DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Professional Standards Board

FINAL

REGULATORY IMPLEMENTING ORDER

1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation

I. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION SUBMITTED

The Professional Standards Board, acting in consultation and cooperation with the Delaware Department of Education ("Department"), seeks to repeal 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1203 and 14 Del.C. §1205(b). In 2005, Delaware participated in the Meritorious New Teacher Candidate program, which was a reciprocal licensing agreement with other states in the region through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Teachers Project. The agreement no longer exists. As a result, the regulation is being repealed.

Notice of the proposed repeal of the regulation was published in the Register of Regulations on March 1, 2020. The Professional Standards Board did not receive any written submittals concerning the proposed repeal.

On April 2, 2020, the Professional Standards Board voted to propose 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation for repeal by the Department subject to the State Board of Education's approval.

II. FINDINGS OF FACTS

The Department finds that the reciprocal licensing agreement through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Teachers Project that concerned the Meritorious New Teacher Candidate program is no longer in existence. Accordingly, the Department finds that it is appropriate to repeal 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation.

III. DECISION TO REPEAL THE REGULATION

For the foregoing reasons, the Department concludes that it is appropriate to repeal 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation subject to the State Board of Education's approval. Therefore, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §§1203 and 1205(b), 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation attached hereto as Exhibit "A" is hereby repealed.

IV. TEXT AND CITATION

The text of 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation repealed hereby shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit "A," and said regulation shall be cited as 14 DE Admin. Code 1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation in the Administrative Code of Regulations for the Department.

V. EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDER

The effective date of this Order shall be ten (10) days from the date this Order is published in the Register of Regulations.

IT IS SO ORDERED the 23rd day of April, 2020.

Department of Education

Susan S. Bunting, Ed.D., Secretary of Education

Approved this 23rd day of April, 2020.

State Board of Education

*Please Note: Electronic signatures ("/s/") were accepted pursuant to 6 Del.C. §12A-107(d).

1509 Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation

This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation to a candidate for an Initial License who meets the criteria set forth by the Mid Atlantic Regional Teachers Project, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1210.

The following words and terms, when used in this regulation, shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

“Department” means the Delaware Department of Education.

“License” means a credential which authorizes the holder to engage in the practice for which the license is issued.

“Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation” means a designation of excellence for new teachers which enables them to teach in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

“Met the Highest Standard” means achieved the highest grade or score awarded by the institution.

“Standard Certificate” means a credential issued to certify that an educator has the prescribed knowledge, skill or education to practice in a particular area, teach a particular subject, or teach a category of students”.

3.1 An applicant for an Initial License who meets the requirements for an Initial License and who also meets the criteria set forth by the Mid Atlantic Regional Teachers Project shall have a Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation affixed to the Initial License, upon receipt of a recommendation from the candidate’s teacher preparation program that the candidate be awarded the designation of Meritorious New Teacher Candidate.

3.2 Criteria for the Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation are:

3.2.1 Verbal Skills

3.2.1.1 Scores in the upper quartile of students nationally at the time the test was taken on the verbal portion of the SAT, ACT, or GRE.

3.2.2 Content Knowledge

3.2.2.1 Elementary Education (Grades pre K to 6):

3.2.2.1.1 A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in an undergraduate professional education program, or a minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA in a graduate professional education program; and

3.2.2.1.2 Scores in the upper quartile of students nationally at the time the test was taken in math, science, social studies, and English language arts in the PRAXIS II Content Knowledge for Elementary Teachers test or Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment test.

3.2.2.2 Middle School Education (Grades 6 to 8):

3.2.12.2.1 A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in an undergraduate academic major or a minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA in a graduate program in the subject area in which a standard certificate is sought; and

3.2.2.2.2 Scores in the upper quartile of students nationally at the time the test was taken on the PRAXIS II test in the applicant’s specialty area.

3.2.2.3 Secondary Education (Grades 9 to 12):

3.2.2.3.1 A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in an undergraduate academic major or a minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA in a graduate program in the subject area in which a standard certificate is sought.

3.2.2.3.2 Scores in the upper quartile of students nationally at the time the test was taken on the PRAXIS II test in the applicant’s specialty area.

3.2.3 Professional Preparation and Recommendation:

3.2.3.1 Completion of a state approved teacher preparation program, of traditional or alternative format, with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in an undergraduate professional studies program, or a minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA in a graduate professional education program.

3.2.3.2 Completion of a minimum of 400 hours of supervised clinical experience, of which at least 300 hours are directed instructional student teaching. Clinical experience may occur within any state approved model, including total immersion experiences as teachers of record.

3.2.3.3 Met the highest standard of both the university supervisor and the cooperating teacher on the institution’s formal student teacher or immersion component of the required clinical experience.

3.2.3.4 Met the highest standard on the institution’s professional preparation assessment.

3.2.3.5 Received a recommendation by the teacher preparation program that the candidate be awarded the designation of Meritorious New Teacher Candidate.

Applicants for initial licensure and the Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation who completed teacher preparation in Delaware will be given expedited consideration of their application by the Delaware Department of Education.

A Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation issued to a licensee from one of the participating jurisdictions who has less than three (3) years of teaching experience, shall be honored by the Department. The applicant shall be issued a Delaware Initial License pursuant to 14 DE Admin. Code §1510 with a Meritorious New Teacher Candidate Designation and any Delaware Standard Certificate for which the candidate qualifies.

This designation shall be valid for the duration of the individual’s initial license