PAIU Conference

FALL 2015 UPDATE

CERTIFICATION

Nov. 5, 2015

J

PAIU Conference

UPDATES

PAIU ConferenceAct 114 Update for Student Teachers

Background Check

Act 114 includes background check requirements for “student teacher candidates” which are:• Participating in a classroom teaching, internship,

clinical or field experience• Performing classroom teaching or assisting in the

education program in a:– Public or private school– Intermediate Unit (IU)– Career and Technology Center (CTC)

Under the supervision of educator preparation program faculty

PAIU Conference

Act 114 Background Check

• Required prior to a candidate’s participation in any:– Classroom teaching– Internship– Field experience

• Candidate provides the following to the provider who keeps on record:– PA State Police Criminal History Record– Federal Criminal History Report

PAIU Conference

Act 114 Background Check

• Frequency of the Background Check– Once if continuously enrolled in a program– If a candidate transfers to or from another provider, a new

background check must be completed; i.e., community college

• The provider verifies that the candidate has been continuously enrolled in the field and student teaching placement sites

PAIU Conference

Use of Praxis Tests for Highly Qualified Purposes

For educators to demonstrate content mastery (demonstrate HQT only) in:

• Grades PK-4 and 4-8, PDE will retain use of Fundamental Subjects Praxis test for HQT in self-contained classes (5511)

• Grades 6-9, PDE will retain use of Middle Level Praxis tests (5047; 5169; 5440; 5089)

Note: Certificates may not be issued in these areas

PAIU Conference

Induction Plan Requirements

• Long-term subs who work 70 days or more should have induction

• Those with fewer days are optional

PAIU Conference

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 Conference

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 Conference

PIL Continuing Professional Education Requirements (Act 45) for All School and System Leaders

Assistant or Vice Principal, Principal, Assistant Superintendent, Superintendent, Assistant Intermediate Unit Executive Director, Intermediate Unit Executive Director, Director of an Area Vocational-Technical School• Must complete Act 45 Continuing Professional

Development• A list of approved non-PDE courses to provide Act 45

hours is located on the PDE PIL website at http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/PA%20Inspired%20Leaders/Pages/default.aspx#.VdOQ0n7D-Un

PAIU Conference

PIL Continuing Professional Education (Act 45) for All School and System Leaders

• The number of PIL continuing professional education hours required for an administrator working in a PIL-covered position for the full five-year cycle is 180 hours or approximately 36 hours per year

• The initial date of service as a school administrator marks the beginning for the Act 45 continuing professional education requirements

 

PAIU Conference

PIL Continuing Professional Education (Act 45) for All School and System Leaders

• Administrators hired midway through their professional education

cycle will have to complete approximately 50% of their hours as

Act 45 hours

• The number of Act 45 hours to be completed for the remainder of

the administrator’s cycle will be reflected in the PERMS record

 

PAIU Conference

Guest Teacher Permits

Day-to-day substitute permits may be requested by the LEA responsible for the guest teacher program

This does NOT apply to long term substitutes

PAIU Conference

Inactive Certificates

• An educator with an inactive certificate may teach up to 90 days per school year in their area of certification (CSPG 8)

• A day-to-day emergency permit (06) may be issued to teach another area of certification (CSPG 13)

• The total number of days may not exceed 90 per school year (in area, out of area, combo)

PAIU Conference

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 Conference

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 effectiveness go to Educator Effectiveness Project

PAIU Conference

Non-Teaching Professional Employees

• May be evaluated using 82-3• Includes

– Educational Specialist– SLP– Reading Specialist– Instructional certificate holders not the teacher

of record

PAIU Conference

CERTIFICATION STAFFING AND POLICY GUIDELINES

(CSPG) CHANGES

PAIU Conference

CSPGs – Recent Revisions/Additions

• #1 Appropriate Certification in Pennsylvania – added provision for approved licensures (social worker, orientation & mobility)

• #41 American Sign Language (ASL) – pathways to ASL certification and clarifies assignments

