DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Professional Standards Board

FINAL

REGULATORY IMPLEMENTING ORDER

1591 School Principal and Assistant School Principal

I. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION SUBMITTED

The Professional Standards Board, acting in cooperation and consultation with the Department of Education, seeks the consent of the State Board of Education to amend 14 DE Admin. Code 1591 School Principal and Assistant Principal. The regulation concerns the requirements for certification of educational personnel, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a). It is necessary to amend this regulation in order provide research-based pathways to certification for school building leaders. This regulation sets forth the requirements for a School Principal or an Assistant School Principal.

Notice of the proposed amendment of the regulation was published in the Delaware Register of Regulations on October 1, 2012. The notice invited written comments. No comments were received.

II. FINDINGS OF FACTS

The Professional Standards Board and the State Board of Education find that it is appropriate to amend this regulation to comply with changes in statute.

III. DECISION TO AMEND THE REGULATION

For the foregoing reasons, the Professional Standards Board and the State Board of Education conclude that it is appropriate to amend the regulation. Therefore, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1205(b), the regulation attached hereto as Exhibit “A” is hereby amended. Pursuant to the provision of 14 Del.C. §122(e), the regulation hereby amended shall be in effect for a period of five years from the effective date of this order as set forth in Section V. below.

IV. TEXT AND CITATION

The text of the regulation amended shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, and said regulation shall be cited as 14 DE Admin. Code 1591 of the Administrative Code of Regulations of the Professional Standards Board.

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 Delaware Register of Regulations.

APPROVED BY THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS BOARD THIS 7th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2013

IT IS SO ORDERED this 21st day of February, 2013.

Department of Education

Mark Murphy, Secretary of Education

Approved this 21st day of February, 2013.

State Board of Education

1591 School Principal and Assistant School Principal

1.1 This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a Standard Certificate for School Principal and Assistant Principal, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220.

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

"Standards Board" means the Professional Standards Board established pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1201.

"Standard Certificate" means a credential issued to verify 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.

"State Board" means the State Board of Education of the State of Delaware established pursuant to 14 Del.C. §104.

"Teaching Experience" means meeting students on a regularly scheduled basis, planning and delivering instruction, developing or preparing instructional materials, and evaluating student performance in any pK to 12 setting.

The following shall be required for the Standard Certificate for the Principal or Assistant Principal of an elementary or intermediate school, a middle school, a high school, or a school for exceptional students.

3.1 Educational requirements

3.1.1 A master’s degree in educational leadership from an NCATE or state approved program where the state approval body employed the appropriate NASDTEC or NCATE specialty organization standards from a regionally accredited college or university, or

3.1.2 A master’s degree in education offered by an NCATE specialty organization recognized educator preparation program or from a state approved educator preparation program where the state approval body employed the appropriate NASDTEC or NCATE specialty organization standards from a regionally accredited college or university and a current and valid Principal or Assistant Principal certificate from another state, or

3.1.3 A master’s degree in any field from a regionally accredited college or university and successful completion of a Delaware approved alternative routes to certification program for school leaders. Until approval and implementation of an alternative routes to certification program occurs, candidates completing the Standard Certificate in accordance with 3.1.3.1 of this regulation shall fulfill the following requirements.

3.1.3.1 A three semester hour graduate level course in each of the following areas:

3.1.3.1.1 School Administration (at the level to be initially assigned),

3.1.3.1.2 Supervision and Evaluation of Staff,

3.1.3.1.3 Curriculum Development,

3.1.3.1.4 School Business Management,

3.1.3.1.5 School Law or Legal Issues in Education,

3.1.3.1.6 Human Relations, and,

3.1.3.1.7 Child, Adolescent or Human Development, if not taken at the undergraduate level.

3.2 Experience requirements

3.2.1 A minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience at the level to be initially assigned as a school Principal or Assistant Principal, except at the middle level, where the teaching experience may be at any pK to 12 level, or as a Principal or Assistant Principal of a school for exceptional students, where the teaching experience must have been with one or more of the categories of exceptional children served by the school.

1.1 This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a Standard Certificate, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a) for School Principal and Assistant Principal. This certification is required for all School Principals and Assistant School Principals working in Delaware’s public school system.

1.2 Except as otherwise provided, the requirements set forth in 14 DE Admin. Code 1505 Standard Certificate, including any subsequent amendment or revision thereto, are incorporated herein by reference.

2.1 The definitions set forth in 14 DE Admin. Code 1505 Standard Certificate, including any subsequent amendment or revision thereto, are incorporated herein by reference.

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

“Certification Program for Leaders in Education” means a program comprised of education components as defined and approved by the Standards Board and the State Board pursuant to 14 DE Admin. Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education.

“School Principal Course of Study” means a course of study approved by the Standards Board and the State Board pursuant to 14 DE Admin. Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education.

3.1 In accordance with 14 Del.C. §1220(a), the Department shall issue a Standard Certificate as a School Principal or an Assistant School Principal to an educator who has met the following:

3.1.1 Holds a valid Delaware Initial, Continuing, or Advanced License; or a Professional Status Certificate issued by the Department prior to August 31, 2003; and

3.1.2 Has met the requirements as set forth in 14 DE Admin. Code 1505 Standard Certificate, including any subsequent amendment or revision thereto; and

3.1.3 Has satisfied the additional requirements in this regulation.

An educator must also have met the following additional requirements.

4.1 Education requirements.

4.1.1 An educator shall also have satisfied at least one (1) of the following additional education requirements:

4.1.1.1 A master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited college or university in educational leadership offered by an NCATE specialty organization recognized educator preparation program or state approved educator preparation program where the state approval body employed the appropriate NASDTEC or NCATE specialty organization standards; or

4.1.1.2 A master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited college or university in any field and the successful completion of one of the following:

4.1.1.2.1 A School Principal Course of Study, as defined in 14 DE Admin. Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education; or

4.1.1.2.2 A School Principal Certification Program pursuant to 14 DE Admin. Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education.

4.2 Experience requirements.

4.2.1 An educator must have a minimum of five (5) years of teaching experience.

5.1 Program Application Procedures

5.1.1 Program application procedures are specified in 14 DE Admin. Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education.

5.2 Program Evaluation Procedure

5.2.1 Program Evaluation Procedures are specified in 14 DE Admin Code 1595 Certification Programs for Leaders in Education.

6.1 This regulation shall be effective no less than ten (10) days from the date the Order amending the regulation has been published in its final form in the Delaware Register of Regulations.

6.1.1 Educators currently enrolled in a school leader course of study prior to the effective date of this regulation will have eighteen (18) months subsequent to the effective date to apply for the previous School Principal or Assistant Principal Standard Certificate. Educators are responsible for providing the Department evidence of enrollment via submission of appropriate transcripts.

6.2 An Emergency Certificate for a School Principal or Assistant Principal is not available.

6.3 The Department shall also recognize a Standard Certificate for School Principal or Assistant Principal issued by the Department prior to the effective date of this regulation.