Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division 16 - Division of Human Resources ***
Rule 005.16.06-002 - Rules Governing the Non-Traditional Licensure Program
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 005.16.06-002
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
1.00 PURPOSE
1.01 The purpose of these
rules is to establish the requirements and procedures for obtaining teacher
licensure through the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Non-Traditional
Licensure Program.
2.00 REGULATORY AUTHORITY
2.01 These
rules shall be known as the Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing
The Non-Traditional Licensure Program.
2.02 These rules are enacted pursuant to the
authority of the State Board of Education under Ark. Code Ann.§
6-11-105, Ark. Code Ann. §
6-17-401, Ark. Code Ann. §
6-17-409 and Ark. Code Ann. §
25-15-204.
3.00 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of these Rules the following terms shall be defined to mean:
3.01
Area of
Licensure - a particular content field as identified in Appendix A,
Areas and Levels of Licensure/Endorsement.
3.02
Induction - the period of
time beginning with a teacher's first employment as the teacher of record in an
Arkansas public school, cooperative or agency that requires an Arkansas
teaching license. The novice teacher, operating under an Initial License, is
provided mentoring support and accelerated professional development during the
Initial license period. The induction period concludes with successful
completion of the state-mandated performance assessment.
3.03
Initial Teaching License -
a three-year teaching license, issued by the State Board of Education, which
allows one to teach in Arkansas public schools.
3.03.1 The Initial license is issued only in
areas and levels of licensure as approved by the State Board of Education as
referenced in Appendix A, Areas and Levels of Licensure/Endorsement, which are
hereby incorporated into these rules.
3.03.2 The Initial license may be issued to:
3.03.2.1 Teachers who have completed an
approved teacher education program from a regionally and/or National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education accredited college or university
(including the appropriate state-mandated assessments).
3.03.2.2 Teachers who have completed the
Non-Traditional Licensure Program (including the appropriate state-mandated
assessments).
3.03.2.3 Teachers who
were prepared out of state but did not license.
3.04
Level of Licensure - the
grade/age level parameter of the teaching license as identified in Appendix A,
Areas and Levels of Licensure/Endorsement.
3.05
Mentor - a licensed master
teacher with a minimum of three years successful teaching experience who is
trained in the state-adopted mentoring model. Mentors are assigned in their
districts to assist a novice teacher by providing focused feedback with regard
to instructional skills, classroom management and professional
behaviors.
3.06
Mentoring
- the act of a certified mentor providing support and focused feedback
to a novice teacher (through the state-adopted mentoring model) with the goal
of enhanced instructional skills, competency and professional
development.
3.07
Non-Traditional Licensure Program (NTLP) - the program administered by
the Arkansas Department of Education, whose participants hold a minimum of a
baccalaureate degree (and have passed the appropriate state-mandated
assessments) and are allowed to teach in an Arkansas school via a
Non-Traditional Provisional license. The program requirements consist of two
years of teaching and instructional modules, which must be completed within
three years.
3.08
Non-Traditional Provisional License - the provisional teaching license
issued to participants in the Non-Traditional Licensure Program.
3.09
Novice Teacher - any
licensed teacher-of-record with less than one year of public school, or
accredited private school, classroom-teaching experience, not including student
internship or substitute teaching.
3.10
Out-of-Country Candidate -
a person from a foreign country who holds the equivalent of a four-year degree,
and who comes from a foreign country that does not have reciprocity with
Arkansas.
3.11
Performance
Assessment - an assessment tool used for evaluation of the classroom
performance of a novice teacher, conducted by a trained assessor who utilizes a
framework of essential teaching skills in which the novice teacher must
demonstrate competency in an authentic classroom setting.
3.11.2 Successful completion of the
performance assessment is defined as meeting the state-adopted
cut-score/minimum passing score.
3.12
Program of Study - a
state-approved teacher preparation curriculum offered at an Arkansas college or
university, based on the Arkansas Licensure Standards. The
program requires a candidate to demonstrate and document competency in the
specific knowledge, skills and dispositions for a particular licensure area and
level.
3.13
Provisional
Teaching License - A temporary teaching license available to candidates
who have not completed all requirements for the Initial or Standard Arkansas
teaching license.
3.14
Standard Teaching License - a five-year renewable license, issued by the
State Board of Education, which allows one to teach in Arkansas public schools.