• #50 Mathematics – Staffing information on teaching STEM courses

• #56 Physics – Staffing information on teaching STEM courses

• #65 Technology Education – Staffing information for teaching STEM courses

PAIU Conference

CSPGs – Recent Revisions/Additions• #90 Single Area Supervisor and #91 Special Education

Supervisor – added Principal PK-12 may be used as a single area supervisor (CSPG 95.8)

• #105 Gifted Enrichments Programs – New CSPG

• #202 Orientation and Mobility Specialist – Created to identify specific credentials for non-teaching/non-educational assignments in this area

• #301 Highly Qualified Determination – New CSPG

PAIU Conference

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• Travel skills indoor & outdoor

PAIU Conference

Calculating Validity

• Administrative I Principal K-12 Certificates– Service counts against Level I validity for:

• Principal• Vice Principal• Assistant Principal

PAIU Conference

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)

• Conversion to Administrative II is optional for these assignments– PIL Induction is required if the educator chooses to convert

to Level II

PAIU Conference

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

• The provision of Chapter 49.85 (d) has recently been extended to include Approved Private Schools (APS) and Licensed Private Academic Schools where public school certificates are required by regulation

PAIU Conference

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

• This winter we are planning to add an “Exceptional Case” application to TIMS, more details to follow

PAIU Conference

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND TEACHER QUALITY

UPDATES

PAIU Conference

New Certificate - Update

Educational Specialist – School Speech and Language Pathologist PK-12

• Licensed clinical pathologists may apply

• New programs are forming in PA

PAIU Conference

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 Conference

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+

• ETS CORE assessment

PAIU Conference

Endorsements

New Endorsements:• Gifted – April 2015• Theatre – May 2015 • Creative Movement and Dance endorsement is

currently under development

PAIU Conference

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 the candidate did not complete a program

PAIU Conference

Local Educator Equity Plan

On September 10, 2015 USDE approved PA’s state plan

Each LEA will be required to develop a local equity plan that:• Requires stakeholder engagement in plan

development• Uses data to identify equity gaps through root

cause analysis

PAIU Conference

Local Educator Equity Plan

• Identifies strategies for eliminating identified equity gaps

Federal monitors will provide ongoing technical assistance, monitoring and feedback. There will be public reporting on progress achieved

annually.

• PDE will be providing guidance on the development of local plans

PAIU Conference

TEACHER INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(TIMS)

PAIU Conference

TIMS Enhancements May 2015

• Email notification for work experience affirmations will now be sent only to certifying officers, not superintendents

• Email notification will now be sent to certifying officers when they have an emergency permit on their dashboard

• Created Non-Certified Educator Designation– Educators should not apply for this designation at this time– An announcement will go out in the Fall 2015 regarding what the

designation is and who should apply for it

PAIU Conference

TIMS Enhancements May 2015

• Fixed audit issue for non-citizen Type 06 emergency permits

• Fixed loophole in application logic for educators who should not be allowed to apply

• Added “Pending Criminal Charges” to the complete profile

• Changed logic to allow In-State Letter of Eligibility candidates to select multiple subjects on one application

PAIU Conference

TIMS Enhancements December 2014

• Export feature allows LEAs to retrieve data from TIMS

• Grades 4-8 Emergency Permits show the concentration area

• LEAs able to see passing tests (not the scores) on file for educators affiliated with them

• Created new “Pending Criminal Charges” alert due to HB 1816

PAIU ConferenceUsing TIMS to Check Pending Criminal ChargesOption 1: TIMS Public Website: www.TeacherCertification.PA.gov

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS to Check Pending Criminal Charges

You must search by PPID in order to view this information

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS to Check Pending Criminal Charges

Option 2: TIMS Internal Site (for those who are provisioned)

• Log into your TIMS dashboard

• Click “Search” then “Search 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 ConferenceUsing TIMS to Affirm Work Experience

• E-mails are sent to the provisioned Certifying Officer when there is at least one work experience affirmation on the dashboard

• Applications may create/send multiple affirmations. Complete all affirmations, including duplicates, so current and future applications are not delayed

