Section 200-RICR-20-20-1.6 - General Requirements for Full CertificatesA. The following requirements apply to all full certificates. Additional requirements that are unique to each certification area are provided in §§ 1.9, 1.10, and 1.11 of this Part. 1. Competency Requirements a. The preparation and certification of all educators shall be guided by professional competencies which are based on Rhode Island professional standards. The content knowledge and knowledge of field preparation and certification of all educators shall be guided by content competencies and knowledge of field competencies that are based on the accepted standards of the appropriate professional associations. The Professional Competencies for these purposes shall be recommended by the Commissioner of Education for approval by the Council. RIDE will periodically review competencies in light of changes in the profession and will publish the list of approved competencies annually.2. Teacher Professional Competencies Any person who is seeking certification in a teaching area shall demonstrate competency with respect to the pedagogical knowledge articulated by the Rhode Island Professional Teaching Standards pursuant to § 1.3.2 of this Part.
3. Teacher Content Competencies Any person who is seeking certification in a teaching area shall demonstrate competency with respect to the content knowledge of the area of certification articulated by the relevant subject matter professional association identified in the certification area Regulations pursuant to § 1.9 of this Part.
4. Administrator Professional Competencies Any person who is seeking certification in an administrative area shall demonstrate competency with respect to the professional knowledge articulated by the Rhode Island Standards for Educational Leaders pursuant to § 1.3 of this Part.
5. Administrator Knowledge of Field Competencies Any person who is seeking certification in an administrative area shall demonstrate competency with respect to the knowledge of the field in the area of certification articulated by the relevant professional association identified in the certification area Regulations pursuant to § 1.10 of this Part.
B. Assessment Requirements 1. Assessments based upon professional standards are required for all certification areas. Assessment instruments and passing scores shall be recommended by the Commissioner of Education for approval by the Council. RIDE shall maintain a current list of required assessments and passing scores. a. Pedagogy Testing Any person who is seeking an Educator Certificate in a teaching area shall submit verification of minimum passing score or higher on the assessment(s) of pedagogy applicable to the certification area as approved by the Council.
b. Content Testing Any person who is seeking an Educator Certificate in a teaching area shall submit verification of minimum passing score or higher on the assessment(s) of content/subject matter applicable to the certification area as approved by the Council.
c. Knowledge of Field Testing Any person who is seeking an Educator Certificate in an administrative or support professional area shall submit verification of minimum passing score or higher on the assessment applicable to the certification area as approved by the Council.
d. English Language Competency Any person who is seeking an Educator Certificate and who prepared for certification at an institution where the language of instruction was not English shall submit verification of minimum passing score or higher on the assessment of English Language Competency as approved by the Council.
e. Assessment Requirement Exemptions RIDE may exempt certification areas from testing requirements when an appropriate assessment cannot be identified.
C. Field Experience Requirements 1. All applicants must demonstrate significant field experience as part of their preparation for certification.2. Applicants for teacher certification must complete a one (1) year practical residency or the equivalent of a one (1) year practical residency, such as sixty (60) hours of field experience plus twenty-four (24) consecutive weeks of full-time student teaching or sixty (60) hours of field experience plus twenty-four (24) weeks of student teaching experiences distributed over the course of the program, inclusive of an intensive and continuous experience, and a minimum of sixty (60) hours of field experience prior to or following the one (1) year practical residency or equivalent.3. Applicants for teacher certification who are adding a new certification area must complete an appropriate field experience that reflects the differences between current certification area and the new certification area.4. Applicants for support professional certification as specialists/consultants, instructional leaders, or school counselors must complete an internship of at least three hundred (300) hours.5. Applicants for building level administrator certification must complete an internship of at least three hundred (300) hours.200 R.I. Code R. 200-RICR-20-20-1.6
Adopted effective 1/7/2019
Amended effective 9/24/2020