168.021. Issuance of teachers' licenses--effect of certification in another state and subsequent employment in this state. - Missouri Statutes

Issuance of teachers' licenses--effect of certification in anotherstate and subsequent employment in this state.

168.021. 1. Certificates of license to teach in the public schoolsof the state shall be granted as follows:

(1) By the state board, under rules and regulations prescribed by it:

(a) Upon the basis of college credit;

(b) Upon the basis of examination;

(2) By the state board, under rules and regulations prescribed by thestate board with advice from the advisory council established by section168.015 to any individual who presents to the state board a valid doctoraldegree from an accredited institution of higher education accredited by aregional accrediting association such as North Central Association. Suchcertificate shall be limited to the major area of postgraduate study of theholder, shall be issued only after successful completion of the examinationrequired for graduation pursuant to rules adopted by the state board ofeducation, and shall be restricted to those certificates establishedpursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection 3 of this section;

(3) By the state board, which shall issue the professionalcertificate classification in both the general and specialized areas mostclosely aligned with the current areas of certification approved by thestate board, commensurate with the years of teaching experience of theapplicant, and based upon the following criteria:

(a) Recommendation of a state-approved baccalaureate-level teacherpreparation program;

(b) Successful attainment of the Missouri qualifying score on theexit assessment for teachers or administrators designated by the stateboard of education. Applicants who have not successfully achieved aqualifying score on the designated examinations will be issued a two-yearnonrenewable provisional certificate; and

(c) Upon completion of a background check and possession of a validteaching certificate in the state from which the applicant's teacherpreparation program was completed;

(4) By the state board, under rules prescribed by it, on the basis ofa relevant bachelor's degree, or higher degree, and a passing score for thedesignated exit examination, for individuals whose academic degree andprofessional experience are suitable to provide a basis for instructionsolely in the subject matter of banking or financial responsibility, at thediscretion of the state board. Such certificate shall be limited to themajor area of study of the holder and shall be restricted to thosecertificates established under subdivision (1) of subsection 3 of thissection. Holders of certificates granted under this subdivision shall beexempt from the teacher tenure act under sections 168.102 to 168.130 andeach school district shall have the decision-making authority on whether tohire the holders of such certificates; or

*(5) By the state board, under rules and regulations prescribed byit, on the basis of certification by the American Board for Certificationof Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) and verification of ability to work withchildren as demonstrated by sixty contact hours in any one of the followingareas as validated by the school principal: sixty contact hours in theclassroom, of which at least forty-five must be teaching; sixty contacthours as a substitute teacher, with at least thirty consecutive hours inthe same classroom; sixty contact hours of teaching in a private school; orsixty contact hours of teaching as a paraprofessional, for an initialfour-year ABCTE certificate of license to teach, except that suchcertificate shall not be granted for the areas of early childhoodeducation, elementary education, or special education. Upon the completionof the requirements listed in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of thissubdivision, an applicant shall be eligible to apply for a careercontinuous professional certificate under subdivision (2) of subsection 3of this section:

(a) Completion of thirty contact hours of professional developmentwithin four years, which may include hours spent in class in an appropriatecollege curriculum;

(b) Validated completion of two years of the mentoring program of theAmerican Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence or a districtmentoring program approved by the state board of education;

(c) Attainment of a successful performance-based teacher evaluation;and

(d) Participate in a beginning teacher assistance program.

2. All valid teaching certificates issued pursuant to law or stateboard policies and regulations prior to September 1, 1988, shall be exemptfrom the professional development requirements of this section and shallcontinue in effect until they expire, are revoked or suspended, as providedby law. When such certificates are required to be renewed, the state boardor its designee shall grant to each holder of such a certificate thecertificate most nearly equivalent to the one so held. Anyone who holds,as of August 28, 2003, a valid PC-I, PC-II, or continuous professionalcertificate shall, upon expiration of his or her current certificate, beissued the appropriate level of certificate based upon the classificationsystem established pursuant to subsection 3 of this section.

3. Certificates of license to teach in the public schools of thestate shall be based upon minimum requirements prescribed by the stateboard of education. The state board shall provide for the following levelsof professional certification: an initial professional certificate and acareer continuous professional certificate.

(1) The initial professional certificate shall be issued uponcompletion of requirements established by the state board of education andshall be valid based upon verification of actual teaching within aspecified time period established by the state board of education. Thestate board shall require holders of the four-year initial professionalcertificate to:

(a) Participate in a mentoring program approved and provided by thedistrict for a minimum of two years;

(b) Complete thirty contact hours of professional development, whichmay include hours spent in class in an appropriate college curriculum, orfor holders of a certificate under subdivision (4) of subsection 1 of thissection, an amount of professional development in proportion to thecertificate holder's hours in the classroom, if the certificate holder isemployed less than full time; and

(c) Participate in a beginning teacher assistance program;

(2) (a) The career continuous professional certificate shall beissued upon verification of completion of four years of teaching under theinitial professional certificate and upon verification of the completion ofthe requirements articulated in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of subdivision(1) of this subsection or paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of subdivision(5) of subsection 1 of this section.

