For the purposes of this part:

1. (1) “Accredited approved educator preparation program” means an educator preparation program that is:

   1. (A) Accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the:

      1. (i) United States Department of Education; or
      2. (ii) Council for Higher Education Accreditation; and
   2. (B) Approved by the licensing authority of a state government;

2. (2) “Accredited college or university” means an institution of higher education that is regionally or nationally accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the:

   1. (A) United States Department of Education; or
   2. (B) Council for Higher Education Accreditation;

3. (3) “Accredited occupational therapy program” means an occupational therapy program that is offered by an accredited college or university, and the program is nationally accredited by:

   1. (A) The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education; or

   2. (B) An accrediting organization recognized by the:

      1. (i) United States Department of Education; or
      2. (ii) Council for Higher Education Accreditation;

4. (4) “Accredited school psychology program” means a program of study for school psychology that is offered by an accredited college or university, and the program is:

   1. (A) Nationally accredited in school psychology by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association;
   2. (B) Approved by the National Association of School Psychologists; or

   3. (C) Nationally accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the:

      1. (i) United States Department of Education; or
      2. (ii) Council for Higher Education Accreditation;

5. (5) “Accredited speech-language pathology program” means a speech-language pathology program that is offered by an accredited college or university, and the program is nationally accredited by:

   1. (A) The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; or

   2. (B) An accrediting organization recognized by the:

      1. (i) United States Department of Education; or
      2. (ii) Council for Higher Education Accreditation;
6. (6) “Additional Licensure Plan (ALP)” means a plan approved by the Office of Educator Licensure that allows an individual holding a license to accept employment or assignment in an out-of-area position;
7. (7) “Administrator license” means an endorsement to a standard five-year renewable license, issued by the State Board of Education, which allows the license holder to serve as an administrator in an educational entity;
8. (8) “Administrator Licensure Completion Plan (ALCP)” means a plan approved by the Office of Educator Licensure that allows an individual holding a standard license to accept employment as an administrator;

9. (9)

   1. (A) “Alternate Assessment Plan (AAP)” means a plan submitted by a building-level or district-level administrator approved by the Office of Educator Licensure on behalf of an applicant for a standard license in a first-time licensure area who has not demonstrated competency in their subject matter content with a passing score on a State Board of Education-approved content area assessment.
   2. (B) See the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for first-time licensure areas;

10. (10) “Alternative Educator Preparation Program” means a program of study approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for candidates who:

    1. (A) Have a bachelor’s degree; and
    2. (B) Are preparing for licensure as teachers and leaders in public schools in this state;

11. (11)

    1. (A) “Ancillary license” means a five-year renewable license, issued by the State Board of Education, that:

       1. (i) Does not require prior classroom teaching experience; and
       2. (ii) Allows the license holder to practice in Arkansas public schools in a licensure area excluding an administrator’s endorsement.
    2. (B) See the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for ancillary licensure areas;
12. (12) “Aspiring Teacher” means an individual enrolled in an approved educator preparation program;
13. (13) “Aspiring Teacher permit” means an up-to-one-year-only permit issued to an intern or resident that meets eligibility requirements in a traditional educator preparation program allowing the recipient to assume the role of a teacher of record under the supervision of an experienced mentor teacher;
14. (14) “Building-level administrator” means a principal, assistant principal, or vice principal in an educational entity;
15. (15) “Candidate” means an individual who has been admitted into an educator licensure program;

16. (16) “Clinical experiences” means the activities for candidates in educator preparation programs that allow early and ongoing practice opportunities to apply content and pedagogical knowledge, such as:

    1. (A) Observations;
    2. (B) Tutoring;
    3. (C) Assisting teachers and administrators; and
    4. (D) Practicums;

17. (17)

    1. (A) “Clinical internship” means a culminating clinical practice that takes place in an authentic educational setting where teacher candidates engage in the pedagogical work of the profession of teaching, closely integrated with educator preparation instruction and supported by a formal school-educator preparation partnership.
    2. (B) Placements must reflect the subject area and grade level of the license being sought;

18. (18) “Core academic subject areas” means:

