Pennsylvania Code › Title 22 - EDUCATION › Part I - State Board of Education › Subpart C - Higher Education › Chapter 49 - CERTIFICATION OF PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › THE PROGRAM › Section 49.1 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this
						  chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
						  otherwise:
Act
-The Public School Code of 1949
						  (24
						  P.S. §§
													1-101-27-2702).
Alternative program provider
-A
						  provider of accelerated post-baccalaureate preparation program, other than an
						  institution of higher education, that has been approved by the Department in
						  accordance with section 1207.1(a) of the act (24 P.S. §
													12-1207.1(a)).
Approved educator preparation
						  program
-A sequence of courses and experiences, offered by a preparing
						  institution or alternative program provider, that is reviewed and approved by
						  the Department.
Articulation agreement
-A formal
						  agreement between two higher educational institutions, stating specific
						  policies relating to transfer and recognition of academic achievement to
						  facilitate the successful transfer of students without duplication of course
						  work.
Assessment of basic skills
-A
						  measurement of a candidate's ability to communicate orally and in writing and
						  to demonstrate proficiency in fundamental computational skills.
Assessment of general knowledge
-A
						  measurement of a candidate's knowledge in the fields of literature,
						  mathematics, the sciences and social studies.
Assessment of professional knowledge and
						  practice
-A measurement of a candidate's knowledge of educational
						  theory, principles of human growth and development, educational psychology and
						  other subjects directly related to educational practice and their
						  application/demonstration in school settings.
Assessment of subject matter
-A
						  measurement of a candidate's knowledge of an academic field or discipline to be
						  taught in the public schools of this Commonwealth.
Baccalaureate degree
-A conferred
						  bachelor's degree from an approved 4-year college or university.
Candidate
-A person seeking
						  certification in any of the areas outlined in this chapter.
Certificate
-A document prepared and
						  issued by the Department indicating that the holder has completed an approved
						  professional preparation program and is qualified to perform specific
						  professional duties.
Certified personnel
-Professional
						  employees, excluding school secretaries, as defined in section 1101 of the act
						  (24
						  P.S. §
													11-1101) or educators, or both,
						  holding a comparable certificate from another state.
Chief school administrator
-The
						  superintendent, intermediate unit executive director, or equivalent private
						  school administrator.
Collegiate studies
-Studies pursued at
						  institutions which are entitled to apply to themselves the designation of
						  college or university as defined by 24 Pa.C.S. Chapter 65 (relating to private
						  colleges, universities and seminaries).
Commissioned officer
-District
						  superintendents and assistant district superintendents under section 1078 of
						  the act (10-1078) regarding commissions and objections to election.
Community provider
-A not-for-profit or
						  for-profit organization that operates prekindergarten programs.
Continuing professional education
-The
						  formal acquisition of collegiate or in-service credits designed to improve and
						  expand the expertise of professional personnel.
Core academic subject
-Includes
						  reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, social studies
						  and the arts.
Cultural awareness
-Understanding,
						  consideration, and integration of individuals' culture, language, heritage, and
						  experiences.
Culturally relevant and sustaining education
						  (CR-SE)
- Education that ensures equity for all students and seeks to
						  eliminate systemic institutional racial and cultural barriers that inhibit the
						  success of all students in this Commonwealth-particularly those who have been
						  historically underrepresented. Culturally relevant and sustaining education
						  encompasses skills for educators including, but not limited to, approaches to
						  mental wellness, trauma-informed approaches to instruction, technological and
						  virtual engagement, cultural awareness and emerging factors that inhibit
						  equitable access for all students in this Commonwealth.
Day-to-day substitute permit
-A permit
						  issued for no longer than 20 consecutive days to fill a position due to the
						  absence of professional certified personnel.
Degree-granting institution
-A public
						  college or technical institute which provides a 2 year, postsecondary
						  college-parallel, terminal-general, terminal-technical, out-of-school youth or
						  adult education program or a combination of these and which is established and
						  operated under the act.
Diverse learner
-A student who because
						  of limited English language proficiency or disabilities may have academic needs
						  that require varied instructional strategies to help the student learn.
