Guidelines for Certification
& Licensure
The George Washington University
is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
|
Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education The Office of Laboratory Experiences |
Guidelines for Certification
& Licensure
The George Washington University
is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
State-Approved
Teacher Preparation Programs
NCATE
Accreditation
Title
II Reporting Requirements
Interstate
Reciprocity
Definitions
& New Terminology
The
Role of the Office of Laboratory Experiences in Licensure Verification
The Office of Laboratory Experiences has prepared guidelines to assist faculty and students with the process for obtaining an initial license to teach upon completion of the following GW state-approved, NCATE unit-accredited programs:
State-Approved
Teacher Preparation Programs
State-approved teacher-preparation
programs undergo a special review by the state licensure office that has
jurisdiction over the colleges or universities preparing teachers in a
state. Schools and colleges of education match their program’s curriculum
to specific standards and state requirements for teacher preparation in
specific content areas and for particular developmental age levels.
To facilitate the teacher-licensure, process states now join together under
an interstate compact agreement to accept candidates who graduate from
state-approved programs of their partner states. A list of
those jurisdictions that have signed the National Association of State
Directors of Teacher Education and Licensure Interstate Contract (NASDTEC)
are provided in this newsletter.
NCATE
Accreditation
In addition to state approval
of particular programs, GW’s Graduate School of Education also maintains
a national accreditation for the entire unit under the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation
is also recognized by states in granting teacher licenses.
Title
II Reporting Requirements
The mandatory reporting requirements
enacted as part of Title II of the Higher Education Act passed in 1998
set forth a new accountability system for teacher-preparation institutions.
The accountability system is now referred to as the “teacher education
report card”. This system requires that states that approve teacher
preparation programs verify pass rates of their students on state licensure
examinations. Each university will be responsible for submitting
data on their program completers matched with each state’s test results.
The data will be compiled and ranked against other institutions that prepare
teachers in that state. Under Title II the test scores that will be used
in the rating system will be based only on the tests required in that state.
Implications for GW
Students in Teacher-Preparation Programs
Due to these new reporting
requirements, all students admitted to teacher-preparation programs for
the 2000-2001 academic year are required take the tests required for licensure
in the District of Columbia in order to be cleared as eligible for licensure
and for program completion. These tests include PRAXIS I – Pre-professional
Skills Tests (Reading, Writing, and Mathematical Reasoning) and PRAXIS
II – Specialty Area Tests (Elementary, Secondary Content Areas, and Special
Education).
The GW Programs Impacted
by Title II Reporting Requirements
This requirement pertains
to students enrolled in our state-approved programs that grant teacher
licensure endorsements. These programs are as follows:
1. Elementary Education –
(Grades 1-6)
2. Secondary Education –
(Grades 7-12)
3. Early Childhood/Infant
Special Education – (Birth – age 8)
4. Special Education – Non-categorical
Vocational Programming (K-12)
5. Transition Special Education
– Learning Disabilities (K-12)
6. Special Education – Serious
Emotional Disturbance (K-12)
7. Bilingual Special Education
(K-12)
*Note: This is not a new requirement. Current program plans and the GW catalog indicate the following conditions: All degree programs preparing students for teacher certification require completion of the Educational Testing Service PRAXIS teacher assessments as specified by the District of Columbia Teacher Certification Office. What is new is the Title II requirement to report these scores.
Interstate
Reciprocity - Implications for GW Students Applying for Licensure in
States Other than DC
When applying to a state
other than DC, the Interstate Contract Agreements facilitate acceptance
of a candidate’s credentials.
The District of Columbia has a Compact Licensure Agreement* with the following states/jurisdictions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Department of Defense Schools, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Applicants who graduate from a state-approved teacher preparation program in the above states are eligible for a provisional license (assuming that the state has a similar license). Upon completion of the testing requirements for that state, applicants are eligible for standard licensure.
*Note: The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education & Certification (NASDTEC) is an organization of governmental entities responsible for teacher education and certification. NASDTEC’s services to the public include the NASDTEC Interstate Contract, an interjurisdictional agreement that assists educational personnel licensed or certificated in one jurisdiction to obtain similar authorization in another.
Definitions
& New Terminology
The new language for this
process distinguishes teacher licensure from teacher certification.
Teacher licensure refers to the process of obtaining an initial license
to teach after completing state requirements for teaching in a particular
content or specialty area. Teacher certification refers to an advanced
credential obtained after initial licensure such as that offered through
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). However,
in the NASDTEC contract “license” means “license” as well as “certification”.
The
Role of the Office of Laboratory Experiences in Licensure Verification
The Office of Laboratory
Experiences will verify that a student has completed our jointly NCATE
accredited school and state-approved programs and is eligible for licensure
in the program of study or specialization. Students will need to
provide the following to facilitate this process: (1) verification
form for the state* to which the application for a license is being made;
(2) Praxis tests scores I & II; (3) transcripts showing coursework
completion; (4) program plan which provides the areas of licensure for
which the candidate has completed program requirements; (5) information
regarding the person to whom the verification form needs to be sent.
*Note: Some states do not require that a form be completed, but instead require a transcript which verifies that the student has completed a state-approved program. When teacher preparation students are cleared for graduation, GW will continue to note this information on their transcripts.
Licensure-verification requests are routed as follows: (1) Office of Laboratory Experiences logs in receipt of request forms, (2 Transcripts, program plans, and records are checked to assure completion of requirements, (3) Forms are filled out with the appropriate information, (4) Forms are sent to the Dean’s office for signature, (5) Forms are returned by the Dean’s office to OLE, (6) OLE sends form with original signature to student or licensure office as requested by the student, (7) Office of Laboratory Experiences files a copy of forms processed as certification records.
Mission Statement
Cooperating Teachers
Forms & Handbooks
Application Instructions