    1. (A) Elementary Education (K-6);
    2. (B) English language arts;
    3. (C) Mathematics;
    4. (D) Science;
    5. (E) Social studies;
    6. (F) Art;
    7. (G) Music; and
    8. (H) Foreign language;

19. (19) “District-level administrator” means:

    1. (A) A superintendent;
    2. (B) An assistant/associate superintendent; or
    3. (C) A deputy superintendent;
20. (20) “Division” means the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Department of Education;
21. (21) “Educational entity” means a public school district, a charter school, an education service cooperative, or other public entity that is assigned a local education agency number by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education;

22. (22)

    1. (A) “Educator” means any individual holding a license issued by the State Board of Education, specifically including without limitation:

       1. (i) Teachers;
       2. (ii) Administrators;
       3. (iii) Library media specialists; and
       4. (iv) Counselors.
    2. (B) “Educator” also includes a nonlicensed person employed under the educational entity’s waiver of licensure;
23. (23) “Educator preparation program” means a planned sequence of academic courses and experiences leading to a recommendation for licensure by the State Board of Education;

24. (24) “Educator preparation program completer” means a person who:

    1. (A) Has completed all coursework/modules and program requirements of a state-approved program of study; and
    2. (B) Is eligible for an Arkansas educator’s provisional or standard license;
25. (25) “Effective teacher” means a teacher or leader who demonstrates the concepts outlined in the state-approved evaluation framework;
26. (26) “Endorsement” means any licensure area or licensure level that may be added only to an existing standard license;
27. (27) “Exception area endorsement” means an endorsement that is not available by testing out;

28. (28)

    1. (A) “Experienced mentor teacher” means a teacher:

       1. (i) With a minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience;
       2. (ii) Having an annual rating of effective or higher; and
       3. (iii) Having received mentor coaching training.
    2. (B) It is preferred that the teacher have a Lead or Master designation;

29. (29) “Good standing” means, for the purpose of reciprocity, that:

    1. (A) There are no ethics proceedings or proceedings on criminal offenses for which the license would be subject to sanctions in Arkansas pending against a licensee;
    2. (B) The licensee has not been sanctioned for an ethics violation or criminal offense for which the license would be subject to sanction in Arkansas during the three (3) most recent years of teaching experience, if any; and
    3. (C) The license has not been revoked by or is not currently under suspension in the licensing state or country based on an offense for which the license would be subject to sanction in Arkansas;

30. (30)

    1. (A) “Level of licensure” or “licensure level” means the grade/age level parameter of the educator license.
    2. (B) See the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for areas and levels of licensure;

31. (31)

    1. (A) “Licensed teaching experience” means teaching in a kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) public or private school while holding a standard or provisional teaching license, or the equivalent if the applicant is seeking licensure reciprocity.
    2. (B) Teaching experience under a licensure exception does not count as licensed teaching experience;

32. (32)

    1. (A) “Licensure content area” means a particular content field as recognized by the State Board of Education.
    2. (B) See the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for licensure content areas;

33. (33)

    1. (A) “Licensure exception” means an exception, formerly a “waiver”, from the legal requirement that a position at an educational entity must be filled by a person holding the appropriate license issued by the State Board of Education.
    2. (B) Licensure exceptions approved by the State Board of Education are identified in 6 CAR § 180-701 et seq.;

34. (34) “One-year supervised residency” means an experience in a school setting alongside an experienced mentor teacher not to exceed:

    1. (A) One (1) academic year; or
    2. (B) Two (2) consecutive semesters;
35. (35) “Out-of-area position” means a licensed position requiring a particular license, endorsement, licensure content area, or level of licensure that the employee filling the position does not currently hold;

36. (36)

    1. (A) “Passing score”, for a state-mandated assessment for licensure, means the cut score on the assessment approved by the State Board of Education.
    2. (B) A passing score on a licensure assessment approved by the State Board of Education before the currently approved version of an assessment will be accepted for five (5) years after the date the State Board of Education discontinued or replaced the assessment, provided the passing score was achieved before the date the assessment was discontinued or replaced;
37. (37) “Primary partnership” means a partnership that meets all the requirements of a state-recognized partnership while also requiring established and explicit processes for identifying and responding to educational entities’ areas of need, e.g., English as a second language (ESL) or special education teachers, collaborative development of candidate selection criteria, collaborative design of high-quality, need-based clinical experiences, and collaborative implementation of high-quality clinical experiences with engagement of both partners throughout the partnership;

