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Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2003

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 - 4:25am

 

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

TO:

The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents

FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier 

COMMITTEE:

Higher and Professional Education

TITLE OF ITEM:

Proposed Promulgation of Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Requirements for the Transitional E Certificate for Teachers of Specific Occupational Subjects

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

March 31, 2003

PROPOSED HANDLING:

Approval (Consent Agenda)

RATIONALE FOR ITEM:

To Implement Policy

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goal 3

AUTHORIZATION (S):

 

SUMMARY:

Attached for confirmation of an emergency action is a proposed promulgation of section 80-5.16 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, relating to requirements for the transitional E certificate for teachers of specific occupational subjects. Supporting materials for the proposed rule are available upon request from the Secretary to the Board of Regents.

The purpose of the proposed rule is to establish a new transitional E certificate that would permit the certification of candidates who have requisite work experience and meet other prescribed requirements to teach specific occupational subjects in the public schools of New York State. The certificate would be available to candidates who apply for certification on or before February 1, 2004. The rule establishes education, work experience, and examination requirements for certification. It requires the candidate to have a written commitment from a school district or Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) for employment and mentoring during the first year of employment under the certificate. The certificate would authorize the candidate to teach only in the school district or BOCES that provided such commitment. The transitional E certificate would be valid for three years and would not be renewable.

In the past, candidates for a certificate in a specific occupational subject, who did not qualify for the provisional certificate but who had work experience in a trade or occupation, were able to enter teaching under a temporary license. In accordance with the policy of the Board of Regents, such temporary licenses are not being issued with effective dates that begin after February 1, 2003. The new teacher certification requirements, effective February 2, 2004, have incorporated a transitional A certificate to accommodate this clientele. However, the transitional A certificate will not be available until February 2, 2004. The proposed rule is a bridging mechanism that would permit individuals to be certified and enter the teaching profession during the interim period when temporary licenses are not being issued and the transitional A certificate is not yet available.

The recommended action was adopted as an emergency measure at the February 2003 meeting of the Board of Regents and is now being proposed for adoption as a permanent rule. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making concerning the proposed promulgation was published in the State Register on February 12, 2003. A Notice of Emergency Adoption was published in the State Register on March 12, 2003.

I recommend that the Regents take the following action:

VOTED: That section 80-5.16 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education be added, as submitted, effective May 22, 2003.

 Attachment

 

AMENDMENT TO THE REGULATONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION

Pursuant to sections 207, 305, 3004, and 3006 of the Education Law.

Section 80-5.16 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is added, effective May 22, 2003, as follows:


80-5.16 Transitional E certificate for teaching specific occupational subjects.

(a) General requirements.

(1) A candidate for the transitional E certificate must apply to the department for the certificate on or before February 1, 2004 and upon such application qualify for such certificate. A candidate who holds a valid transitional E certificate in a specific occupational subject may be issued a provisional certificate in such specific occupational subject, provided that upon such application the candidate qualifies for the provisional certificate.

 

(2) Limitations. The transitional E certificate shall authorize a candidate to teach only in a school district or Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) that has provided a written commitment to employ the candidate as a teacher of a specific occupational subject and provide the candidate with mentoring during the first year of employment under the transitional E certificate. The candidate shall provide the department with adequate documentation of such a commitment from a school district or BOCES.

(3) Time validity. The transitional E certificate shall be valid for three years from its effective date and shall not be renewable.

(4) The candidate shall meet the requirements of subdivision (b) or (c) of this section.

(b) Transitional E certificate in health occupations, technical subjects, trade subjects, and specialized subject areas in agriculture, business and distributive education (occupational), and home economics (occupational)_- as defined by the commissioner. Associate degree program.

(1) Education. The candidate shall hold an associate degree in the occupational area for which certification is sought from an institution whose program is registered or recognized by the department.

(2) Experience. The candidate shall have a minimum of two years of appropriate experience in blocks of not less than three months in the occupation for which the certificate is to be issued. (This experience, clearly related to the technology in which the associate degree is granted, may be accrued either prior to or upon completion of the associate degree program.)

(c) Transitional E certificate in trade subjects and specialized subject areas in agriculture, health occupations, and home economics (occupational) - as defined by the commissioner. Nondegree program.

(1) Education. The candidate shall hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.

(2) Experience. The candidate shall have a minimum of four years of appropriate experience in blocks of not less than three months in the occupation for which the certificate is to be issued. (This experience, clearly related to the occupation for which the certificate is to be issued, may be accrued either prior to or upon completion of high school graduation.)

(3) Examination. The candidate shall have achieved a satisfactory level of performance on the New York State Teacher Certification Examination communication and quantitative skills test.