CODE SB/H4

POLICY ON ACTIVITIES THAT QUALIFY FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT

The following activities meet state professional development requirements for relicensure or reinstatement of a lapsed license and shall be approved by L/RSBs and the Licensing Office when the activities meet the requirements below and when all required documentation has been submitted. In some cases, there are restrictions on the total number of required credits that may be earned through particular categories of activities. (Other activities may be acceptable upon consultation with the L/RSB and the Licensing Office.)

1) In order to be approved, professional development activities submitted for license/endorsement renewal shall:

• relate directly to the knowledge and performance standards of the endorsement(s) being renewed and/or to the 5 Standards for Vermont Educators and 16 educator principles incorporated within the 5 standards, and
• relate directly to the goals outlined in the educator’s approved Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP).

2) Relicensure credit may be awarded for activities that are paid or unpaid and required by the school/district or self-selected.

3) Relicensure credit is a unit of measure assigned by a local or regional standards board, or the Licensing Office, to professional development activities other than academic credit bearing courses that meet standards for relicensure/reinstatement. Fifteen (15) clock hours of professional development is equivalent to one (1) relicensure credit. Relicensure credits and academic credits apply equally toward relicensure/reinstatement requirements.

4) The minimum contact time required for relicensure credit to be accrued is one-half (_) hour.

5) Preapproval of professional development activities is suggested but not required.

1. Academic Courses (graduate, undergraduate)

Documentation shall include:

•Official transcript or grade report Limitations:

• Credits granted will be equivalent to credit indicated on the transcript or grade report
• No limit on percentage of required credits that may be earned in this manner

2. Workshops/Seminars/Professional Conferences Sponsored by Credible and Recognizable

Organizations (e.g., Vermont-NEA, ASCD, school districts, VASS, NSTA, DOE etc.) Documentation shall include:

•Verification of participation, program content, and contact hours Limitations:

•No limit on percentage of required credits that may be earned in this manner

3. Designing, Developing and Teaching Courses or Workshops

Documentation shall include:

• Course or workshop syllabus

•Verification by institution or organization that course/workshop was held Limitations:

• Limited to initial offering or complete redesign of course/workshop
• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

DATE ADOPTED: 6/3/99 DATE REVISED: 3/15/05 LEGAL REF: Lic. Regs: 5421, 5431, 5432, 5435 CROSS REF: ANNOTATIONS/BRIEF HISTORY: CREDITS APPLICABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 2

4. Applied Experience in Content Area of Endorsement Through Employment in a Related Educational or Non-Educational Setting or Internship, or Through Related Educational Travel or Volunteer Service

Documentation shall include:

• Description of job/position, educational travel, or volunteer service
• Employer or sponsor verification of experience or service, including number of hours or weeks of participation

•Documentation of the travel (may include journal, tickets, museum stubs, itinerary, etc.) Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

5. Local School/District Activities or Action Research/Reform Projects

Documentation shall include:

• Brief description of goals and outcome of activity/project
• Verification by project/activity convenor of -participant's role -number of contact hours

Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

6. State Education Activities or Reform Projects/Committees

Documentation shall include:

• Brief description of goals of activity/project
• Verification by project/activity convenor of -participant's role -number of contact hours

Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

7. Institution of Higher Education Reform Activities – Partnerships with K-12 Schools

Documentation shall include:

• Brief description of goals of activity/project
• Verification by project/activity convenor of -participant's role -number of contact hours

Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

8. Educational Research and Publication

Documentation shall include:

• Verification of research and publication by recognizable and credible organization, or verification

of acceptance of the thesis by an academic advisor in the case of degree-related research Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

9. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification

Documentation shall include:

• Letter from the state of Vermont Department of Education National Board Certification Coordinator verifying submission of the portfolio, or a copy of the National Board Certificate earned

Limitations:

• A NBPTS portfolio may be submitted in lieu of a relicensure portfolio only once for each comparable endorsement unless the educator also completes the certificate renewal process. (Please contact the Department of Education or L/RSB for an updated list of the comparable endorsements.)

CREDITS APPLICABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 3

10. Industry credentials (e.g., Emergency Medical Technician) or Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) add-ons

Documentation shall include:

•Official documentation of passage of the examination or receipt of the first CDL Limitations:

• Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement
• Limited to first issuance of credential or CDL

11. Peace Corps Experience

Documentation shall include:

•Verification by the organization director (or equivalent) of participant’s role and number of

months of participation Limitations:

•Limited to 2/3 of required credits per endorsement

12. Mentor to a New Teacher

Documentation shall include:

•Verification by the school principal of assignment to this role, number of mentees mentored,

and total number of mentor training and contact hours involved Limitations:

•Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement

13. Clinical Continuing Education Required for Other Required Professional Licensure (applies to Educational Speech-Language Pathologists, School Nurses and Associate School Nurses, School Social Workers, and School Psychologists only)

Documentation shall include:

• Official transcript or grade report if an academic course
• Verification of participation, program content, and contact hours if a

workshop/seminar/professional conference Limitations:

•Limited to _ of required credits per endorsement

14. School-Business/Industry or School-Community Partnership Initiatives

Documentation shall include:

• Brief description of goals of partnership
• Verification by project organizer of -participant's role -number of contact hours

Limitation:

•Limited to 1/3 of required credits per endorsement