R277-504. Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, Special Education (K-12), and Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) Licensure, R277. Education, Administration, Utah Administrative Code

Utah Administrative Code (Current through November 1, 2019)

R277-504. Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, Special Education (K-12), and Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) Licensure

R277-504-1. Authority and Purpose

Latest version.

(1) This rule is authorized by:

(a) Utah Constitution Article X, Section 3, which vests the general control and supervision of the public schools in the State Board of Education;

(b) Subsection 53E-3-501(1)(a), which directs the Board to make rules regarding the licensing of educators; and

(c) Subsection 53E-3-401(4), which allows the Board to make rules to execute the Board's duties and responsibilities under the Utah constitution and state law.

(2) The purpose of this rule is to:

(a) specify the requirements for Early Childhood (K-3), Elementary (K-6), Elementary (1-8), Secondary (6-12), Special Education (K-12), and Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) licensing; and

(b) specify the standards which the Board expects a teacher preparation institution to meet in specific areas for the institution to receive Board approval of the program.

R277-504-2. Definitions

Latest version.

(1)(a) "Council for Exceptional Children" or "CEC" is an international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of both individuals with disabilities and individuals with gifts and talents.

(b) CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

(2)(a) "Early Childhood license area of concentration" means an Early Childhood Education teaching license required for teaching kindergarten and permitting assignment in kindergarten through grade three.

(b) An early childhood license area of concentration is recommended for those teaching in formal public school programs below kindergarten level.

(3)(a) "Early intervention credential" is the highest qualified personnel standard established by the Department of Health that persons shall meet to be able to provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities age 0-3 in early intervention settings.

(b) In order to provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities age 0-3 in early intervention settings, an individual shall have an Early Intervention Credential or a Preschool Special Education (Birth- Age 5) license.

(4) "Elementary (1-8) license area of concentration" means an elementary teaching license required for teaching grades one through eight.

(5) "Elementary (K-6) license area of concentration" means an elementary teaching license required for teaching grades kindergarten through six.

(6) "Endorsement" means a specialty field or area listed on the teaching license which indicates the specific qualification of the holder.

(7) "Highest requirements in the State applicable to a specific profession or discipline" means the highest entry-level academic degree needed for any State-approved or State-recognized certification, license, registration, or other comparable requirement that applies to that profession or discipline.

(8)(a) "Internship" means the placement of a teacher education student in an advanced stage of preparation, as a culminating experience, in employment in a school setting for a period of up to one school year during which the intern shall receive salary proportionate to the service rendered as determined by the LEA.

(b) An intern is supervised primarily by the school system but with a continuing relationship with college personnel and following a planned program designed to produce a demonstrably competent professional.

(9) "Level 1 license" means a Utah professional educator license issued upon completion of an approved preparation program or an alternative preparation program, or pursuant to an agreement under the NASDTEC Interstate Contract, to applicants who have also met all ancillary requirements established by law or rule.

(10) "Level 2 license" means a Utah professional educator license issued by the Board after satisfaction of:

(a) all requirements for a Level 1 license;

(b) satisfaction of requirements under R277-522 for teachers whose employment as a Level 1 licensed educator began after January 1, 2003 in a Utah public LEA or accredited private school;

(c) at least three years of successful education experience in a Utah public LEA or accredited private school or one year of successful education experience in a Utah public LEA or accredited private school and at least three years of successful education experience in a public LEA or accredited private school outside of Utah; and

(d) additional requirements established by law or rule.

(11) "Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) license area of concentration" means a teaching license required for teaching preschool students with disabilities.

(12)(a) "Secondary license area of concentration" means a secondary teaching license required for teaching grades six through twelve.

(b) Secondary license areas carry endorsements for the areas in which the holder is qualified to provide instruction.

(13)(a) "Special Education license area of concentration (K-12)" means a special education teaching license required for teaching students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade twelve.

