PURPOSE: The State Board of Education is authorized to grant certificates of license to teach in any of the public schools of the state and establish requirements and qualifications for those certificates. This rule outlines the criteria for innovative or alternative programs for preparing candidates for a certificate of license to teach in Missouri.

1. (1) For purposes of this rule, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following terms shall mean:

   1. (A) Alternative program. A program for the preparation of professional school personnel that provides a curriculum for post-baccalaureate degree candidates without professional education preparation to enable them to meet the requirements for state certification;
   2. (B) Candidate for certification. An individual who has been admitted into a program for the preparation of teachers or other professional school personnel;
   3. (C) Conceptual framework. The rationale and organizing principles that guide the development of the knowledge base, structure, operation, curriculum and accountability for a professional education program;
   4. (D) Conventional program. A program for the preparation of professional school personnel that includes a curriculum of general education, content and professional studies, and clinical experiences designed for candidates who enter college upon graduation from high school and culminates in a bachelor’s or higher degree; and/or
   5. (E) Innovative program. A program for the preparation of professional school personnel that includes all of the elements and requirements of a conventional program, but utilizes non-conventional methods for delivering the prescribed curriculum (ex. field-based instruction, distance learning via telecommunications or Internet, etc.)

2. (2) An institution of higher education having state-approved conventional professional education programs that prepare candidates for a Missouri certificate of license to teach may also offer innovative or alternative programs.

   1. (A) An institution seeking to offer an innovative or alternative professional education program shall submit a proposal to the Educator Preparation Section at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) addressing the elements discussed in this section. Only those programs which DESE determines to have merit and potential for providing quality preparation for candidate certification will be considered for approval. The proposals should include at a minimum the following elements:

      1. 1. A description of the proposed pro-

gram based upon a statement of the purpose and objectives for an area of the public school curriculum and a statement of the nature of the proposed program that is consistent with those objectives, the mission of the institution, and the conceptual framework for the professional education unit. These statements shall be based on analyses of current practices and trends in the identified area of the public school curriculum;

1. 2. A clearly formulated statement of the

competencies for educators in the identified area of the public school curriculum. These competencies shall include subject knowledge and professional skills based upon current 5 CSR 20-400

research and practice and shall include the competencies for educators identified in the standards for professional education programs adopted by the State Board of Education (board);

1. 3. A curriculum matrix delineating the

courses and supervised field experiences prescribed to address competencies appropriate for a beginning teacher candidate to meet state certification requirements, a description of the process by which the candidates will be prepared, and provisions for assessing candidates and keeping records of their progress through the program;

1. 4. Identification of the administrative

structure of the proposed program indicating that responsibility for the program is vested in the professional education unit of the institution. Institutions shall designate the appropriate department, division, school, or college within the institution to act within the framework of general institutional policies on all matters relating to such programs;

1. 5. Clearly identified human and physical

resources to support the program. The continuing availability of the resources shall be assured for the duration of the program. Any resources not under the control of the institution shall be defined and confirmed by the controlling agency; and

1. 6. A written plan for the continuing

evaluation of the proposed program that includes definition and specifications of the kinds of evidence that will be gathered and reported to the institution and DESE at designated intervals. Evaluation reports shall provide information to identify areas in the program that need to be strengthened and/or to suggest new directions for program development.

1. (B) Innovative and alternative programs shall abide by and be evaluated according to the Missouri standards for professional education programs included in rules promulgated by the board.

1. (3) An individual who meets the criteria established by a Missouri college or university for its conventional professional education programs may participate in an innovative program. Upon admission into an innovative program, the individual becomes a candidate for certification.

2. (4) An individual may become a candidate in an alternative certification program offered by a Missouri college or university upon meeting the following criteria:

   1. (A) The individual shall have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree in the content area or a closely allied field of the desired certificate of license to teach from a regionally accredited institution and shall have a SECONDARY EDUCATION

cumulative grade point average no lower than the Missouri requirement for teacher certification (2.5 on a 4.0 scale) and a grade point average no lower than 2.5 in the major (content) area;

1. (B) The individual shall participate in a structured interview conducted by faculty of the teacher education institution for screening, diagnostic and advising purposes;
2. (C) The individual shall undergo a background check conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (Highway Patrol) and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which includes submitting to DESE two (2) full sets of fingerprints in a manner acceptable to the Highway Patrol and/or FBI and paying the required fees;
3. (D) Upon admission into an alternative program, the individual becomes a candidate for certification;
4. (E) The candidate shall have completed or be enrolled in coursework, which addresses adolescent development, psychology of learning, and teaching methodology in the content area, prior to receiving provisional certification and teaching in a public school;

5. (F) The candidate shall enter into a four (4)-party academic contract with the college or university offering the alternative program, an employing Missouri school district and DESE, whereupon s/he shall receive a two (2)-year provisional certificate of license to teach and shall:

   1. 1. Be assigned by the school district a

mentor who teaches the same subject and approximately the same grade level to observe and work with the candidate while s/he is teaching during the school day until the candidate completes the alternative program;

1. 2. Receive any additional assistance, as

determined by the college or university, until the candidate completes the alternative program;

1. 3. Participate in the employing school

district’s professional development programs; and

1. 4. Participate in the employing school

district’s Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation (PBTE) program;

1. (G) The candidate shall complete at least eight (8) additional semester hours of professional education coursework in the prescribed program of study during the year following the receipt of the provisional certificate; and
2. (H) The candidate’s teaching experience with the employing school district while participating in an approved alternative program shall satisfy the clinical experiences requirement for professional certification.

1. (5) Prior to the expiration of his/her provisional certificate of license to teach, the candidate must successfully complete the exit assessment designated by the board for the Initial Professional Classification (IPC) certificate of license to teach.
2. (6) Institutions shall be authorized to recommend for IPC certificates of license to teach candidates who complete approved innovative or alternative certification programs in accordance with the rules promulgated by the board.

AUTHORITY: sections 161.097 and 168.011, RSMo 2000 and 161.092, 168.021 and 168.081, RSMo Supp. 2005.* This rule previously filed as 5 CSR 80-805.030. Original rule filed Oct. 25, 2001, effective June 30, 2002. Amended: Filed April 27, 2006, effective Nov. 30, 2006. Moved to 5 CSR 20- 400.320, effective Aug. 16, 2011. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003; 161.097, RSMo 1985; 168.011, RSMo 1963, amended 1984; 168.021, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2003; and 168.081, RSMo 1963, amended 1984, 2002.