The Standard License is issued to:
3.14.1
Initial License holders who have successfully completed the state required
induction for novice teachers and the performance assessment
3.14.2 Non-Traditional Provisional License
holders who have successfully completed the Non-Traditional Licensure Program
(including all appropriate assessments), the state required induction for
novice teachers, and the performance assessment
3.14.3 Teachers who have completed all
requirements for standard licensure through reciprocity
3.15
Teacher of Record - an
instructional teacher, who is officially responsible for a class and its
grades, employed under contract (in a licensed staff position) by a school,
school district or other Arkansas agency or organization requiring an Arkansas
teaching license.
4.00 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE NTL PROGRAM
4.01 The following is required for admission
to the NTL program:
4.01.1 A completed
Non-Traditional Licensure Program application with all required accompanying
documentation
4.01.2 Official
transcript(s) documenting an awarded four-year college bachelor's degree or
higher from a regionally and/or National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE) accredited institution.
4.01.2.1 For out-of-country candidates, an
official college transcript evaluation from a private credential evaluation
agency documenting that the bachelor's degree is equivalent to a four-year
degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States.
The degree is to be evaluated by a private credential evaluation agency. This
must be a course-by-course-evaluation prepared in English indicating the
candidate's major course of study to include documentation of the candidate's
cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA).
4.01.3 Documentation of a cumulative
undergraduate or graduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or a minimum of 2.5
on the last 60 credit hours beginning in the July 2006 session. (GPA) of 2.50
or higher, or a minimum of 2.75 on the last 60 credit hours of coursework
beginning August 2006
4.01.4 An
official score report reflecting passing scores, as approved by the State Board
of Education, on the following state required assessments:
4.01.4.1 The basic skills assessment (all
parts)
4.01.4.1.1 If a candidate holds a
Master's Degree or above,
and has taken a graduate level assessment, and has scored at or above the State Board established cut-score/minimum passing score, that assessment may, upon review, be accepted in lieu of the basic skills assessment s).
4.01.4.2 The
state required subject-content-area assessments) for the specific licensure
area(s) sought
4.01.5
Documentation of passing the required background checks by the
Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as required by Ark. Code Ann.§ 6-17-410
4.01.6 Payment of the Non-Traditional
Licensure Program Fee which is established annually by the Arkansas Department
of Education
4.01.7 Applicable
college/university coursework (in advance) from a regionally and/or National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited institution
4.01.7.1 Three college-credit-hours of
Arkansas History for the following license areas: Early
Childhood Education (P-4), Middle Childhood Education (4-8), and Social Studies
(7-12). Ark. Code Ann. §
6-17-418
4.01.7.2 Beginning with the 2007-08 school
year, all candidates seeking Early Childhood Education (P-4) and/or Middle
Childhood Education (4-8) must successfully complete six college-credit-hours
in Methods of Teaching Reading.
5.00 REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING A NON-TRADITIONAL PROVISIONAL TEACHING LICENSE
5.01 To obtain a
Non-Traditional Provisional Teaching License a candidate must:
5.01.1 Be admitted into the Arkansas
Department of Education's Non-Traditional Teacher Licensure Program
(NTLP)
5.01.2 Successfully complete
the summer instructional modules
5.01.3 Document appropriate employment as
teacher-of-record, teaching a minimum of five hours per day in the appropriate
licensure area(s), with a certified mentor approved by the ADE in an Arkansas
public school or a private school within the state of Arkansas accredited by a
nationally recognized accrediting association during the provisional licensure
period
5.01.3.1 If employment is not secured
by September 1, of the year of admission into the NTLP, the participant shall
accept teaching employment (if offered) working in conjunction with the ADE
Office of Teacher Recruitment.
5.01.3.2 If the candidate does not accept
said employment, he or she may be administratively withdrawn from the
program.
5.01.3.3 If appropriate
employment is not found by the candidate or the Office of Teacher Recruitment,
the candidate shall be maintained on "hold" (one year only), until the
following year.
5.01.3.3.1 A candidate on
"hold" shall not be issued a license and shall be required to teach the
following year. (The candidate shall still be required to complete two years of
teaching within a three-year period.)