(b) Special Education areas of concentration carry endorsements in at least one of the following areas:

(i) Mild/Moderate Endorsement, which indicates that the holder's preparation focused on teaching students with mild/moderate learning and behavior problems;

(ii) Severe Endorsement, which indicates that the holder's preparation focused on teaching students with severe learning and behavior problems;

(iii) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Endorsement, which indicates that the holder's preparation focused on teaching students who are deaf or other hearing impaired;

(iv) Blind and Visually Impaired Endorsement, which indicates that the holder's preparation focused on teaching students who are blind or other visually impaired; and

(v) Deafblind Endorsement, which indicates that the holder's preparation focused on teaching students who are both blind or other visually impaired and deaf or other hearing impaired.

(14) "Student teaching" means the placement of a teacher education student in an advanced stage of preparation for a period of guided teaching in a school setting during which the student assumes increasing responsibility for directing the learning of a group or groups of students over a period of time.

R277-504-3. General Standards for Approval of Programs for the Preparation of Teachers

Latest version.

(1) The Board may approve the educator preparation program of an institution if the institution:

(a) prepares candidates to meet the Utah Effective Teaching Standards in R277-530;

(b) prepares candidates to teach the Utah Core Standards, the Utah Early Childhood Core Standards, and the Essential Elements as appropriate to the area of licensure as established by the Board;

(c) requires candidates to maintain a cumulative university GPA of 3.0 and receive a C or better in all education related courses and major required content courses:

(d) requires the study of:

(i) content and content-specific pedagogy appropriate for the area of licensure;

(ii) knowledge and skills designed to assist in the identification of students with disabilities and to meet the needs of students with disabilities in the regular classroom. Knowledge and skills shall include the following domains:

(A) knowledge of disabilities under IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act;

(B) knowledge of the role of non-special-education teachers in the education of students with disabilities;

(C) skills in providing tier one instruction on the Utah Core Standards and positive behavior supports to students with disabilities within a multi-tiered system of supports including:

(I) assessing and monitoring the education needs and progress of students with disabilities;

(II) implementing and assessing the results of interventions; and

(III) skills in the implementation of an educational program with accommodations and modifications established by an IEP or 504 plan for students with disabilities in the regular classroom; and

(iii) knowledge and skills designed to meet the needs of diverse student populations in the regular classroom. These skills for diverse student populations shall include the skills to:

(A) allow teachers to create an environment using a teaching model that is sensitive to multiple experiences and diversity;

(B) design, adapt, and deliver instruction to address each student's diverse learning strengths and needs; and

(C) incorporate tools of language development into planning and instruction for English language learners and support development of English proficiency; and

(e) requires a student teaching culminating experience that:

(i) requires a minimum of 400 clock hours with at least 200 clock hours in a single placement;

(ii) requires that student teachers meet the same contract hours as licensed teachers in the same LEA;

(iii) requires that the student teacher not be employed in any capacity by the LEA where he is placed except as provided in R277-504-7(3);

(iv) includes placement in all content or licensure areas in which the candidate shall be licensed unless:

(A) no viable student teaching placement in one or more of the candidate's endorsement areas is available; or

(B) the candidate is seeking a license in Elementary (1-8) and is completing an elementary student teaching placement, but has also completed the USOE course requirements for an endorsement;

(v) includes intermittent supervision and evaluation by institution personnel;

(vi) includes direct supervision of the candidate by a classroom teacher that:

(A) has been jointly selected by the institution student teaching placement officer and the LEA-designated authority over student teaching placement;

(B) has been deemed effective by an evaluation system meeting the standards of R277-531 or the LEA's equivalent; and

(C) has received training from the institution on the role and responsibilities of a classroom mentor teacher for student teachers, including the standards of R277-515;

(vii) include meaningful self-reflection with review and feedback from both the classroom mentor teacher and institution personnel; or

(f) Requires an internship culminating experience that:

(i) consists of full-time employment as an educator for one school year with a minimum of 1260 clock hours at a single school site;

(ii) requires that interns meet the same contract teaching hours as licensed teachers in the same LEA;

(iii) includes placement in the major content or licensure area in which the candidate shall be licensed;

(iv) where possible, includes placement in all content or licensure areas in which the candidate shall be licensed unless:

(A) no viable internship in one or more of the candidate's non-major endorsement areas could be found; or

(B) the candidate is seeking licensure in Elementary (1-8) and is completing an elementary internship, but has also completed the USOE course requirements for an endorsement;

(v) includes intermittent supervision and evaluation by institution personnel;

(vi) includes an LEA assigned mentor that:

(A) has been jointly selected by the institution internship placement officer and the LEA-designated authority over internship placement;

(B) has been deemed effective by an evaluation system meeting the standards of R277-531 or the LEA's equivalent; and

(C) provides direct support and supervision to the intern during the regular school day in addition to the standard LEA supports of new teachers.

