PAIU Special Education Directors
SPRING 2015 UPDATE
CERTIFICATION
April 16, 2015
PAIU Special Education Directors
PAIU Special Education Directors
New Certificate
Educational Specialist – School Speech and Language Pathologist PK-12
• Licensed clinical pathologists may apply • New programs are forming in PA
PAIU Special Education Directors
House Bill 1816
• Intended to prevent school employees with a history of sexual misconduct from
moving from one school to another
PAIU Special Education Directors
Act 168 of 2014: Background Checks
• Applies to certified and non-certified educators andprospective employees who would have direct contact with children
• Effective 12/22/2014 –the school entity or independent contractor may not hire any applicant until the school entity has complied with the employment history review process delineated in Act 168
PAIU Special Education Directors
Act 168 of 2014: Background Checks • The applicant must complete Section 1 of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Release form for all employers in the following categories:
o The applicant’s current employer
o All former employers that were school entities
o All former employers where the applicant was employed in a position where he or she had direct contact with
children
• Procedures & Forms - Basic Education Circular: Act 168 of 2014 (24 P.S. 1-111)
PAIU Special Education Directors
Act 153 of 2014 –Background Check
• Effective 12/31/2014: School employees and contractors subject to the provisions of Section 111 of the School Code must obtain new background check clearances (FBI, state police, and DHS Child Abuse) every 36 months
• If former clearances are older than 36 months or if
employee never had a background check, it is due by 12/31/2015
PAIU Special Education Directors
ACT/SAT for IHEs Basic Skills Assessment
Certification candidates may use one of the following options to demonstrate mastery of “basic skills” as required by regulation:
• Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) administered by Pearson
• A combined SAT score of no less than 1550 with individual section (Critical Reading, Writing,
Mathematics) scores of 500+
• ACT composite score of 23 with English/writing score of 22+; Math score of 21+
PAIU Special Education Directors
Safety/Driver Ed 7-12 Test Update
Instructional Safety/Driver Ed 7-12
• PDE will administer the content test on the 1st Tuesday and 3rd Thursday of each
month in Harrisburg at 1:00 PM • Pre-registration is required
PAIU Special Education Directors
Use of Praxis Tests for Highly Qualified Purposes
For educators to demonstrate content mastery (demonstrate HQT only) in:
• Grades K-6 and Pre K-3, PDE will retain use of Fundamental Subjects Praxis test (5511)
• Grades 6-9, PDE will retain use of Middle Level Praxis tests (5047; 5169; 5440; 5089)
PAIU Special Education Directors
Induction Plan Requirements
• Long-term subs who work 45 days or more should have induction
PAIU Special Education Directors
PIL Induction Required for Principals
Principals, Assistant Principals and Vice-Principals serving on a PA issued
Administrative certificate for the first time in a public or charter school on or after
1/1/2008 must comply with Act 45
requirements regardless of prior non-PA service
PAIU Special Education Directors
Induction & Service Requirements for
Charter School Principals
The PIL law requires charter school principals to be certified
• Their service is mandatory
• They must convert their Administrative I certificates to Level II within five years of employment
• They must complete the PIL Induction and Act 45 requirements
PAIU Special Education Directors
Guest Teacher Permits
Day-to-day substitute permits may be
requested by the guest teacher sponsor for third party providers
This does NOT apply to long term substitutes
PAIU Special Education Directors
Evaluations for Certification
Do long-term substitutes need to be
evaluated using the PDE 82-1, 82-3 forms?
– Consult with your solicitor
– How a district confirms satisfactory service for long-term substitutes is a local decision
– PDE encourages use of an evaluation tool in order to support verification of satisfactory service for Level II conversion
PAIU Special Education Directors
Evaluations for Certification
Is the PDE 427 form still required to be filled out for Level II conversions?