5.02 A one-year Non-Traditional
Provisional teaching license is:
5.02.1
Issued to NTL participants at the beginning of each year of the
program
5.02.2 Is effective as of
August first of the year of issue
5.02.3 Is active for one year
5.03 NTL Provisional licenses are
issued to participants based upon the areas and levels of teaching assignment
as according to Appendix A, NTL Teaching Areas and Levels of
Licensure/Endorsement.
5.03.1 Only NTLP
participants teaching in the secondary content licensure areas of Mathematics,
English, Science, Social Studies, Speech/ Drama or any Foreign Language may be
issued a license in two (2) of these areas. Participants may be licensed in
both areas if they have successfully completed all non-pedagogical licensure
Praxis exams for both licensure areas.
5.03.2 A Journalism endorsement may be added,
as the second area of licensure, to any of these five areas if the required
program of study for Journalism is successfully completed.
6.00 GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE NON-TRADITIONAL LICENSURE PROGRAM
6.01 There are two tracks in the NTLP, a
one-year program or a two-year program.
6.01.1 Candidates with a four-year degree who
have completed a program of study in the field of Education must complete a
one-year program if their degree was awarded within five years of the date of
application.
6.01.2 Candidates with
a four-year degree, who have not completed a program of study in the field of
Education, or those whose Education degree was awarded more than five years
before the date of application, must complete a two-year program.
6.02 Participants in the
Non-Traditional Licensure Program shall:
6.02.1 Be employed as the teacher of record
in an Arkansas school
6.02.2 Teach
a minimum of five hours per day in their licensure area(s)
6.02.2.1 Teach for one year, if in the
one-year program
6.02.2.2 Teach for
two years, if in the two-year program
6.02.3 Be assigned to, and attend a
Non-Traditional Licensure Program satellite site for instructional
modules
6.02.4 Be mentored
according to the Arkansas Department of Education Teacher Induction
Guidelines
6.02.5 Complete all
instructional modules prescribed by the Arkansas Department of
Education
6.02.6 Pass the
appropriate state mandated pedagogical assessment(s)
6.02.7 Become eligible to participate in the
state-mandated performance assessment in their final semester in the program,
after the pedagogical assessment has been successfully completed
6.02.8 Adhere to and abide by all the
policies and procedures as outlined in the published NTL Handbook for the year
of admission
6.03 The
required NTL program prescribed by the Arkansas Department of Education
includes:
6.03.1 Required Instructional
Modules during the summer
6.03.2
Required Instructional Modules during the school year
6.03.3 Development of a professional
portfolio
6.03.4 Novice Teacher
Induction (which includes Mentoring by a trained and certified
mentor)
6.03.5 Teaching a minimum
of five hours per day (or the equivalent) in the licensure area(s)
6.04 Successful completion of the
Non-Traditional Licensure Program may yield either an Initial or a Standard
Teaching license:
6.04.1 To receive an
Initial teaching license, the participant shall:
6.04.1.1 Complete all NTL program
requirements_prescribed by the Arkansas Department of Education, and
6.04.1.2 Pass the appropriate state mandated
pedagogical assessment(s).
6.04.2 To receive a Standard teaching
license, the participant shall:
6.04.2.1
Complete all NTL program requirements prescribed by the Arkansas Department of
Education
6.04.2.2 Pass the
appropriate state mandated pedagogical assessment(s)
6.04.2.3 Successfully complete Induction and
the state required performance assessment
6.04.3 If the pedagogical assessment is not
successfully completed within the NTLP program period, a subsequent license
will not be issued. The participant will be allowed to attend ADE-scheduled
remedial sessions for one year, during which time the participant may attempt
to pass the assessment and, if successful, will be issued an Initial
license.
6.04.4 If the pedagogical
assessment is not successfully completed within the remedial year, the
participant will be administratively withdrawn from the program.
6.05 Annual enrollment in the NTL
program may be limited by:
6.05.1 Licensure
requirements
6.05.2 Licensure area
and level of candidates (shortage areas may predominate)
6.05.3 Program capacity
7.00 RULES PERTAINING TO NOVICE TEACHER INDUCTION FOR NON- TRADITIONAL NOVICE TEACHERS
7.01 All Arkansas School Districts shall
implement, support, and monitor the quality of mentoring as outlined in ADE
Induction Guidelines and the district's approved plan for mentoring.
