Certification and Professional/Personal Development Programs for Educators - NMU Graduate Bulletin

For the graduate-level student not electing to pursue a master of arts in education degree, the School of Education provides the opportunity for advanced study in several areas:   Certification Provisional Professional Administrator: K-12 Principal (All NMU subject areas approved by the Michigan Department of Education)   Endorsements Early Childhood Reading K-8   Approvals Supervisor of Special Education Director of Special Education   These programs require adviser approval. Applicants should meet all admission requirements of a general nature as well as those of the department prior to beginning their studies. The department will review and reassess course work taken under these programs, should the student at a later date wish to change to an MAE degree program.   Teachers certified in states other than Michigan should submit their credentials to the Teacher/Administrator Preparation and Certification Services Section of the State of Michigan Department of Education to be evaluated for a Michigan provisional certificate.

Public Act 339 of 1988 requires the State of Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to collect a certification fee “as a condition of having the application evaluated for conformance with the application requirements.” This fee must be paid to the MDE before a Michigan teaching certificate or endorsement can be issued.

  I.    Provisional Teacher Certification   A. Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70.
2. Passing scores on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certificaiton (MTTC) Basic Skills Test.
3. Compliance with all teacher selection and retention standards (see the Northern Michigan University Undergraduate Bulletin).

B. Provisional Certification Plan of Study

Baccalaureate degree graduates without teaching certification may complete a provisional certification plan of study for teaching at the elementary or secondary level by enrolling in undergraduate courses. This plan is for a Michigan provisional teaching certificate; it is not for an additional degree. For example, if a student has completed courses as an undergraduate which are applicable to a teachable major or minor in a discipline such as biology or history, the undergraduate credits may be counted toward the State of Michigan requirement for provisional certification. If additional credits are required, they may be obtained through enrollment in undergraduate courses. In addition to the major and minor requirements, the student must complete the State of Michigan requirement in professional education. Provisional certification programs are available in elementary education, secondary education and special education.   Developing a plan of study for provisional certification will depend upon the applicability of the student’s undergraduate degree credits and the teachable major/minor selected for certification. All methods courses must be taken no more than five years before the semester in which the student teaching assignment commences. Methods courses completed at other universities or colleges must be approved by the Northern Michigan University director of teacher education student services or the certification counselor in consultation with the appropriate faculty member. Students are required to pass competency tests in all subject areas in which they are to be certified. The School of Education must evaluate all transcripts to ensure the filing of complete and accurate provisional certification plans of study with the certification officer. Such plans must be filed at least sixty (60) days prior to enrolling in the first course. The evaluation will determine the student’s eligibility for admission to a teacher education program, in accord with the current teacher selection and retention standards.   See the current Northern Michigan University Undergraduate Bulletin for rules and regulations regarding teacher education. For specific requirements concerning Michigan teacher certification, contact the Michigan Department of Education.   Note: Occasionally the university finds it difficult, if not impossible, to secure a student teaching placement. The reasons school personnel typically give for rejecting a student include the student’s academic record and/or past overall performance/behavior. Every student should be aware of this possibility during progress toward a provisional certificate in teacher education.
  C. Michigan Provisional Certificate Requirements

1. Successful completion of the provisional certification plan of study in accordance with the current teacher selection and retention standards, as detailed in the Northern Michigan University Undergraduate Bulletin.
2. Completion of required competency tests in basic skills and teaching subject areas.
3. Completion of the following forms: 
   a. application for provisional certificate at mynmu.nmu.edu AND
   b. application for provisional certificate at www.michigan.gov/moecs
4. Michigan Department of Education approved providers for adult and child CPR and first aid certification on file at the School of Education.

The initial Michigan provisional certification is valid for 5-1/4 to 6-1/4 years, depending upon the month of issuance. Certificates expire on June 30 of the appropriate year.

Admission to the provisional certificate program for students who have obtained a baccalaureate degree is administered through the NMU Admissions Office, C.B. Hedgcock, Room 2212, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855.

D. Reciprocity

Persons who complete a teacher education program in Michigan may apply for certification in another state by contacting the appropriate state department of education. Each state has the exclusive responsibility for the quality and content of professional preparation/certification programs in the state and may have unique requirements related to courses, tests, and/or student teaching.   Information concerning certification requirements and the certification agency for each of the states can be found in the NASDTEC Manual at www.nasdtec.org/ manual.tpl, at the University of Kentucky's Web site of http://www.uky.edu/Education/TEP.usacert.html and at the NMU School of Education Web site at www.nmu.edu/education, with the link to certification.     II.   Provisional Renewal Certification   A. First Renewal When the Michigan provisional certificate expires before the holder is able to fulfill all the requirements for the Michigan professional education certificate (see section III below), such holder can qualify for the first three-year renewal of the provisional certificate by completing the first 9 semester hours of the 18-hour “Planned Program” required for the Michigan professional education certificate. The 9 hours must be completed after the issuance date on the original Michigan provisional certificate.   B. Additional Renewals A second, three-year renewal is available any time after the actual completion of the 18-Hour “Planned Program.” A Michigan public or private school may sponsor an employed teacher for additional renewals beyond the second three-year renewal.   C. Michigan Provisional Renewal Certificate Requirements

1. Successful completion of the 9- or 18-hour “Planned Program” (see A and B above) in accordance with the administrative rules governing the certification of Michigan teachers.
2. Completion of the application for renewal of expired provisional certificate at www.michigan.gov/moecs.