- Yes, it is still required to be used as the culminating evaluation tool for Level II
- To obtain the PDE 427 or PDE 82 forms go to
Fees and Forms
For more information regarding educator
PAIU Special Education Directors
Non-Teaching Professional Employees
• May be evaluated using 82-3 • Includes
– Educational Spec – SLP
– Reading Specialist
– Instructional certificate holders not the teacher of record
PAIU Special Education Directors
ESL Clarification
• Candidates who completed the old (ended 12/31/2012) ESL program must apply by June 30, 2015 to be recommended without additional requirements
• ESL certificate holders do NOT need to complete a new program or reapply
PAIU Special Education Directors
CERTIFICATION STAFFING
AND POLICY GUIDELINES
PAIU Special Education Directors
CSPGs – Recent Revisions/Additions • #50 Mathematics – Staffing information on teaching STEM
courses and content clarified
• #56 Physics – Staffing information on teaching STEM courses and content clarified
• #60 Visually Impaired – Clarification to scope of certificate, special considerations and restrictions
• #62 Hearing Impaired – Clarification to scope of certificate, special considerations and restrictions
• #63 Special Education Speech and Language Impaired – Clarifications and language simplified
PAIU Special Education Directors
CSPGs – Recent Revisions/Additions
• #65 Technology Education – Staffing information for teaching STEM courses and content clarified
• #86 Educational Specialist Certificate for School Speech and Language Pathologist – Defines the requirements and responsibilities for the new certificate
• #101 Utilization of Paraprofessional Staff – Content clarified
• #202 Orientation and Mobility Specialist – Created to identify specific credentials for non-teaching/non-educational assignments in this area • #301 Highly Qualified Determination – Meeting NCLB requirements in
PAIU Special Education Directors
New CSPG 202
Orientation & Mobility Specialist PK-12
Credentials
• O & M Specialist Credential ACVREP) OR
• The National Orientation and Mobility Certification (NOMC)
Duties
• Non-teaching, non-educational
• Provide training in O & M techniques, materials, devices
PAIU Special Education Directors
Principal as Supervisor
CSPG #95 Includes:
An educator holding a valid PA certificate as a PK-12 Principal may serve as the
Supervisor of a single instructional or single pupil service area
PAIU Special Education Directors
Calculating Validity
• Administrative I Principal K-12 Certificates
– Service counts against Level I validity for: • Principal
• Vice Principal
PAIU Special Education Directors
Calculating Validity
• Administrative I Principal K-12 Certificates
– Service does NOT count against Level I validity for:
• Single-Area Supervisor
• Curriculum & Instruction Supervisor • Pupil Personnel Services Supervisor • Dean of Students (administrative level)
PAIU Special Education Directors
Exceptions 22 Pa. Code § 49.85(d)
• To provide LEAs additional flexibility for staffing related to the implementation of the current Early Childhood, Elementary/Middle, and Special
Education PK-8 and 7-12 certificates
• The Secretary of Education has the authority to approve individual LEA requests for assigning staff to positions outside of the age and grade level of these certificate areas
PAIU Special Education Directors
Exception Application Process
• LEAs may request an exception to the Bureau • Formal request must include a detailed
explanation of why the exception is necessary • PDE intends to send an official response to the
requested exception within 30 days of receipt of the request letter
• Any exception granted will be valid only for the specific request and only for the duration of time specified in the approval letter
PAIU Special Education Directors
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
AND TEACHER QUALITY
PAIU Special Education Directors
House Bill 1816
• An assessment of Basic Skills must be
taken and passed prior to formal entry into an undergraduate teacher preparation
program
• Post-baccalaureate candidates and
advanced degree holders are exempt from the basic skills requirement
PAIU Special Education Directors
House Bill 1816
• Chapter 354 defines formal admission into an undergraduate teacher preparation at the
completion of 48 credits
• Post-baccalaureate candidates must complete an entire post-baccalaureate program
• A Post-baccalaureate candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree and is returning for teacher certification
PAIU Special Education Directors
Endorsements
New Endorsements:
• Online Instruction Program – July 2014
• STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) – Sept. 2014
PAIU Special Education Directors
Endorsements
PDE is working with Pennsylvania
Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) to create a new Gifted Endorsement