(vii) includes meaningful self-reflection with review and feedback from both the assigned mentor and institution personnel;

(2) The Board may accept the following for an individual candidate as completely or partially satisfying the student teaching/internship requirement:

(a) one year of full-time contract teaching experience in a teaching position in a public or accredited private school in the candidate's proposed licensure content areas may completely satisfy the requirement;

(b) teaching in a preschool or Headstart program may be accepted for up to one-half of the student teaching requirement;

(c) teaching experience in business or industry may be accepted for up to one-half of the student teaching requirement; and

(d) other experience accepted by the Board and designated as totally or partially fulfilling the requirement.

R277-504-4. Early Childhood Education (K-3) and Elementary (K-6) License Areas

Latest version.

(1) The Board may approve the Early Childhood Education (K-3), Elementary (K-6), or Elementary (1-8) teacher preparation program of an institution if the program:

(a) is aligned with:

(i) the 2010 National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards for Initial and Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs; or

(ii) the 2007 Association for Childhood Education International Standards for Elementary Level Teacher Preparation, as appropriate;

(b) requires study and experiences which provide appropriate content knowledge needed to teach:

(i) literacy including listening, speaking, writing, and reading;

(ii) mathematics;

(iii) physical and life science;

(iv) health and physical education;

(v) social studies; and

(vi) fine arts; and

(i) in the science of reading instruction including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension;

(ii) in the science of mathematics instruction including quantitative reasoning, problem solving, representation, and numeracy;

(iii) with the technical skills to utilize common education technology;

(iv) to integrate technology to support and meaningfully supplement the learning of students;

(v) to facilitate student use of software for personalized learning;

(vi) to teach effectively in traditional, online-only, and blended classrooms;

(vii) to design, administer, and review educational assessments in a meaningful and ethical manner;

(viii) in early childhood development and learning, if it is an Early Childhood Education (K-3), or Elementary (K-6); and

(ix) in a specific content area resulting in an endorsement added to the license area, if it is an Elementary (1-8) program.

(2) The program shall apply the standards to the specific age group or grade level for which the program of preparation is designed.

(a) An Early Childhood Education (K-3) program shall focus primarily on early childhood development and learning.

(b) An Elementary (K-6) program shall include both early childhood development and learning and elementary content and pedagogy.

(3) A teacher holding an Elementary (1-8) license area may earn an Early Childhood (K-3) license area by completing specific coursework requirements established by the Superintendent.

(4) An Elementary (1-8) license permits the teacher to teach in any academic area in self-contained classes in grades 1-8.

(5) An Elementary (1-8) license permits the teacher to teach specific content courses at the 7th or 8th grade level only if the teacher's license includes the appropriate endorsement.

R277-504-5. Secondary (6-12) License Area

Latest version.

(1) A Secondary (6-12) license area with an endorsement is valid in grades six through twelve.

(2) A Secondary (6-12) license area requires a major or major equivalent in a content area, but the teacher cannot teach in an elementary self-contained class.

(3) The Board may approve the secondary educator preparation program of an institution if the program:

(a) is an undergraduate level program and requires candidates to have completed:

(i) an approved content area or teaching major consistent with subjects taught in Utah secondary schools; and

(ii) content coursework reasonably equivalent to that required for individuals completing a non-teaching degree in the subject; or

(b) Is a graduate level program and requires candidates to have completed:

(i) a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited university; and

(ii) coursework equivalent to the minimum requirements for an endorsement as established by the Superintendent, including the appropriate content knowledge assessment; and

(i) with the technical skills necessary to utilize common education technology;

(ii) to integrate technology to support and meaningfully supplement the learning of students;

(iii) to facilitate student use of software for personalized learning;

(iv) to teach effectively in traditional, online-only, and blended classrooms;

(v) to design, administer, and review educational assessments in a meaningful and ethical manner; and

(vi) to include literacy and quantitative learning objectives in content specific classes in alignment with the Utah Core Standards.

