CHAPTER TCS 3.05

CERTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL:
REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES

TCS 3.05 Instructional certification. Each person employed by a district responsible for the delivery of classroom instruction or assisting in the management of one or more programs of a district shall obtain instructional certification from the board. An instructional certificate shall be granted as follows:

(1) FIVE-YEAR CERTIFICATE. A 5-year certificate shall be issued to a person employed by a district in a program approved by the board if the person has met all of the following requirements:

(a) Education and academic preparation. An academic instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree with a major in the subject area for which certification is sought, or a baccalaureate degree with 30 semester credits in the subject area. An occupational instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent as determined under s. TCS 3.04(1) or (2). An occupational instructor shall have education or training preparing a person for the occupational area to be taught. Appropriate training may include vendor, manufacturer, in-service or other structured on-the-job training in the occupation.

(am) An academic or occupational instructor shall complete 2 semester credits approved by the director or designee which contain the competencies identified by the state certification committee under s. TCS 3.14(4)(a) in each of the following subjects, or shall complete equivalent district in-service activities which contain the competencies identified by the state certification committee under s. TCS 3.14(4)(a) and approved by the state certification committee under s. TCS 3.14(4)(b) in each of the following subjects:

1. Philosophy of vocational, technical and adult education.

2. Teaching methods.

3. Curriculum or course construction.

4. Educational psychology.

5. Educational evaluation.

6. Guidance and counseling.

7. Educational diversity.

(b) Occupational experience. An academic instructor shall have 12 months of occupational experience in a field other than education. An occupational instructor shall have 24 months of verifiable occupational experience as a fully qualified worker in each occupational area where certification is requested.

(c) Teaching experience. A person shall have 2 years experience as a certified teacher in any recognized educational system.

(d) Renewal. The 5-year instructional certificate shall be renewed if during the instructional certification period preceding the expiration date, the person seeking renewal completes 6 semester credits, or 2 months of appropriate occupational experience, or other professional activities identified in a district professional growth plan approved under s. TCS 3.14(4)(g).

(2) PROVISIONAL CERTIFICATE. A provisional certificate shall be issued to a person employed full-time by a district in a program approved by the board where the person has not met all of the requirements for a 5-year certificate under sub. (1) but does meet all the following minimum requirements:

(a) Education and academic preparation. An academic instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree with a minor in the subject area for which certification is sought, or a baccalaureate degree with a minimum of 20 semester credits in the subject area for which certification is sought. An occupational instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent as determined under s. TCS 3.04(1) or (2). An occupational instructor shall have education or training preparing a person for the occupational area being taught. Appropriate training may include vendor, manufacturer, in-service or other structured on-the-job training in the occupation.

(b) Occupational experience. An academic instructor shall have 12 months of verifiable occupational experience in a field other than education. An occupational instructor shall have 24 months of verifiable occupational experience as a fully qualified worker in each occupational area where certification is requested.

(c) Teaching experience. No teaching experience is required.

(d) Renewal. The initial provisional instructional certificate shall be valid for 3 years and may be renewed for additional 2 year periods if during the provisional certification period preceding the expiration date, the person makes progress toward meeting the requirements of a 5-year certificate by completing 6 semester credits or district in-service activities fulfilling the requirement of sub. (1)(a). A person meeting the requirements for sub. (1)(a) but not for sub. (1)(c) shall complete 2 semester credits approved by the district director or designee for renewal.

(e) Special provision for persons receiving certification by instructional area prior to May 1, 1993. A person certified by instructional area prior to May 1, 1993 who does not have the occupational experience required under par. (b) shall be granted a provisional certificate under this subsection for the same instructional area. Thereafter, the person shall obtain 2 months of additional occupational experience as a condition of future renewal where the person's renewal does not meet the renewal requirements identified under sub. (1) (am).

(3) PART-TIME PROVISIONAL CERTIFICATE. A part-time provisional certificate shall be granted to a person employed part-time by a district in a program approved by the board where the person has not met the requirements for a 5-year certificate under sub. (1) but does meet the following requirements:

(a) Education and academic preparation. An academic instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree with a minor in the subject area for which certification is sought or a baccalaureate degree with a minimum of 20 semester credits in the subject area for which certification is sought. An occupational instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent as determined under s. TCS 3.04(1) or (2). An occupational instructor shall also have education or training which prepares a person for the occupational area taught. Appropriate training may include vendor, manufacturer, in-service or other structured on-the-job training in the occupation.

(b) Occupational experience. An academic instructor shall have 12 months of occupational experience in a field other than education. An occupational instructor shall have 24 months of verifiable experience as a fully qualified worker in each occupational area for which certification is requested.