(b) The career continuous professional certificate shall becontinuous based upon verification of actual employment in an educationalposition as provided for in state board guidelines and completion offifteen contact hours of professional development per year which mayinclude hours spent in class in an appropriate college curriculum. Shouldthe possessor of a valid career continuous professional certificate fail,in any given year, to meet the fifteen-hour professional developmentrequirement, the possessor may, within two years, make up the missinghours. In order to make up for missing hours, the possessor shall firstcomplete the fifteen-hour requirement for the current year and then maycount hours in excess of the current year requirement as make-up hours.Should the possessor fail to make up the missing hours within two years,the certificate shall become inactive. In order to reactivate thecertificate, the possessor shall complete twenty-four contact hours ofprofessional development which may include hours spent in the classroom inan appropriate college curriculum within the six months prior to or afterreactivating his or her certificate. The requirements of this paragraphshall be monitored and verified by the local school district which employsthe holder of the career continuous professional certificate.

(c) A holder of a career continuous professional certificate shall beexempt from the professional development contact hour requirements ofparagraph (b) of this subdivision if such teacher has a local professionaldevelopment plan in place within such teacher's school district and meetstwo of the three following criteria:

a. Has ten years of teaching experience as defined by the state boardof education;

b. Possesses a master's degree; or

c. Obtains a rigorous national certification as approved by the stateboard of education.

4. Policies and procedures shall be established by which a teacherwho was not retained due to a reduction in force may retain the currentlevel of certification. There shall also be established policies andprocedures allowing a teacher who has not been employed in an educationalposition for three years or more to reactivate his or her last level ofcertification by completing twenty-four contact hours of professionaldevelopment which may include hours spent in the classroom in anappropriate college curriculum within the six months prior to or afterreactivating his or her certificate.

5. The state board shall, upon an appropriate background check, issuea professional certificate classification in the areas most closely alignedwith an applicant's current areas of certification, commensurate with theyears of teaching experience of the applicant, to any person who is hiredto teach in a public school in this state and who possesses a validteaching certificate from another state or certification under subdivision(4) of subsection 1 of this section, provided that the certificate holdershall annually complete the state board's requirements for such level ofcertification, and shall establish policies by which residents of statesother than the state of Missouri may be assessed a fee for a certificatelicense to teach in the public schools of Missouri. Such fee shall be inan amount sufficient to recover any or all costs associated with theissuing of a certificate of license to teach. The board shall promulgaterules to authorize the issuance of a provisional certificate of license,which shall allow the holder to assume classroom duties pending thecompletion of a criminal background check under section 168.133, for anyapplicant who:

(1) Is the spouse of a member of the armed forces stationed inMissouri;

(2) Relocated from another state within one year of the date ofapplication;

(3) Underwent a criminal background check in order to be issued ateaching certificate of license from another state; and

(4) Otherwise qualifies under this section.

6. The state board may assess to holders of an initial professionalcertificate a fee, to be deposited into the excellence in educationrevolving fund established pursuant to section 160.268, RSMo, for theissuance of the career continuous professional certificate. However, suchfee shall not exceed the combined costs of issuance and any criminalbackground check required as a condition of issuance. Applicants for theinitial ABCTE certificate shall be responsible for any fees associated withthe program leading to the issuance of the certificate, but nothing in thissection shall prohibit a district from developing a policy that permits feereimbursement.

7. Any member of the public school retirement system of Missouri whoentered covered employment with ten or more years of educational experiencein another state or states and held a certificate issued by another stateand subsequently worked in a school district covered by the public schoolretirement system of Missouri for ten or more years who later becamecertificated in Missouri shall have that certificate dated back to his orher original date of employment in a Missouri public school.

8. The provisions of subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of this section,as well as any other provision of this section relating to the AmericanBoard for Certification of Teacher Excellence, shall terminate on August28, 2014.

(L. 1963 p. 200 § 9-2, A.L. 1973 H.B. 158, A.L. 1984 H.B. 1457 & 1501, A.L. 1988 S.B. 797, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1142, A.L. 1998 H.B. 1469, A.L. 2000 H.B. 1808, A.L. 2003 S.B. 296, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1678 merged with S.B. 1066, A.L. 2009 S.B. 291)

(Source: RSMo 1959 §§ 168.030, 168.260)

*Subdivision (5) of subsection 1 terminates 8-28-14.