Arizona Administrative Code › Title 7 - EDUCATION › Chapter 2 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Article 6 - CERTIFICATION › Section R7-2-608 - Early Childhood Teaching Certificates

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 28, July 12, 2024
A. A standard early childhood education
				certificate shall be required for individuals teaching in public school early
				childhood education programs, except as provided in
				R7-2-611
				or in
				R7-2-615(N).
				For individuals teaching in grades kindergarten through three, this certificate
				is optional. An Early Childhood Special Education certificate as described in
				R7-2-611
				is not required for individuals who hold the Early Childhood Teaching
				Certificate as described in this Section in combination with an Arizona
				cross-categorical mild-moderate disabilities, specialized special education, or
				moderate to severe disabilities teaching certificate as described in
				R7-2-611.
B. For the purposes of this rule, public
				school early childhood education programs means education programs provided by
				local education agencies, including their sub-grantees and contracted
				providers, for children birth through age 8 for the purpose of providing
				academically and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that are
				standards-based with defined curriculum and comprehensive in content to include
				all appropriate developmental and academic areas as defined by the Arizona
				Early Childhood Education Standards or the Arizona K-12 Academic Standards
				approved by the Board.
C. Except
				as noted, all certificates are subject to the general certification provisions
				in
				R7-2-607
				and the renewal requirements in
				R7-2-619.
D. Standard Professional Early Childhood
				Education Certificate - birth through age 8 or through grade three.
The requirements
				  are:
1. A bachelor's degree, and
2. One
				of the following:
a. Completion of a teacher preparation program in
				early childhood education from an accredited institution or a teacher
				preparation program approved by the Board, or
b. Early childhood
				education coursework and practicum experience which teaches the knowledge and
				skills described in
				R7-2-602
				and includes both of the following:
i. Thirty-seven
				semester hours of early childhood education courses to include all of the
				following areas of study:
(1) Foundations of early childhood
				education;
(2) Child guidance and classroom management;
(3) Characteristics and quality practices for typical
				and atypical behaviors of young children;
(4) Child growth and
				development, including health, safety and nutrition;
(5)
				Child, family, cultural and community relationships;
(6)
				Developmentally appropriate instructional methodologies for teaching language,
				math, science, social studies and the arts;
(7) Early language and
				literacy development;
(8) Assessing,
				monitoring and reporting progress of young children; and
ii. A
				minimum of eight semester hours of practicum, including:
(1) A minimum of four
				semester hours in a supervised field experience, practicum, internship or
				student teaching setting serving children birth through preschool. One year of
				full-time verified teaching experience with children in birth through preschool
				may substitute for this student teaching experience. This verification may come
				from a school-based education program or center-based program licensed by the
				Department of Health Services or regulated by tribal or military authorities;
				and
(2) A minimum of four semester hours in a supervised
				student teaching setting serving children in kindergarten through grade three.
				One year of full-time verified teaching experience with children in
				kindergarten through grade three in an accredited school may substitute for
				this student teaching experience; or
c. A
				valid early childhood education certificate from another state.
3. A valid Fingerprint Clearance Card issued by the
				Arizona Department of Public Safety, and
4. A passing score on
				the professional knowledge portion of the Arizona Teacher Proficiency
				Assessment once that portion of the AEPA is adopted by the Board, and
5. A
				passing score on the early childhood subject knowledge portion of the Arizona
				Teacher Proficiency Assessment unless the applicant has a bachelor's, master's
				or doctoral degree in a relevant content area or otherwise qualifies for a
				waiver of the subject knowledge examination.