(c) Teaching experience. No teaching experience is required.

(d) Renewal. The initial part-time provisional instructional certificate shall be valid for 3 years and may be renewed for additional 2 year periods if during the part-time provisional certification period preceding the expiration date, the person makes progress toward meeting the requirements of a 5-year certificate by completing 2 semester credits or district in-service activities fulfilling the requirements of sub. (1)(a). A person who has met the requirements of sub. (1)(a) but not sub. (1)(c) shall complete 2 semester credits approved by the district director or designee for renewal.

(e) Special provision for persons receiving certification by instructional area prior to May 1, 1993. A person certified by instructional area prior to May 1, 1993 but not having the occupational experience required under par. (b), shall be granted a part-time provisional certificate under this subsection for the same instructional area. Thereafter, the person shall obtain 2 months of additional occupational experience as a condition of future renewal, where the person is not renewing under the requirements identified under sub. (1)(a).

(4) APPROVAL CERTIFICATE. An approval certificate shall be issued only to a person already holding a provisional, part-time provisional, 5-year, or a life certificate. The approval certificate shall certify an additional instructional area or courses and shall be issued only when the approval area certified equals less than one-half of the person's annual teaching assignment and the person meets the following requirements:

(a) Education and academic preparation. An academic instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree with a minor in the subject area for which certification is sought, or a baccalaureate degree with a minimum of 20 semester credits in the subject area for which certification is sought. An occupational instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent as determined under s. TCS 3.04(1) or (2). An occupational instructor shall have education or training which prepares a person for the occupational area being taught. Appropriate training may include vendor, manufacturer, in-service or other structured on-the-job training in the occupation.

(b) Occupational experience. An academic instructor shall have 12 months of occupational experience in a field other than education. An occupational instructor shall have 24 months of verifiable experience as a fully qualified worker in each occupational area where certification is requested.

(c) Teaching experience. No teaching experience is required.

(d) Expiration and Renewal. The expiration date for the approval certificate shall be the same as the expiration date of the instructor's provisional or part-time provisional certificate, or the expiration date of the instructor's 5-year certificate for an instructor who does not hold a provisional or part-time provisional certificate. An instructor holding only a life certificate shall have approval for a 2 year period and no requirement for renewal.

(e) Special provision for persons receiving certification by instructional area or course prior May 1, 1993. A person obtaining an approval certificate by instructional area or course prior to May 1, 1993 but not possessing the occupational experience required under par. (b), shall be granted an approval certificate under this subsection for the same instructional area or course.

(5) PART-TIME APPROVAL CERTIFICATE. A part-time approval certificate shall be issued only to an occupational instructor employed part-time by a district in a program approved by the board. A part-time approval certificate shall be issued for a maximum of 2 courses for a certification period where the person has not met the requirements for the 5-year certificate under sub. (1) but does meet all the following minimum requirements:

(a) Education and academic preparation. An occupational instructor shall have a baccalaureate degree or equivalent as determined under s. TCS 3.04(1) or (2). An occupational instructor shall have education or training which prepares a person for the occupational area being taught. Appropriate training may include vendor, manufacturer, in-service or other structured on-the-job training in the occupation.

(b) Occupational experience. An occupational instructor shall be required to have 24 months of verifiable experience as a fully qualified worker in each occupational area where certification is requested.

(c) Teaching experience. No teaching experience is required.

(d) Renewal. The initial part-time approval instructional certificate shall be valid for 3 years and shall be renewed for additional 2 year periods if during the part-time approval certification period preceding the expiration date, the person completes 2 months of appropriate occupational experience and 10 hours of approved in-service activities relating to sub. (1)(a), or 2 semester credits or district in-service activities fulfilling the requirement of sub. (1)(a).

(e) Special provision for persons receiving certification by instructional area prior to May 1, 1993. A person certified by instructional area or course prior to May 1, 1993 but not having the occupational experience required under par. (b), shall be granted certification under this subsection for the same or equivalent course.

(6) EMERGENCY CERTIFICATE. An emergency certificate shall be issued to a person having educational preparation or occupational experience in the instructional area which is less than that required for a provisional certificate where the person is employed by a district due to an emergency as determined by the director or designee. The emergency certification may be valid for a maximum period of 12 months but shall not be renewed. The district request for emergency certification shall include a description of the circumstances on which the emergency request is based.

(7) LIFE CERTIFICATE. The granting of life certificates was discontinued effective March 1, 1981, but certificates issued prior to that date remain valid.

History: Cr. Register, April, 1993, No. 448, eff. 5-1-93; corrections made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7, Stats. Register, June 1994, No. 462

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