Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 200 - Board of Education › Chapter 20 - Council on Elementary and Secondary Education › Subchapter 20 - Educator Quality and Certification › Part 1 - Regulations Governing the Certification of Educators in Rhode Island › Section 200-RICR-20-20-1.2 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. As used in this Part the following words
				  and terms have the following meaning.
1.
				  "Administrator certificate" means a certification issued to educators whose
				  primary duties may include the supervision of programs or curriculum or the
				  supervision or management of a local educational agency, a school building, a
				  school program, or a school system.
2. "Administrative knowledge of field
				  competencies" means the knowledge and skills established by the applicable
				  national professional association as core competencies for administrators that
				  define the range of expectations for the specific certification administrative
				  position(s) addressed by the certification area.
3. "Administrator knowledge of field testing"
				  means the use of assessments to evaluate the knowledge of field and skills of a
				  prospective administrator in the specific administrator area.
4. "Advanced educator certificate" means the
				  third (3rd) and highest level in the three (3) tier
				  system of full certification. This level of certification is held by educators
				  who consistently demonstrate accomplished practice.
5. "Alternate route Preliminary Certificate"
				  means a Preliminary Certificate awarded to prospective educators who are
				  enrolled in a Rhode Island approved alternate route preparation program and who
				  have been offered a position in a district to serve as an educator of record
				  while completing certification requirements.
6. "Approved program route to educator
				  certification" or "Approved program" means a post-secondary educator
				  preparation program that holds approved status under the program approval
				  standards of the Rhode Island Department of Education.
7. "Building level administrator" means any
				  individual responsible for the administration of a PK-12 school, including
				  principals, assistant principals, and charter school chief
				  administrators.
8. "Career and
				  technical education Preliminary Certificate" means a Preliminary Certificate
				  awarded to prospective educators who have a high school diploma and who have
				  demonstrated that they have appropriate work experience in their respective
				  career and technical fields. These prospective educators can seek employment as
				  teachers of record in employing agencies that are willing to employ them while
				  the individuals pursue full certification.
9. "Certificate" means a document issued by
				  the Rhode Island Department of Education that identifies the area(s) of
				  certification held by an educator and the date of issuance and date of
				  expiration between which the certificate is valid.
10. "Certification area" means the specific
				  educational subject matter and grade ranges that a teacher is qualified to
				  teach, the specific level of administration and grade ranges that an
				  administrator is qualified to lead, or the specific role in which a support
				  professional is qualified to serve.
11. "Certification route" means a pathway of
				  preparation through which a prospective educator attains
				  certification.
12. "Certification
				  fees" means fees set by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education to
				  issue certificates.
13. "Credential
				  development plan" means a plan for review and monitoring by RIDE to gain
				  certification for Prospective Educators who hold a Preliminary Certificate
				  while pursuing certification. The plan describes how the individual will
				  demonstrate evidence of meeting competency, assessment, and field experience
				  requirements.
14. "Credential
				  review route to certification" or "Credential review route" means the process
				  of reviewing an applicant's preparation against a set of standards and criteria
				  to determine eligibility for certification. The process of review may include a
				  review of preparation, field experience, and testing results.
15. "Educator of record" means a certified
				  teacher, administrator, or support professional in Rhode Island Public Schools.
				  Teachers of record are responsible for providing instruction and determining
				  student grades. Administrators of record are responsible for the supervision
				  and management of schools, school programs, and school districts. Support
				  professionals of record are responsible for instructional leadership or serving
				  as a specialist/consultant or a related service provider.
16. "Emergency route preliminary certificate"
				  means a Preliminary Certificate awarded to prospective educators at the request
				  of an employing agency when a fully-certified and qualified educator who meets
				  the criteria for the position cannot be secured.
17. "Employing agency" means any school
				  committee, school board, charter school, educational collaborative,
				  state-approved Special Education program and state funded pre-kindergarten
				  program, or other public school entity responsible for hiring certified
				  educators.
18. "Endorsement" means
				  added to an existing valid teacher, support professional or administrator
				  certificate in recognition of specialized or advanced expertise in an
				  area.
19. "English language
				  competency testing" means the assessment of competency in English for
				  prospective educators who completed educator preparation in a program where the
				  language of instruction was a language other than English.