(4) After completing a Board-approved Secondary (6-12) educator preparation program, the license area shall be endorsed for all subjects in which the candidate has met the course requirements for an endorsement as established by the Superintendent.

(5) A content area or teaching major require not fewer than 30 semester hours of credit in one content area.

(6) An endorsement requires not fewer than 16 semester hours of credit in one content area.

R277-504-6. Special Education (K-12+) and Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) License Areas

Latest version.

(1) The Board may approve an institution's special education teacher preparation program if the program is aligned with the 2011 Council for Exceptional Children Special Education Standards for Professional Practice and is focused in one or more of the following special education areas:

(a) Mild/Moderate Disabilities

(b) Severe Disabilities

(d) Blind and Visually Impaired;

(e) Deafblind; or

(f) Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5).

(2) The Board may issue additional endorsements to teachers who hold Special Education (K-12+) license areas if all endorsement requirements are met.

(3) A teacher who holds only a Special Education (K-12+) license area may only be assigned as a teacher of record of students with disabilities.

(4) The Board may approve a special education preparation program of an institution if the program includes coursework specifically designed to train candidates to:

(a) understand the legal and ethical issues surrounding special education;

(b) comply with IDEA and Utah State Board of Education Special Education Rules;

(c) work with other school personnel to implement and evaluate academic and positive behavior supports and interventions for students with disabilities within a multi-tiered system of supports;

(d) train and monitor education teachers, related service providers, and paraeducators in providing services and supports to students with disabilities;

(e) provide the necessary specialized instruction, as per IEPs, to students with disabilities, including:

(i) core content from the Utah Early Childhood Core Standards, the Essential Elements, and content specific pedagogy;

(ii) skills in assessing and addressing the educational needs and progress of students with disabilities;

(iii) skills in implementing and assessing the results of research and evidence-based interventions for students with disabilities; and

(iv) skills in the implementation of an educational program with accommodations and modifications established by an IEP for students with disabilities.

(5) The Board may issue Blind and Visually Impaired/Deaf and Hard of Hearing endorsements required under this rule to meet the highest requirements in the State applicable to a specific profession or discipline required by the IDEA.

(6) Preschool Special Education (Birth-Age 5) license holders who teach children who are hearing impaired (Birth-Age 5) or vision impaired (Birth-Age 5), or both, in self-contained, categorical classrooms shall hold an endorsement for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Birth-Age 5) or Blind and Visually Impaired (Birth-Age 5), or both.

R277-504-7. Miscellaneous

Latest version.

(1) An LEA that employs intern teachers shall have a policy that includes the following:

(a) the maximum number of interns that may be supported by each LEA assigned mentor; and

(b) a specific resource commitment to significant and quality LEA support services to interns.

(2)(a) A Middle Level license (5-9) continues to be valid

(b) A Middle Level license (5-9) is no longer required of teachers or issued to teachers assigned to a middle school.

(3) Consistent with LEA and university policy and R277-508-4(4), a student teacher may work as a paid substitute in the classroom of the student teacher's classroom mentor teacher for no more than five days and no more than three consecutive days per university semester.

(4) On the days a student teacher is working as a substitute teacher, the candidate's legal status as a substitute teacher/district employee will take precedence over the legal status as a teacher candidate.

(5) A student teaching placement may be changed to an internship placement upon agreement of the student teacher, the university program, and the LEA.

R277-504-8. Sunset Clause

Latest version.

(1) This rule will sunset on June 30, 2020.

(2) An individual enrolled in an approved preparation program prior to January 1, 2020 may receive a professional license by completing the program approved in accordance with this rule.