  III. Professional Education Teacher Certification   A. Michigan Teacher Certification Hold a current or expired Michigan provisional (or provisional renewal) certificate.   B. 18-Hour Plan of Study The 18-hour plan of study may be completed through Northern Michigan University in one of the nine options given below. A minimum of 12 of the 18 credits must be completed through Northern Michigan University. Correspondence courses are not permitted. Please note that students choosing to pursue an additional endorsement must comply with the teacher selection and retention standards that are in place at the time of application. Refer to the current Undergraduate Bulletin for details.

1. Elementary Endorsement upon a Secondary Certificate. The elementary endorsement extends the secondary certificate to grades K-6 (all subjects K-5, and approved majors and minors only for grade 6 in a non-self-contained classroom). The elementary endorsement requirements vary, dependent on the credits already completed in other programs and the major/minor areas pursued. Courses required are at the undergraduate level. For validity of courses, see the current Undergraduate Bulletin. This endorsement requires more than 18 credits.
2. Secondary Endorsement upon an Elementary Certificate. The secondary endorsement extends the elementary certificate to the secondary grade levels (6-12) in the approved teachable major and minor selected by the student. The secondary endorsement requirements vary, dependent on the credits already completed in other programs and the major/minor areas pursued. Courses required are at the undergraduate level. For validity of courses, see the current Undergraduate Bulletin. This endorsement typically requires more than 18 credits.
3. Early Childhood Endorsement. The early childhood endorsement (ZA) extends an elementary certificate to the ages of children in preschool and Head Start Programs. As with all Michigan Department of Education programs, the early childhood endorsement requires a minimum of 18 semester hours. It also requires a practicum experience with preschool children, the credit for which cannot count as part of the 18 semester hour requirement.*
4. Reading Endorsement. The reading endorsement requires obtaining competencies in the foundations of reading instruction, diagnoses and remediation of reading difficulties, supervising and organizing a school wide program in reading, and in the related area of language art. The reading endorsement requires a minimum of 18 hours.* The program may extend to a master of arts in education degree with the completion of additional prescribed credits.
5. Major/Minor Plan of Study. A new major or minor upon a valid Michigan certificate will constitute a plan of study with undergraduate credits for professional certification. Although the minimum 18 semester hours will be required, it is likely that adding a major may require more than the minimum 18 semester hours. Another option is to convert a minor on a teaching certificate into a teachable major. An additional MTTC subject area test may be required.
6. Learning Disabilities Endorsement. Students may earn this endorsement without completing a master of arts in education degree. Students who do not meet basic competencies in the areas of reading, language arts, mathematics and exceptionalities will have to extend their programs. Interested students are referred to the master of arts in education learning disabilities section of this bulletin for a listing of the required course work.*
7. Special Plan. A special plan may be designed with the approval of the certification counselor.

*    To obtain the additional endorsement, one needs to pass the MTTC in the subject area and to file the appropriate application with the NMU School of Education. All endorsements must comply with the teacher selection and retention standards.

C. Initial Michigan Professional Education Certificate Requirements

1. Successful completion of the 18-hour plan of study in accordance with the administrative rules governing the certification of Michigan teachers. Credits must be completed after the issuance date on the original Michigan provisional certificate.
2. Three years of successful teaching experience completed after the issuance date on an original teaching certificate. Experience must be in subject(s) and grade levels of certification.
3. Compliance with the Michigan Department of Education reading requirements, both undergraduate and graduate.
4. Completion of the application for Michigan professional certificate at www.michigan.gov/mcoes.

A Michigan continuing certificate issued prior to July 1, 1992 remains valid, provided the holder is “employed in an educational capacity for a minimum of 100 days in any given five-year period.”   A Michigan professional education certificate issued after July 1, 1992 remains valid up to five years. Candidates issued a Michigan professional education certificate must renew the certificate every five years. Teachers are required to earn six semester hours of appropriate course work every five years through a college/university, or complete the equivalent in state board continuing education units ­ (SB-CEUs).   Correspondence courses are not accepted for the initial or renewal of the Michigan professional or provisional certificate.   Renewals of the Michigan professional certificate must be made through the Michigan Department of Education at www.michigan.gov/moecs.
D. Michigan Additional Endorsement Requirements

1. Successful completion of the additional endorsement plan of study in accordance with the administrative rules governing the certification of Michigan teachers.
2. Successful completion of the Michigan test for teacher certification (MTTC) in the appropriate subject area.
3. Completion of the application for additional endorsement certification at www.michigan.gov/moecs.
4. Compliance with current teacher selection and retention standards.

 

IV. Professional/Personal Development Professional development for educators courses (ED 900-level) provide professional development opportunities for certified K-12 educators. The topics are intended to address current issues and trends related to professional practice. The credits do not apply to earning an initial Michigan provisional certificate or to Michigan endorsement programs. The credits do not apply to a master of arts in education degree program. The credits do apply to renewal of the Michigan professional education certificate. A maximum of four ED 900 semester credits will apply to the initial Michigan professional education certificate (18-hour plan).

For department information or additional degree requirements, go to the Education department page.

Bulletin Year: 2012 - 2013 Graduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.