• If there is a work experience affirmation for an educator that you do not know, answer the questions appropriately and submit to PDE with notes

• Always answer “Yes” to the GMC question unless you are aware of a specific reason to answer “No”

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS to Export Data

• From your TIMS dashboard, click “Export”

• Select “By Educator File” or “All Educators”

• If you select “By Educator File”, upload the file

• Click “Export” and open the .csv file

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS to Export Data

• Currently the export will only return data that is attached to an

application in TIMS

• This means that anyone certified prior to TIMS that does not have

an application in TIMS will not show on the export

• We plan to address this issue so that data is returned for all

educators that hold credentials

• A webinar is being planned for November to provide more detailed

training

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS for Emergency Permits

• E-mails are sent to the provisioned Certifying Officer when there is at least one permit request on the dashboard

• Before requesting a permit, LEAs should view an educator’s work experience history to check if their certificate may be in danger of lapsing (see next slide for instructions)

NOTE: Per CSPG 13, PDE does not issue permits for educators that hold lapsed Level I certificates

• “Deny” permit requests from educators that you do not know or do not want to request an emergency permit for

PAIU Conference

Using TIMS to View Work History

• From your TIMS dashboard, click “Search” along the top row, then

select “Search Professional”

• Click the radio button next to “By Affiliation”

• Enter the PPID and click “Search”

• Click “View Complete Profile”

• Scroll down to view work experience

• If you have questions about the validity of their Level I certificate,

contact PDE

PAIU Conference

How an Educator Affiliates with an LEA

• If an educator is submitting a permit request, affiliating is a required step in the process– Click “Emergency Permit Application” to start– On Step 3 add an affiliation with the LEA where

the permit is being requested– On Step 4 select the appropriate LEA by placing a

check mark in the box to the right– Proceed to Step 5 and submit the request by

clicking “Initiate Permit Request” at the bottom

PAIU Conference

How an Educator Affiliates with an LEA

• If an educator is not submitting a permit request, but wants to add an affiliation– Click “View & Update My Profile” to start– On Step 5 view current affiliations– Click “Add New Affiliations” to add an affiliation with the

appropriate LEA or IHE – Once new affiliation has been added, click “Save”

NOTE: There is no submit button on the “Update Profile” process, once an affiliation is saved on Step 5 return to the TIMS dashboard by clicking “Home” at the top

PAIU Conference

Updated Documents

• If you provide documents to assist your educators with TIMS be sure to update them as changes are made throughout the year

• If you send forms to PDE, always ensure you are using the most recent found on PDE’s website at PDE > Teachers & Administrators > Certifications > Certification Fees and Forms

PAIU Conference

Continuing Education for Retired Educators

• All retired educators should have a CE status of “Active” as the law does not apply CE requirements to retired educators

• There are currently over 2,000 retired educators with a CE status of “Voluntary Inactive”

• PDE will change their CE status to “Active” • LEAs should report all retirees that they know have

served for 180 days as the law requires they resume CE requirements

PAIU Conference

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 Monday through Friday

PAIU Conference

51

For TIMS and Certification AssistanceThe Help & Contact Info link also lets you Submit a Ticket.

Expect a ticket response within 1-2 business days.

PAIU ConferenceCall Center/Chat Hours

The Call Center and Live Chat is open:• Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM• Tuesday 12 PM to 4 PM• Thursday 8 AM to 12 PM

• To chat, go to the Certifications Page (Teachers & Administrators > Certifications) of PDE’s website and click “Chat with certification staff”

• To call, dial 717-728-3224 (717 PA-TEACH)• LEA Personnel may use the Preferential Handling Code

(details on next slide)

PAIU Conference

Call Center Preferential Handling • After the initial greeting, you will hear “Please listen

carefully 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• Please do not give out these instructions to educators

PAIU Conference

Call Center

From August 28 – October 23, 2015:• Handled 7,744 calls• Handled 1,252 chats• Resolved 1,654 tickets• Reviewed 6,056 applications

PAIU Conference

Questions?

For more information on Certification please visit PDE’s website at www.education.pa.gov

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.