20. "Expert residency preliminary
				  certificate" means a Preliminary Certificate awarded to prospective educators
				  who demonstrate sufficient preparation in subject matter, administrative
				  expertise, or other certificate area specific requirements to be considered for
				  positions as educators while pursuing certification. These prospective
				  educators can seek employment as teachers of record in employing agencies that
				  are willing to employ them while the individual pursues full certification.
				  Certified educators seeking to add new certification areas may also use the
				  Expert Residency Preliminary Certificate as part of a route to certification in
				  that area.
21. "Expert residency
				  shortages preliminary certificate" means a Preliminary Certificate awarded to
				  prospective educators who demonstrate sufficient proficiency in the related
				  subject matter. The certificate is requested by the employing agency while the
				  individual pursues full certification.
22. "Extension of certificate" means a one
				  (1) year extension of a certificate when certified educators experience an
				  interruption in employment and are unable to provide performance data from
				  state approved local evaluations for each year of a certificate at the time of
				  certificate renewal.
23.
				  "Fast-track principal" means a certificate awarded to educators who meet the
				  requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws §
											16-11-9 and these Regulations. It is designed to recognize teaching experience to allow
				  for an expedited pathway to principal certification. An educator may also
				  qualify for the Fast Track Expert Residency Preliminary Certificate which can
				  be awarded to educators with a minimum of ten (10) years of experience who
				  demonstrate sufficient leadership qualities. The certificate is requested by
				  the employing agency while the individual pursues full certification.
24. "Full certificate" means a multi-year
				  certificate that demonstrates the educator has met all Rhode Island
				  requirements for certification and is included in the three (3) tier system of
				  Rhode Island Educator Certificates.
25. "Independent certificate area" means an
				  area in which certification can be obtained independent of, or not requiring,
				  certification in another area.
26.
				  "Initial educator certificate" means the first (1st)
				  level in the three (3) tier system of full certification. This level of
				  certification is held by all educators when they are certified for the first
				  time in Rhode Island.
27.
				  "Internship" means an extended field-based experience that provides a
				  prospective administrator or support professional the opportunity to develop
				  skills in school or school district contexts.
28. "Local educator evaluation system" means
				  a RIDE-approved educator evaluation system that meets Rhode Island Educator
				  Evaluation System Standards pursuant to this Part.
29. "Major equivalent" means presentation of
				  thirty (30) or more hours of coursework in a closely related content field
				  deemed to be acceptable by the Rhode Island Department of Education by
				  applicants who did not complete a major in the required content
				  field.
30. "National Association of
				  State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification" or "NASDTEC" means the
				  professional organization that represents professional standards boards,
				  commissions and state departments of education in all fifty (50) states, the
				  District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Educational Activity, and the
				  U.S. Territories which are responsible for the preparation, licensure and
				  discipline of educational personnel. NASDTEC administers the Interstate
				  Agreement for Educator Licensure that supports reciprocity of certification
				  across the various state jurisdictions.
31. "One-year practical residency" means an
				  approach to the clinical preparation of teachers that combines theories of
				  teaching with experiential learning. Teacher residencies are designed to
				  approximate the breadth and depth of preparing to be the primary certified
				  teacher in a classroom. The residency may take place over the course of one (1)
				  year or may take place over multiple terms, as long as a minimum intensive,
				  full teaching load experience is built in. While general field experience is
				  designed to expose future teachers to a variety of educational settings and
				  children, the one (1) year practical residency is designed to provide deep
				  instructional practice.
32.
				  "Pedagogy testing" means the use of assessments to evaluate the knowledge of
				  teaching of a prospective teacher.
33. "Practicum" means a field-based
				  experience in educator preparation that provides the prospective educator the
				  opportunity to apply knowledge in the context of a school or other educational
				  setting. Practicum is a requirement to add an additional category of teaching
				  certification beyond a first area of teaching certification.
