate world language
expertise as required under (a)(1) of this section, the applicant must
(1) have met or exceeded the required scores
on a world language content examination, as described in
4
AAC 12.407; the examination must have been given in
the instructional language for which the certificate is valid;
(2) hold at least a baccalaureate degree from
an institution of higher education accredited by regional or national
accrediting association or approved by the commissioner and
(A) have majored or minored in the world
language; or
(B) at least half of
the classes were taught in the world language; or
(3) have demonstrated proficiency in the
areas of listening, speaking, writing, and reading through an assessment
process recognized by a tribal government or school district at a level
comparable to advanced low-level proficiency or higher based on the alternative
foreign language proficiency assessment standards adopted by reference in 4 AAC
04.225; the assessment must have been given in the instructional language for
which the certificate is valid.
(c) To demonstrate competency in the content
areas requested by the school board as required under (a)(1) of this section,
the applicant must
(1) hold at least a
baccalaureate degree in the requested content area from an institution of
higher education accredited by a regional or national accrediting association
or approved by the commissioner;
(2) have met or exceeded the required scores
on the content area examination, as described in
4
AAC 12.407, or an equivalent examination approved by
the commissioner;
(3) demonstrate
content area mastery through an assessment process established by the school
district in which the applicant will be teaching; if the school district
assessment requires a minimum score, the assessment must be given in the
instructional language for which the certificate is valid; or
(4) demonstrate content area mastery, as
determined by the school district in which the applicant will be teaching,
through completion of coursework in the content area.
(d) To demonstrate instructional skill as
required under (a)(1) of this section, the applicant must
(1) complete a teacher preparation program
approved under
4
AAC 12.307 or
4
AAC 12.308;
(2) enroll in a teacher preparation program
approved under
4
AAC 12.307 or
4
AAC 12.308; or
(3) provide two letters of reference
documenting at least two years of experience providing instruction to students
in a public school or other educational setting.
(e) At the request of the school board,
through its chief school administrator, the department will extend a one-year
limited world language immersion teacher certificate issued under (a) of this
section for four additional years if the applicant meets the requirements of
4
AAC 12.405(a). The school board's
request must include certification that an annual performance evaluation
demonstrates that the applicant meets or exceeds the teacher content and
performance standards set out in
4
AAC 04.200(b)(2) - (8).
(f) A public school district may only employ
a world language immersion teacher to teach in a world language immersion
program in the content areas in which the individual has earned endorsements. A
limited world language immersion teacher may only provide instruction to
students enrolled in a world language immersion program in a world language in
which the teacher is endorsed.
(g)
In this section,
(1) "district" or "school
district" means a school district or regional educational attendance
area;
(2) "world language" means a
non-English language; "world language" includes Alaska Native languages,
American Indian languages, and American Sign Language;
(3) "world language immersion program"
includes full, partial, and double or dual language immersion models;
(4) "world language immersion teacher" means
an individual who holds a valid limited world language immersion teacher
certificate and teaches in a world language immersion program.
Authority:
AS
14.07.060
AS 14.20.020
AS
14.20.023
