Certificate of License to Teach Classifications

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 classification of certificates of license to teach. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The secretary of state has determined that the publication of the entire text of the material which is incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome or expensive. This material as incorporated by reference in this rule shall be maintained by the agency at its headquarters and shall be made available to the public for inspection and copying at no more than the actual cost of reproduction. This note applies only to the reference material. The entire text of the rule is printed here. (1) Certificates of license to teach are issued and renewed by the State Board of Education (board) pursuant to the certification requirements found in 5 CSR 20-400.500–5 CSR 20-400.700. (2) If a certificate of license to teach is renewed, except for a substitute, provisional, or temporary authorization certificate of license to teach, the effective date of renewal will be the date of expiration of the certificate of license to teach, providing that the application for renewal and supporting materials are received by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (department) prior to or on the expiration date. (A) If the renewal of the certificate of license to teach is received by the department within eleven (11) months of the expiration date of the certificate or a shorter time if specified in the rules promulgated by the board, the effective date of renewal will be the certificate’s expiration date. (3) Certificates of license to teach may be issued pursuant to the rules promulgated by the board, to individuals in the following classifications: (A) Initial Professional Classification (IPC); and/or (B) Career Continuous Professional Classification (CCPC) (doctoral applicants are ineligible to advance to the CCPC level). (4) For the purpose of this rule, contact hours are defined as follows: (A) Sixty (60) minutes of professional development are equal to one (1) contact hour; (B) One (1) hour college credit is equal to fifteen (15) contact hours of professional development; or (C) One (1) professional micro-credential is equal to fifteen (15) contact hours of professional development. (5) Initial Professional Classification (IPC)— (A) A four (4) year IPC classification will be issued to applicants who meet the certification requirements and possess less than four (4) years of state-approved teaching experience; (B) During the valid dates of the IPC classification, the certificate holder shall complete the following requirements: 1. Verification of four (4) years of state-approved teaching experience; 2. Develop and implement a professional development plan of at least thirty (30) contact hours, approved by the employing school district, to include clearly stated goals for improvement and enrichment; 3. Participate in a mentoring program for a minimum of two (2) school years as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.380, the guidelines for which shall be established by the local board of education; 4. Participate in a beginning teacher assistance program as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.385 to include, but not be limited to, assistance in classroom management, instructional strategies, and ongoing support; and 5. Participate in the district’s Performance-Based Teacher Evaluations (PBTEs) as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.375; and/or (C) Individuals who have not been employed in a school setting may renew their certificate upon completion of the following: 1. Submission of an application; and 2. Employment by a Missouri public school district and documentation of completion of a plan to complete twentyfour (24) contact hours of professional development within six (6) months prior to or after returning to an educational position or completion of a two or three semester hour course relevant to the individuals growth as a professional educator. (6) Career Continuous Professional Classification (CCPC)— (A) A CCPC classification will be issued to an applicant upon completion and verification of the following: 1. Four (4) years of state-approved teaching experience; 2. The development and implementation of a professional development plan of at least thirty (30) contact hours approved by the employing school district to include clearly stated goals for improvement and enrichment; 3. Participation in a mentoring program for a minimum of two (2) school years as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.380, the guidelines for which shall be established by the local board of education; 4. Participation in a beginning teacher assistance program as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.385, to include, but not be limited to, assistance in classroom management, instructional strategies, and ongoing support; and 5. Participation in the district’s PBTEs as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.375; (B) The CCPC classification is continuous upon verification by the employing school district that the certificate holder has completed fifteen (15) contact hours of professional development per school year; and (C) The CCPC holder is exempt from the fifteen (15) contact hours of professional development, if the holder has a local professional development plan in place with the school and at least two (2) of the following: 1. Ten (10) years of state-approved teaching experience; 2. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university; and/or 3. Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or for school psychologists, the certificate of nationally certified school psychologist issued by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). (7) Any level of a Missouri professional classification shall be extended for a teacher whose service is interrupted due to a reduction in force (RIF) or military service. (8) The local district and teacher shall submit, on an upgrade application form provided by the department, a request for renewal and/or continuation of a particular classification level; verification that the teacher has completed the requirements of a particular classification level and/or the request for advancement to the next classification level. (9) Any certificate holder denied certification by the board pursuant to this rule may appeal the decision pursuant to the rules promulgated by the board. (10) Any certificate holder’s disagreement with the school district’s verification of requirements for the classification levels shall be dealt with through an appeal process developed by the school district’s local board of education. (11) Approved teaching experience, as described in the rules promulgated by the board, must be in Missouri public schools, schools approved or accredited by the state education agency in states other than Missouri, or in nonpublic schools accredited by one (1) of the six (6) regional accrediting associations for schools and colleges or other schools accredited by a department-approved accrediting agency which incorporate standards that include a two- (2-) year mentoring program as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.380, professional development plans for faculty, in-service training for faculty, beginning teacher assistance program as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.385, and PBTEs as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.375. Teaching experience must be contracted and at least halftime. Substitute teaching or serving as a teacher’s aide, paraprofessional, or assistant will not be counted as teaching experience. (12) Provisional certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual for two (2) years and may be extended upon a showing of good cause. Provisional certificates of license to teach may be issued in the following situations: (A) A two- (2-) year provisional certificate of license to teach may be issued to an individual who has completed the academic requirements for a certificate of license to teach, but has not taken or passed the exit assessment(s) designated by the board; or (B) A two- (2-) year provisional certificate of license to teach may be issued to an individual who has been admitted into a state-approved post-baccalaureate or alternative professional education program at a Missouri institution of higher education and is actively engaged in coursework to satisfy the requirements of the program; or (C) A two- (2-) year provisional certificate of license to teach may be issued to an individual who has completed a teacher preparation program and is generally within twelve (12) semester hours of completion of the certification requirements as set forth in 5 CSR 20-400.500–5 CSR 20-400.600. (13) Administrator certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual and renewed pursuant to 5 CSR 20-400.610–5 CSR 20-400.630. (14) Student services certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual and renewed pursuant to 5 CSR 20400.640–5 CSR 20-400.650. (15) Substitute certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual for four (4) years pursuant to 5 CSR 20–400.220. (16) Career education certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual and renewed pursuant to 5 CSR 20400.660–5 CSR 20-400.690. (17) Adult education and literacy certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual and may be renewed pursuant to 5 CSR 20-400.700. (18) Temporary authorization certificates of license to teach may be issued to an individual for one (1) year and may be renewed pursuant to 5 CSR 20-400.180. AUTHORITY: sections 161.092, 168.011, 168.071, 168.081, 168.128, 168.400, 168.405, and 168.409, RSMo 2016, and section 168.021, RSMo Supp. 2021.* This rule previously filed as 5 CSR 80-800.360. Original rule filed April 26, 2000, effective Nov. 30, 2000. Amended: Filed March 27, 2001, effective Oct. 30, 2001. Amended: Filed Oct. 25, 2001, effective June 30, 2002. Amended: Filed Aug. 13, 2002, effective March 30, 2003. Amended: Filed Sept. 12, 2003, effective April 30, 2004. Amended: Filed Sept. 22, 2004, effective April 30, 2005. Amended: Filed June 30, 2005, effective Jan. 30, 2006. Amended: Filed April 4, 2007, effective Nov. 30, 2007. Amended: Filed Jan. 18, 2008, effective Sept. 30, 2008. Amended: Filed Jan. 30, 2009, effective Aug. 30, 2009. Amended: Filed Feb. 1, 2010, effective Sept. 30, 2010. Moved to 5 CSR 20-400.260, effective Aug. 16, 2011. Amended: Filed Feb. 28, 2012, effective Oct. 30, 2012. Amended: Filed Sept. 22, 2021, effective May 30, 2022. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014; 168.011, RSMo 1963, amended 1984; 168.021, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020; 168.071, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014; 168.081, RSMo 1963, amended 1984, 2002, 2014; 168.128, RSMo 1969, amended 1983; 168.400, RSMo 1985, amended 1990, 2002; 168.405, RSMo 1985; and 168.409, RSMo 1985.