PROFESSIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT

G-13

 It is the policy of the Mountain Brook Board of Education to expect its professional employees to meet the requirements for professional growth and development as set forth by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

From the elementary/middle school standards:

 “Each teacher shall have earned: 

a. at least a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by the Southern Association or another regional accrediting agency, and 

b. a college major, or a minimum of twenty-four semester hours from a member institution in the subject area or grade level at which the teacher works, or a nonemergency state certificate required for the position; and

c. a minimum of twelve semester hours in professional education courses appropriate to the grade level or subject area of assignment as part of the requirements above or in addition thereto.”

Each teacher shall earn at least six semester hours of credit or the equivalency as approved by the state committee during each five-year period of employment.  The six-semester hours of credit or the equivalency shall be designed to increase competency in the areas of responsibility.

The following are regarded as meeting the requirements of this standard: 

·   a teacher who holds a valid state certificate based on a bachelor’s degree, issued by a state other than the one in which employed. 

·   a teacher in the middle/intermediate grades (grades 5-8 inclusive or any combination thereof) if either certified at the elementary-school level or teaches a majority of the time in a subject area for which certified at the secondary level. 

·   a teacher who has a valid state certificate based on a bachelor’s degree with certification in another area provided at least six semester hours toward proper certification have been earned, a plan has been filed for completion of such certificate with the proper employing authority, and at least six semester hours are earned each year until properly certified.

·   a  teacher who holds a degree equivalent accepted by the state department of education for certification.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools²

From the secondary/middle school standards:

Instructional Personnel

a.             All instructional personnel shall have received a bachelor’s degree from an institution approved by a regional accrediting agency.  Teachers in special areas, such as vocational-technical education, special education, and military science, who are certified or licensed by the state in which they are employed are considered to be in compliance with this standard.

b.         All instructional personnel shall have completed at least 12 semester hours of credit in professional education either as a part of the bachelor’s degree or in addition thereto.  Instructional personnel without teaching experience shall have two years to complete the 12 semester hours of professional education.

c.         Instructional personnel shall have a certificate or college major in the field of work for which they are responsible for the major portion of the school day.

d.         Instructional personnel may work in areas other than their major field of study, or areas for which they are certified, for less than a major portion of the school day, provided they have earned at least 12 semester hours in each of such areas.

e.              Teachers who have training and experience that might be considered to be equivalent to the hours in professional education may request the state committee to accept such experience and training in lieu of no more that six semester hours.  Such a request must be submitted by the chief administrator (e.g., principal, headmaster) of the school to the chairman of the state committee and must be accompanied by justification for the request.  In lieu of the required 12 hours of professional education, schools may institute for members of the instructional staff without 12 semester hours a supervised internship of not less that two school years of full-time classroom teaching.  The internship shall be supervised by a professor of education from an accredited college or university selected by the school.  The internship shall be part of a plan that must be approved by the state committee. 

f.             Teachers shall earn at least six semester hours of credit, or the equivalency as approved by the state committee, during each five-year period of employment.  The six semester hours of credit or the equivalency shall be designed to increase the competency of the teachers in the subjects which they teach.

^1.          1996-97 Policies, Principles, and Standards of Elementary Schools Accredited by the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools, Decatur, GA., p. 34.

2.           1995 Standards of the Commission on Secondary and Middle Schools, pp. 12-13.