7.01.1 Implementation of the district
mentoring plan shall include:
7.01.1.1
Selecting mentor candidates according to the Arkansas Mentor Qualifications
form
7.01.1.2 Providing a trained
mentor for each NTL enrollee
7.01.2 Support includes:
7.01.2.1 Providing a minimum of two (2) hours
every two weeks of released time (on average) during the contract day for the
mentor and novice teacher to work together
7.01.2.2 Assisting the novice and mentor to
schedule focused observations and professional development activities
7.01.2.3 Providing activities for mentors and
novice teachers, which engage them in collaborative dialogue, problem solving,
and professional development
7.01.3 Monitoring of the quality of the
district program is achieved by review of the Mentor/Novice Teacher Mentoring
Log and the Novice Teacher's Professional Growth and Development Plan by the
district Project Director.
7.01.4
All other mentoring documents shall become the sole possession of the novice
teacher and shall not be utilized for employment decisions or employment
evaluation decisions.
7.02 Mentoring observational information
shall not be shared with the novice teacher's employer or utilized in any way
to make employment decisions unless students are at risk, either physically or
emotionally.
8.00 GENERAL POLICIES PERTAINING TO LICENSES
8.01 NTL participants will be issued the
Provisional License in level(s)/area(s) of licensure that is based on having
passed the assessments) in that licensure level(s)/area(s) and secure
appropriate employment in that level(s)/area(s) in accordance with the
published NTL Handbook for the year of admission.
8.02 NTL participants will be issued either
the Initial or Standard License in level(s)/area(s) of licensure that is based
on having passed the assessment(s) in that licensure level(s)/area(s) and
completed successful employment in that level(s)/area(s) for two years (one
year for Education program-of-study candidates) in accordance with the
published NTL Handbook for the year of admission.
8.03 Teachers who need a duplicate Arkansas
teaching license must submit a completed application form (indicating
"duplicate") to the Office of Professional Licensure. 8.03.1 A
duplicate license will be issued only for a license that is current.
8.04 All information and documentation
submitted for an Arkansas Teacher License must be timely, accurate, authentic
and unaltered in any way.
8.04.1 Any license
issued as a result of information submitted that is not in compliance with
section 8.04 will be null and void and shall be rescinded by the Office of
Professional Licensure, as authorized by the State Board of
Education.
8.05 The
Office of Professional Licensure, as authorized by the State Board of
Education, reserves the right to amend and/or rescind any Arkansas Teacher
License that has been issued in error.
8.06 The Office of Professional Licensure, as
authorized by the State Board of Education, reserves the right to non-renew a
Non-Traditional Provisional License if the licensee does not successfully
complete the required preparation modules, and non-renewal is recommended by
the Non-Traditional Licensure Office. The Office of Professional Licensure
shall not convert a provisional license to an initial license if the candidate
fails to meet all criteria of the NTL program.
Appendix A Arkansas Department of Education NTL Teaching Areas and Levels of Licensure/Endorsement
|
Areas of Licensure |
Grade Levels* |
||
|
Early Childhood |
P-4 |
||
|
Middle Childhood: Math/Science |
4-8 |
||
|
Middle Childhood: English-Lang Arts/Social Studies |
4-8 |
||
|
Mathematics |
7-12 |
||
|
English |
7-12 |
||
|
Social Studies |
7-12 |
||
|
Physical/Earth Science |
7-12 |
||
|
Life/Earth Science |
7-12 |
||
|
Drama/Speech |
7-12 |
||
|
P.E. Wellness & Leisure |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
Art |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
Music, Vocal, & Instrumental |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
German |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
Spanish |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
French |
P-8 |
7-12 |
P-12 |
|
Family & Consumer Science |
4-8 |
7-12 |
4-12 |
|
Agriculture |
4-8 |
7-12 |
4-12 |
|
Industrial Technology |
4-8 |
7-12 |
4-12 |
|
Business Technology |
4-8 |
7-12 |
4-12 |
|
Marketing Technology |
4-8 |
7-12 |
4-12 |
|
Adult Education |
PS |
||
|
Areas of Endorsement |
|||
|
Journalism |
7-12 |
||
* Level of licensure issued is determined based on grade level(s) taught in the NTL program.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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