• Initial workgroup met Dec. 2, 2014
• Final document is being edited and sent through the approval process
PAIU Special Education Directors
New: Add-Ons By Testing
• To maintain high standards for content and
pedagogy while providing school districts with more flexibility for assignment, teachers with any valid instructional certificate may add the Grades PreK-4 and/or Grades 4-8 certificate by passing the required certification
assessment
Effective June 1, 2014
PAIU Special Education Directors
Add-Ons by Testing
and GPA Qualifying Score
• Candidates cannot use the GPA qualifying score chart to reach a passing score for an add-on test because an add-on does not
require a preparation program and no overall GPA is earned
• Therefore, the GPA qualifying score policy is
not applicable for Instructional testing
PAIU Special Education Directors
Educator Equity State Plan
By June 1, 2015 PDE is required to submit to US Department of Education a state plan that: • ensures all students have access to excellent
teachers and principals
• requires stakeholder engagement in plan development
• uses data to identify equity gaps through root cause analysis
PAIU Special Education Directors
Educator Equity State Plan Continued
• Identifies strategies for eliminating identified equity gaps
• Incorporates ongoing technical assistance, monitoring and feedback to determine progress and public
reporting on progress achieved annually
Professional organizations will be asked to designate a representative to serve on Pennsylvania’s stakeholder group so information can be distributed out to association members
PAIU Special Education Directors
TEACHER INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
PAIU Special Education Directors
TIMS Enhancements December 2014
• Export feature allows LEAs to retrieve data from TIMS
• Grades 4-8 Emergency Permits show the concentration area • E-mails sent to LEAs when they have work experience
affirmations waiting on their dashboard
• LEAs able to see passing tests on file for educators affiliated with them
• Updated forms (PDE 338 P, V, A and Voluntary Deletion) • Created new “Pending Criminal Charges” alert due to HB
PAIU Special Education Directors
Using TIMS to Check Pending Criminal Charges
PAIU Special Education Directors
Using TIMS to Check Pending Criminal Charges
PAIU Special Education Directors
Using TIMS to Check Pending Criminal Charges
Option 2: TIMS Internal Site (for those who are provisioned)
• Log into your TIMS dashboard
• Select “Search” then “Professional” from the drop down • Enter PPID and click “Search”
• Click “View Complete Profile”
• The wording is the same as on the public site but the layout is different
• If the educator is affiliated with your institution more information is available than on the public site
PAIU Special Education Directors
Certifying Officer: Resource Summary
• Frequently Asked Questions
• TIMS Public website
• http://vclass.cciu.org – webinar site for recordings
• Certification and Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPGs)
• Help Desk Support – create a help desk ticket
• Chat with Certification Staff – chat live on Tuesday and
PAIU Special Education Directors
Obtaining Assistance: Help Desk
You may submit a Help Desk ticket for assistance 24 hours a day:
• Click on the Help & Support Link • Scroll down and click on
Help Desk Support
• Select “Recommending / Affirming
Certification Application” from the Type dropdown menu.
• Supply detailed information including your application ID number so that we may answer your question.
PAIU Special Education Directors
Obtaining Assistance: Call Center
The Call Center is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Live Chat is open
Tuesday and Thursday 8 AM to 4 PM. • Dial (717) 728-3224 (717 PA-TEACH)
• Listen to the menu and select the topic desired • LEA or IHE Personnel may use the new
PAIU Special Education Directors
Call Center Preferential Handling
• After the initial greeting, you will hear “Please listencarefully to the following options.” When message starts press “7” (you don’t have to listen to the whole message) • After pressing 7, you will hear “Your call will be given
priority”
• Then you will hear “Please listen carefully to the following options” again, followed by the options
• Choose the option most closely related to your question • Your call will move to the front of the line
PAIU Special Education Directors
Questions?
For more information on Certification please visit PDE’s website at www.education.state.pa.us
The mission of the department is to academically prepare children and adults to succeed as productive citizens. The department seeks to ensure that the technical support, resources and opportunities are in place for all students, whether children or adults, to receive a high quality education.
