Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Eligibility and Financial Incentives For National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Effective Date: July 3, 2020
1.00 Regulatory Authority
1.1 These rules shall be known as the
Arkansas Department of Education Division Rules Governing Eligibility and
Financial Incentives for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS) Candidacy and Certification.
1.2 These rules are enacted under the State
Board of Education's authority pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§
6-11-105, 6-17-412, and 6-17-413.
2.00 Purpose
2.1 To improve student learning and
strengthen teaching by encouraging teachers to participate in and complete
NBPTS certification;
2.2 To
authorize the Division to fund the full amount of the participation fee of the
NBPTS certification;
2.3 To
authorize the Division to fund financial incentives for NBCTS in
Arkansas;
2.4 To outline the
eligibility criteria and funding structure for the incentives; and
2.5 To outline the establishment of a support
program for NBPTS participants.
3.00 Definitions
For the purposes of these rules:
3.1
"Accredited Teacher Preparation
Program" means an educator preparation program that is
3.1.1 Accredited by the Council for
Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP);
3.1.2 Accredited by an accrediting
organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation; or
3.1.3 Approved by the licensing authority of
a state government.
3.2
"Advisory Committee" means the ten (10) member team of three (3)
National Board Certified Teachers, three (3) National Board facilitators, and
four (4) educational administration or business representatives. One (1) of the
ten (10) members may be a Division staff member. The Advisory Committee advises
the Division on policy issues, assists in the support system, and recommends
criteria for the selection of candidates when all candidates cannot be funded
Criteria shall be recommended by the Advisory Committee in accordance with law
for review and approval by the State Board.
3.3
"Classroom teacher" means a
teacher who is required to hold a standard teaching license from the Division
and who is engaged directly in instruction with students in a classroom setting
for more than seventy percent (70%) of the individual's contracted time, with
that 70% allowed to include: 3.3.1 Employment
by an educational service cooperative when the teacher provides direct student
services for a collaborative of school districts in public school buildings and
other instructional settings throughout the cooperative area; and
3.3.2 Instructional positions such as library
media specialist, school guidance counselor, literacy specialist, math
specialist, dyslexia specialist, or others for whom NBPTS certificates
specifically exist and who meet the definition of classroom teacher.
3.4
"Classroom
setting":3.4.1 For the purpose of
eligibility for NBPTS candidacy funding means full-time assignment to a setting
in a specific Arkansas public school building or buildings in which a teacher
works directly with a student or students; and
3.4.2 For the purpose of eligibility for an
incentive bonus means full-time assignment to a setting in a school building(s)
or other instructional settings where a NBCT is directly involved in the
instructional process by teaching children, by facilitating the instructional
process through work with building teachers in classrooms, or by serving in the
role of building administrator, or assistant building administrator.
3.5 " Division" means
the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary
Education
3.6
"High-poverty
charter school" means an Arkansas open-enrollment public charter school
in which seventy percent (70%) or greater of the previous school year's
enrolled students are national school lunch students as defined in §
6-20-2303.
3.7
"High-poverty
district" means an Arkansas public school district in which seventy
percent (70%) or greater of the previous school year's enrolled students are
national school lunch students as defined in § 6-20-2303.
3.8
"High-poverty school" means
an Arkansas public school in which seventy percent (70%) or greater of the
previous school year's enrolled students are national school lunch students as
defined in § 6-20-2303.
3.9
"In the process of initial certification" means that the
individual has completed registration...
