Requirements
A. Passing Scores on the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification: For program completion, Elementary Education candidates must achieve a passing score on the Elementary Education exam of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC). To add specialized endorsements to Michigan’s elementary teacher’s certificate, passing scores must also be achieved on the MTTC content area tests for the academic major and/or minors.
Secondary candidates must achieve passing scores on the MTTC content area tests in both their academic major and minor areas.
School of Education policy states that passing scores on certification-area MTTC tests are required for program completion, whether or not a candidate plans to request a Michigan certificate. It is therefore not possible to earn a BA Degree in Teacher Education from Concordia without passing MTTC scores.
B. Documentation of Achievement of Program Outcomes: At the completion of directed teaching, each candidate’s cooperating teacher(s) and university supervisor(s) will prepare final written evaluations. This “Tier 3” assessment specifically notes success in demonstrating the School of Education’s ten program outcomes and provides the primary basis for determining the final grade for the directed teaching experience.
C. Training in First Aid and CPR: The State of Michigan requires that all applicants for a Michigan Teaching Certificate provide evidence of training in first aid and CPR. When submitting to the Dean the request for a Michigan teaching certificate, a photocopy of a current certificate from Red Cross or American Heart Association must be submitted.
D. Professional Conference Attendance: As evidence of achievement of Program Outcomes LL9 and LL10, candidates must provide the School of Education Dean with evidence of participation in at least one professional conference (regional, state or national) appropriate to their certification.
E. Completion of Surveys: Students are required to complete and submit all evaluations surveys at the end of their student teaching experience.
F. Portfolio: Each student who completes the education program will have completed a career portfolio prior to graduation.
Deadline for program completion
All requirements for program completion must be completed within two years (24 months) of withdrawal from the university. Following that deadline, a candidate desiring to return and complete certification requirements will be required to meet any new or changed program requirements.
Procedure for securing a state teaching certificate
Once all program requirements are completed, the candidate may submit a Request for Initial Teacher Certification to the School of Education Dean, who serves as the university’s certification officer. When program completion and fulfillment of all requirements have been verified, the certification officer will submit the university’s recommendation to the State Department of Education electronically. At the same time, the candidate will be provided a letter noting that the recommendation has been submitted. As per Michigan regulations, this letter serves as a 90-day teaching certificate while the recommendation is processed by the Department of Education.
Rule 101.1 Exception: In keeping with Michigan’s Rule 101.1 regulations, if a candidate reports conviction for certain misdemeanors or felonies (specified in Michigan’s Public Act 97 of the Public Acts of 1995,) details must be noted in the submitted recommendation for certification. In such cases, a 90-day certificate letter may not be provided to the candidate by the certification officer. Receipt of certification will be put on hold, pending the State Department’s investigation of the case and final decision regarding certification. Failure to accurately or honestly report convictions or current charges while requesting a teaching certificate may serve as the basis for a denial of certification.
Deadline for requesting certification
The State of Michigan stipulates a five-year window for submitting a program completer’s recommendation for certification. Following that deadline, Concordia requires evidence of a minimum of ten additional credits of coursework directly related to the requested area(s) of certification. Ten or more years after program completion, a minimum of eighteen additional credits and evidence of 50 hours of appropriate clinical experiences are required.
Becoming certified in other states
Certification processes and requirements differ slightly from state to state. Concordia strongly encourages all graduates to begin by securing a Michigan certificate, even if they do not intend to find a teaching job within the state. Descriptions of requirements in all 50 states are available at www.uky.edu/Education/TEP/usacert.html.
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