Educational specialist
-Professional
						  certified personnel whose primary responsibility is to render professional
						  service other than classroom teaching, such as dental hygienist, home and
						  school visitor, instructional technology specialist, social restoration
						  specialist, nutrition service specialist, elementary counselor, secondary
						  counselor, school nurse and school psychologist.
Educator Discipline Act
-24 P.S. §§
						  2070.1a-2070.18a.
Emergency permit
-A permit issued to
						  fill a vacancy resulting from resignation, termination, retirement, death or
						  the creation of a new position.
Exceptional case permit
-A permit
						  issued to fill a vacancy due to exceptional conditions.
Historically underrepresented
						  groups
-Groups that are documented to have been represented across time
						  in the educator population in proportions below their representation in the
						  general population. These include, but are not limited to, people of color and
						  the economically disadvantaged.
Inclusive setting
-The placement of a
						  diverse learner in a regular classroom setting
Induction
-A process by which a variety
						  of professional support services are provided to newly employed teachers and
						  educational specialists under the guidance of professional personnel to
						  facilitate entry into the education profession.
Induction plan
-A description of the
						  induction process developed and submitted by the school entity to the
						  Department for approval which describes how a teacher or educational specialist
						  will be introduced to the teaching profession under this chapter.
Intern certificate
-A professional
						  certificate that entitles the holder to fill a full-time professional teaching
						  position.
Invalid certificate
-A certificate
						  which no longer enables its holder to perform specific professional
						  duties.
Long-term substitute permit
-A permit
						  issued for an indeterminate period to fill a position due to the absence of
						  professional certified personnel.
Occupational competency credential
-A
						  document issued by the Occupational Competency Testing Examiners which
						  signifies that the holder possesses knowledge and skill in a technical field at
						  a journeyman level. When the document is presented to a preparing institution
						  or to the Department, it may be registered by the Department on the holder's
						  vocational intern, vocational instructional or instructional certificate, and
						  it enables the holder to teach that occupational specialty.
PSPC-Professional Standards and Practices
						  Commission
-A body composed of educators from the fields of basic and
						  higher education, members of the general public and an ex officio member of the
						  Board established by the Educator Discipline Act.
Permit
-A document prepared and issued
						  by the Department indicating that the holder is allowed to serve in lieu of a
						  certified professional for a specified period of time.
Prekindergarten
-A program operated by
						  an early intervention agency as defined in 14.101 (relating to definitions),
						  school district or under contract from a school district that is open to
						  children who are 3 years of age and who have completed the program prior to the
						  school district's entry age for kindergarten.
Preparing institution
-A college or
						  university that offers a program approved by the Department to prepare
						  professional personnel for employment in the public schools.
Professional duties
-A duty the
						  performance of which is restricted to personnel by the scope of their
						  certificate.
Professional ethics
-The standards of
						  behavior, values, and principles that inform and guide professional
						  decision-making. These standards of behavior, values and principles include
						  those detailed in the Pennsylvania Model Code of Ethics for Educators, as
						  adopted by the Professional Standards and Practices Commission.
Satisfactory achievement
-An acceptable
						  level of performance as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the
						  Board on the Department-prescribed assessments required in this chapter.
School entity
-Public schools, school
						  districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter
						  schools, cyber schools and independent schools.
Structured literacy
-Systematic,
						  explicit instruction that provides a strong core of foundational skills in the
						  language systems of English, integrates listening, speaking, reading, spelling,
						  and writing and emphasizes the structure of language across the speech sound
						  system (phonology), the writing system (orthography), the structure of
						  sentences (syntax), the meaningful parts of words (morphology), the
						  relationships among words (semantics), and the organization of spoken and
						  written discourse.
Subject Area
-Specific areas of
						  instructional content.
Term of validity
-A period of time as
						  specified in §§
												49.33,
						  49.34,
						  49.82,
						  49.92,
						  49.102,
						  49.142 and
						  49.152 in which the holder of a
						  certificate is entitled to perform the professional duties for which the
						  certificate was issued.
Trauma-informed approaches to
						  instruction
-Pedagogy that recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma
						  and integrates knowledge about trauma for the purpose of promoting resiliency
						  among students.
The provisions of this §
														49.1 issued under sections 202,
							 408.1, 1302 and 1317-1320 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. §§
															62,
							 118.1 (Repealed), 352 and
							 367-370 (Repealed)).