34. "Preliminary educator certificates" means
				  certificates that allow educators who are not fully certified to serve as
				  educators of record while pursuing certification. Alternate Route Preliminary,
				  Career and Technical Education Preliminary, Emergency Preliminary, Expert
				  Residency Preliminary, Temporary Initial Educator Preliminary, and Visiting
				  Lecturer Preliminary are the six (6) types of Preliminary Educator
				  Certificates. These certificates are not "full certificates" of the National
				  Association of State Directors of Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
				  certification system and do not qualify for certification in other states
				  through reciprocity.
35.
				  "Professional competencies" means the knowledge and skills defined in the Rhode
				  Island Professional Teaching Standards, the Rhode Island Standards for
				  Educational Leaders, and national professional associations that articulate the
				  professional standards for all teachers, administrators, and support
				  professionals.
36. "Professional
				  educator certificate" means the second (2nd) level
				  in the three (3) tier system of full certification. This level of certification
				  is awarded to holders of Initial Educator Certificates once they complete the
				  required professional learning units.
37. "Professional learning units" means the
				  hours or demonstration of competencies as part of certification renewal
				  requirements for all Full Certificates.
38. "Reciprocity route to educator
				  certification" means the process by which Rhode Island issues certification to
				  educators who completed approved educator preparation programs or hold full
				  certification in another state.
39.
				  "Reinstatement fee" means the fee charged to reinstate an expired certificate
				  or a certificate that was non-renewed based on performance. The appropriate
				  certification fee is also required for reinstatement.
40. "Regionally accredited institution" means
				  a college or university that awards a bachelor's or higher degree and, if
				  located within the United States, is fully accredited by one (1) of the
				  following regional accrediting bodies: Middle States Association of Colleges
				  and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central
				  Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and
				  Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association
				  of Schools and Colleges.
41. "Rhode
				  Island Professional Teaching Standards" or "RIPTS" means the standards that
				  identify the professional knowledge and skills expected of all
				  teachers.
42. "Rhode Island
				  Standards for Education Leaders" or "RISEL" means the standards that identify
				  the professional knowledge and skills expected of all administrators.
43. "Registered school nurse" means a
				  professional, registered nurse who provides health services. A Registered
				  School Nurse is not a classroom teacher, though may consult with classroom
				  teachers for related content design and delivery.
44. "Special provisional certificate" means
				  issued to educators who hold Initial, Professional, or Advanced Educator
				  Certificates and did not obtain approval or did not complete professional
				  learning unit requirements. The Special Provisional Certificate can only be
				  issued once during the time of an educator's career.
45 "Substitute teacher" means an individual
				  who is employed on a temporary basis to fill in for a teacher on a day to day
				  or long-term basis.
46. "Support
				  professional certificate" means issued to an educator, other than a teacher or
				  administrator, who has primary responsibility as an instructional leader, a
				  specialist/consultant, or a related service provider in schools.
47. "Support professional knowledge of field
				  competencies" means the knowledge and skills established by the applicable
				  national professional association as core competencies for support
				  professionals that define the range of expectations for the specific support
				  professional position(s) addressed by the certification area.
48. "Support professional knowledge of field
				  testing" means the use of assessments to evaluate the knowledge of field and
				  skills of a prospective support professional in the specific support
				  professional area.
49. "Teacher
				  certificate" means issued to a person whose primary responsibility is to
				  instruct students.
50. "Teacher
				  content competencies" means the knowledge and skills defined by professional
				  associations as core subject matter competencies for teachers within the
				  specific certification content area.
51. "Teacher content testing" means the use
				  of assessments to evaluate the subject matter knowledge and skills of a
				  prospective teacher in the specific teaching area.
52. "Temporary initial educator certificate"
				  means a Preliminary Certificate issued for a limited duration to applicants who
				  seek certification through reciprocity and who meet all requirements for the
				  Initial Educator Certificate except for the testing requirement, including the
				  English Language Competency Test when applicable. This certificate allows the
				  applicant time to take the test that may not have been available in their
				  state. The educator does not have a Rhode Island "Full Certificate" until the
				  testing requirement is met and an Initial Educator Certificate is
				  issued.
53. "Visiting lecturer
				  Preliminary Certificate" is a Preliminary Certificate awarded to individuals
				  with distinctive qualifications and, therefore, a unique capacity to enhance
				  educational programs in districts and who have been offered employment in
				  districts. This certificate is not a route to full certification.