Certification Updates February 2020

Educators who are applying for certification renewal may now use one of the following in lieu of clock hours of professional development: 

1. A valid professional license as a counselor, social worker, psychologist, or speech pathologist issued by the appropriate state agency in this state or in another state; OR 
2. A valid certificate issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards; OR 
3. A valid Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.  

Appropriately Certified to Teach Environmental Science 

Previously, the Certification Unit advised school districts that Environmental Science teachers were required to have an approved area in General Science, Earth Science, or Environmental Science.  The Department’s K-12 Standards and Title I divisions have now approved Biology as another approved area to meet the requirement to be “appropriately certified” to teach Environmental Science.  Therefore, the proposed Certification Guidelines for Teaching Assignments will be updated as outlined below. 

Environmental Science teachers in 9th grade must hold one of the following certificates: 

• Secondary Certificate or 
• Middle Grade Certificate or  
• Elementary Certificate with a Middle Grade Endorsement 

-AND- 

One of the following approved areas: 

• Environmental Science 
• Biology 
• Earth Science 
• General Science 
• Middle Grades General Science 

Environmental Science teachers in grades 10-12 must hold a Secondary certificate with one of the following approved areas: 

• Environmental Science 
• Biology 
• Earth Science 
• General Science.