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 non-conventional candidates enabling them to meet the requirements for state certification;
   2. (B) 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;
   3. (C) Conventional program. A program for the preparation of professional school personnel incorporating a four (4)-year plan of general education, content and professional studies and designed for candidates who enter college upon graduation from high school;
   4. (D) Innovative program. A program for the preparation of professional school personnel that incorporates innovative ways of delivering an institution’s prescribed curriculum (ex. field-based instruction, distance learning via telecommunications or Internet, etc.); and/or
   5. (E) Non-conventional candidate. An individual enrolled in a program of instruction at a college or university who has not followed a path of continued enrollment from high school. A non-conventional candidate is typically more than twenty-five (25) years of age.

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

   1. (A) An institution seeking to offer an alternative certification program must have a conventional Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved professional education program in the same area of certification existing at its home campus.

   2. (B) An institution seeking to offer an innovative or alternative professional education program shall submit a proposal to the Teacher Education Section at 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 collaboratively prepared and 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 research and practice and shall include the competencies for educators identified in standards for professional education programs adopted by the State Board of Education (the 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 including definition and specification of the kinds of evidence that will be gathered and reported to the institution and the state education agency 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. (C) 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) Any candidate who meets the criteria established by a Missouri college or university for its conventional professional education programs may be accepted into an innovative professional education program.

2. (4) Candidates meeting certain criteria may be accepted into an alternative certification program offered by a Missouri college or university. These criteria include:

   1. (A) The candidate shall present evidence of employment by a school district in Missouri prior to acceptance into an alternative certification program;
   2. (B) The candidate shall undergo a background check conducted by the Missouri Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which includes submitting to DESE two (2) full sets of fingerprints on forms provided by the board and completed by any law enforcement agency. The candidate is responsible for the payment of any fees required by the Missouri Highway Patrol and/or FBI;
   3. (C) The candidate 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 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;
   4. (D) The candidate shall verify the completion of general education requirements to the satisfaction of the teacher education institution offering the alternative program;
   5. (E) The candidate shall participate in a structured interview conducted by the teacher education institution to assess the candidate’s beliefs regarding the nature of teaching, the nature of students and the mission and goals of education as a profession. The interview should be utilized for screening, diagnostic and advising purposes;
   6. (F) The candidate shall complete coursework, which addresses adolescent development, psychology of learning, and teaching methodology in the content area, prior to receiving provisional certification and entering a public school classroom;

   7. (G) Upon successful completion of the coursework outlined in the previous subsection, the candidate will enter into a four (4)- party contract with the recommending college or university, the employing Missouri school district, and DESE. Candidates will 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 district’s

professional development programs;

1. 4. Participate in the district’s Perfor-

mance-Based Teacher Evaluation (PBTE) program; and

1. 5. Continue professional growth to

include thirty (30) clock-hours of in-service training as defined in criteria established by the board; and

1. (H) The candidate shall complete at least eight (8) semester hours of professional education coursework no later than the summer following the awarding of the provisional certificate.

1. (5) Prior to the expiration of the provisional certificate of license to teach, the candidate must successfully complete the exit assessment designated by the board. The exit assessment and the provisions outlined in the previous subsection must be completed prior to being granted a Professional Classification I (PC I) certificate of license to teach.
2. (6) Institutions will be responsible for the recommendation of candidates who complete innovative or alternative certification programs for professional certification in the same manner as those completing conventional programs according to the rules promulgated by the board.

AUTHORITY: sections 161.092, 161.097, 168.011, 168.021 and 168.081, RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed Oct. 25, 2001, effective June 30, 2002. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973; 161.097, RSMo 1985; 168.011, RSMo 1963, amended 1984; 168.021, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000; and 168.081, RSMo 1963, amended 1984.