38. (38) “Private credential evaluation agency” means an independent agency approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education that:

    1. (A) Is located in the United States; and

    2. (B) Provides an educational background assessment that:

       1. (i) Contains a course-by-course evaluation of the applicant’s transcript;
       2. (ii) Indicates the applicant’s major area of study and documents the candidate’s cumulative grade point average;
       3. (iii) Documents whether the applicant’s out-of-country degree is equivalent to one that would have been completed at an accredited college or university in the United States;
       4. (iv) Documents whether the out-of-country professional preparation program is equivalent to one that would have been completed at an approved educator preparation program or accredited speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, or school psychology program;
       5. (v) Indicates the areas of licensure represented by the out-of-country license; and
       6. (vi) Documents which areas of licensure on the out-of-country license are equivalent to the areas of licensure approved by the State Board of Education;
39. (39) “Professional development” means a coordinated set of planned learning development activities for teachers that are based on research, are standards-based, and that meet the focus areas for professional development required by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education or law;
40. (40) “Program administrator” means a school leader who is responsible for program development and administration, and who may be responsible for employment evaluation decisions in content areas approved by the State Board of Education;

41. (41) “Program of study” means a curriculum that requires a candidate to demonstrate and document competency in the specific knowledge, skills, and dispositions for a particular endorsement to an educator’s license, a licensure content area, or level of licensure, and is:

    1. (A) Provided by:

       1. (i) One (1) or more accredited colleges or universities; or
       2. (ii) An alternative educator preparation program;
    2. (B) Aligned with Arkansas Teaching Standards and the appropriate content knowledge and pedagogical competencies for the respective licensure areas; and
    3. (C) Approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education;
42. (42) “Provisional license” means a temporary license issued by the State Board of Education that allows the license holder to teach or work in Arkansas schools;

43. (43) “Reciprocity” means the recognition of a teaching license from another state or country based on:

    1. (A) This part; or
    2. (B) The terms of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate Agreement for Educator Licensure;
44. (44) “Secondary partnership” means a partnership that meets all the requirements of a state-recognized partnership with educational entities or accredited private schools with which they do not have a primary partnership, but where enrolled candidates are placed for clinical experiences;

45. (45)

    1. (A) “Semester” means the fall or spring of an academic year.
    2. (B) If an educational entity uses a different method of academic year scheduling, such as a twelve-month academic year, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and the educational entity will identify a semester equivalent;
46. (46) “SPED 101 Academy” means a three-credit-hour course developed by institutions of higher education based on competencies developed in collaboration with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Educator Preparation Unit, Special Education Unit, and public school districts, public charter schools, and education service cooperatives;
47. (47) “Standard license” means a five-year renewable license, issued by the State Board of Education, where a recipient has demonstrated content knowledge and understanding of pedagogical practice required to perform professional education services for the licensure content area and licensure level specified on the license;

48. (48) “Standard license equivalent” means a current, unrestricted, nonprobationary, nonprovisional teaching license that:

    1. (A) Allows an individual to work as a teacher, administrator, counselor, or library media specialist in another state’s public schools; and
    2. (B) Is in good standing with the licensing state;
49. (49) “State board” means the State Board of Education;

50. (50) “State-recognized partnership” means a partnership that establishes:

    1. (A) The roles and responsibilities of educator preparation faculty educational entities or accredited private schools, including clinical educators and supervisors; and
    2. (B) Clear expectations regarding the delivery of candidate support and evaluation;
51. (51) “Successful completion of background checks” means that the individual cleared both the state and federal criminal history checks and cleared the Child Maltreatment Central Registry check as provided under the Rules Governing Background Checks, 6 CAR pt. 194; and
52. (52) “Teacher of record” means an individual, or individuals in co-teaching assignments, who has been assigned the lead responsibility for a student’s learning in a subject/course with aligned performance measures.