161.030 Certification authority -- Assessments of beginning teachers and teachers
1,138 words·~5 min read·
/ky/161-030A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
seeking additional certification -- Conditional certificates -- Temporary
certificates -- Emeritus and exception certificates.
(1)Notwithstanding the age of the pupil, the certification of all teachers and other
school personnel, in public schools only, is vested in the Education Professional
Standards Board. When so certified, teachers and other school personnel shall not
be required to have licensure, certification, or other forms of approval from any
other state agency for the performance of their respective assignments within the
system of public schools, except as provided for by law. All certificates authorized
under KRS 161.010 to 161.126 shall be issued in accordance with the
administrative regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board. After
July 15, 1994, all certificate applications and other data collection instruments of
the board shall include a request for voluntary information about the applicant's
ethnic background. This information shall be available to help local school districts
locate minority candidates. A person who holds a certificate prior to this
requirement may request that ethnic information be added to his or her file. Nothing
in this section shall preclude the right of an individual in a nonpublic school from
seeking voluntary certification by the Education Professional Standards Board.
(2)Certificates shall be issued upon written application and in accordance with statutes
and regulations in effect at the time of application to persons who have completed,
at colleges, universities, or local school district programs approved by the
Education Professional Standards Board for the preparation of teachers and other
school personnel, the curricula prescribed by the administrative regulations of the
Education Professional Standards Board.
(a)Certification of all new teachers and teachers seeking additional certification
shall require the successful completion of appropriate assessments prior to
certification. The assessments shall be selected by the Education Professional
Standards Board and shall measure knowledge in the specific teaching field of
the applicant, including content of the field and teaching of that content. The
Education Professional Standards Board shall determine the minimum
acceptable level of achievement on each assessment. The assessments shall
measure those concepts, ideas, and facts which are being taught in teacher
education programs in Kentucky. Upon successful completion of the
assessments and the approved teacher preparation program, a professional
certificate valid for five
(5)years shall be issued.
(b)If an applicant for teacher certification has completed the approved teacher
preparation program and has taken but failed to successfully complete the
appropriate assessments selected by the Education Professional Standards
Board, a conditional certificate may be issued for a period not to exceed one
(1)year. The employing school district, in collaboration with the teacher
education institution, shall provide technical assistance and mentoring support
to the conditionally certified teacher. The teacher shall retake the assessments
during the validity period of the conditional certificate. The conditional
certificate shall not be reissued. Upon successful completion of the required
assessments, a professional certificate valid for five
(5)years shall be issued.
The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative
regulations to establish the standards and procedures for issuance of a
conditional certificate.
(c)If an out-of-state teacher with less than two
(2)years' experience comes to
Kentucky after the deadline for taking the assessments, a temporary certificate
may be issued for a period up to six
(6)months. The teacher shall take the
assessments during the period of the temporary certificate. If the teacher fails
the assessments, the temporary certificate shall be valid only for the current
semester. If the teacher passes the assessments, a professional certificate valid
for five
(5)years shall be issued.
(4)A reasonable fee to be paid by the teacher and directly related to the actual cost of
the administration of the assessments shall be established by the Education
Professional Standards Board. Provisions shall be made for persons having less than
minimum levels of performance on any assessment to repeat that assessment, and
candidates shall be informed of their strengths and weaknesses in the specific
performance areas. The Education Professional Standards Board shall provide for
confidentiality of the individual assessment scores. Scores shall be available only to
the candidate and to the education officials who are responsible for determining
whether established certification standards have been met. Scores shall be used only
in the assessment for certification of new teachers and of out-of-state teachers with
less than two
(2)years of teaching experience who are seeking initial certification
in Kentucky.
(5)If an applicant establishes eligibility for a five
(5)year professional certificate under
the provisions of subsection (3)(a) of this section, the applicant shall also be eligible
for the issuance of a certificate for substitute teaching as provided by the
administrative regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board.
(a)The Education Professional Standards Board shall issue a ten
(10)year
emeritus certificate to an applicant who has:
1. Retired or will retire not more than one
(1)year prior to the expiration
date of the certificate;
2. Met the requirements to receive an emeritus certificate as set forth in
administrative regulation promulgated by the Education Professional
Standards Board; and
3. Completed the required application unless the provisions of KRS
161.120 apply.
(b)The Education Professional Standards Board shall issue a one
(1)time five
year exception certificate to an individual:
1. Whose certificate has expired;
2. Whose rank upon expiration was Rank I or Rank II;
3. Who has met the requirements to receive an exception certificate as set
forth in administrative regulation promulgated by the Education
Professional Standards Board;
4. Who completed three
(3)years of classroom instruction prior to the
certificate's expiration; and
5. Who has completed the required application unless the provisions of
KRS 161.120 apply.
(7)The Education Professional Standards Board shall approve the curricula of any
college or university, or of any department thereof, for the training of teachers, and
any nontraditional or alternative teacher preparation program offered in a public or
private postsecondary education institution, private contractor, or state agency, and
shall also approve the curricula of any local district alternative certification
program, when the curricula comply with the administrative regulations of the
Education Professional Standards Board for the issuance of certificates and when
the institution has met the terms and conditions provided in KRS 161.010 to
161.120. Any student who has completed any of these curricula, as approved by the
Education Professional Standards Board, and who has completed the prescribed
requirements for the issuance of certificates shall be granted a certificate
corresponding to the curricula completed.
(8)The issuance of any certificate, except emergency certificates issued pursuant to
KRS 161.100, by the Education Professional Standards Board shall not be
dependent upon an offer of employment. The certification process, except for
emergency certificates, is independent of any job prospects and certification shall
be awarded on the basis of completing a teacher preparation program or an
alternative certification pathway and passing required assessments.