Final Text
8VAC20-22-110. Requirements for renewing a license.
A. The Division Superintendent, Postgraduate Professional, Collegiate Professional, Technical Professional, Pupil Personnel Services, and School Manager Licenses may be renewed upon the completion of 180 professional development points within a five-year validity period based on an individualized professional development plan that includes ongoing, sustained, and high-quality professional development.
B. Virginia public school divisions and public education agencies must report annually to the Department of Education that instructional personnel have completed high quality professional development each year as set forth by the Virginia Department of Education.
C. Any individual seeking renewal of a license with an
endorsement in early/primary preK-3, elementary education preK-6, middle
education 6-8, history and social sciences, history, or political science must complete
study of the structures, function, and powers of state and local government of
Virginia and the importance of citizen participation in the political process
in state and local government of Virginia. The study may be satisfactorily
completed using any applicable option described in the Virginia Licensure
Renewal Manual, effective September 21, 2007. This requirement shall be met one
time for the individual's next renewal after July 1, 2012.
D. C. Professional development points may be
accrued by the completion of professional development activities to improve and
increase instructional personnel's knowledge of the academic subjects the
teachers teach or the area assigned from one or more of the following eight
options.
1. College credit. Acceptable coursework offers content that provides new information and is offered on-campus, off-campus, or through extension by any regionally accredited two- or four-year college or university. College coursework must develop further experiences in subject content taught, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, leadership, and other essential elements in teaching to high standards and increasing student learning. At least 90 points for each five-year renewal shall be in the content area(s) currently being taught if the license holder does not hold a graduate degree. Instructional personnel must complete coursework to improve and increase the knowledge of the academic subjects or endorsement areas in which they are assigned.
2. Professional conference. A professional conference is a workshop, institute, or seminar of four or more hours that contributes to ongoing, sustained, and high-quality professional development.
3. Curriculum development. Curriculum development is a group activity in which the license holder contributes to the improvement of the curriculum of a school, a school division, or an education institution in the teaching area assigned. This includes the alignment of curriculum frameworks, instructional materials, and assessments to provide a system with clear expectations of what is to be taught and learned.
4. Publication of article. The article must contribute to the education profession or to the body of knowledge of the license holder's teaching area or instructional position. Grant reports that present the results of educational research are acceptable provided the license holder had an active role in planning, analyzing, interpreting, demonstrating, disseminating, or evaluating the study or innovation. The article must be published in a recognized professional journal.
5. Publication of book. Books must be published for purchase and must contribute to the education profession or to the body of knowledge of the license holder's teaching area or instructional position. The published book must increase the field of content knowledge, planning and assessment for evaluating and providing students with feedback that encourages student progress and measures student achievement, instruction, safety and learning environment, communication and community relations working with students, parents, and members of the community to promote broad support for student learning. Points will not be awarded for books self-published.
6. Mentorship. Mentoring is the process by which an experienced professional, who has received mentorship training, provides assistance to one or more persons for the purpose of improving their performance. Assistance may involve role modeling, direct instruction, demonstration, observation with feedback, developing of plans, and consultation to promote instructional excellence and increased student achievement. Mentoring may include the supervision of a field experience of a preservice student teacher or an intern in an approved teacher/principal preparation program, as well as mentoring as part of the induction process for a beginning teacher or a first-year administrator. Individuals serving in this role and submitting documentation for license renewal based on the mentorship option shall receive training as a mentor prior to the assignment and at least once during the five-year renewal cycle.
7. Educational project. Educational projects must be planned, focused projects based on high standards of teaching and learning. Projects must result in a written report or other tangible product. Projects must contribute to the education profession or to the body of knowledge of the license holder's teaching area or instructional position. A project could include participation in new professional responsibilities, such as leading a school improvement initiative.
8. Professional development activity. Professional development activities must focus on student learning and achievement, schoolwide educational improvement, leadership, subject content, teaching strategies, and use of technologies and other essential elements in teaching to high standards. Activities must be planned, rigorous, systematic, and promote continuous inquiry and reflection. Local employing educational agencies are encouraged to design professional development activities that are conducted in school settings and linked to student learning and achievement.
E. D. A minimum of 90 points (three semester
hours in a content area) at the undergraduate (two-year or four-year
institution) or graduate level in the license holder's endorsement areas shall
be required of license holders without a master's degree and may be satisfied
at the undergraduate (two-year or four-year institution) or graduate level.
Special education coursework designed to assist classroom teachers and other
school personnel in working with students with disabilities, a course in gifted
education, a course in educational technology, or a course in English as a
second language may be completed to satisfy the content course requirement for
one cycle of the renewal process. Professional development activities designed
to support the Virginia Standards of Learning, Standards of Accreditation, and
Assessments may be accepted in lieu of the content course for one renewal
cycle. The substance of the activities must clearly support these initiatives
and address one or more of the following areas: (i) new content knowledge to
implement the Virginia Standards of Learning; (ii) curriculum development
initiative designed to translate the standards from standards to classroom
objectives; (iii) teaching beginning reading skills including phonemic
awareness and the structure of language (phonics); (iv) staff development
activities in assessment to assist classroom teachers in the utilization of
test results to improve classroom instruction; and (v) professional development
designed to implement the technology standards in the schools. Technical
Professional License holders without baccalaureate degrees may satisfy the
requirement through career and technical education workshops, career and technical
education institutes, or through undergraduate coursework at two-year or
four-year institutions.
F. E. Content area courses are courses at the
undergraduate level (two-year or four-year institution) or at the graduate
level that will not duplicate previous courses taken in the humanities, history
and social sciences, the sciences, mathematics, health and physical education,
and the fine arts. These courses are usually available through the college or
department of arts and sciences. License holders with elementary education,
middle education, special education, or reading endorsements must satisfy the
90-point requirement through reading coursework or content coursework in one of
the areas listed above. Courses available through a regionally accredited college's
or institution's department of education may be used to satisfy the content
requirement for those license holders with endorsements in health and physical
education, career and technical education, and library science education.
G. F. With prior approval of the division
superintendent, the 90 points in a content area also may be satisfied through
coursework taken to obtain a new teaching endorsement or coursework taken
because of a particular need of a particular teacher.
H. G. The remaining 90 points may be accrued by
activities drawn from one or more of the eight renewal options. Renewal work is
designed to provide licensed personnel with opportunities for professional
development relative to the grade levels or teaching fields to which they are assigned
or for which they seek an added endorsement. Such professional development
encompasses (i) responsible remediation of any area of an individual's
knowledge or skills that fail to meet the standards of competency and (ii)
responsible efforts to increase the individual's knowledge of new developments
in his field and to respond to new curricular demands within the person's area
of professional competence.
I. H. The proposed work toward renewal in
certain options must be approved in advance by the chief executive officer or
designee of the employing educational agency. Persons who are not employed by
an educational agency may renew or reinstate their license by submitting to the
Office of Professional Licensure, Department of Education, their individualized
renewal record and verification of points, including official student
transcripts of coursework taken at an accredited two-year or four-year college
or university.
J. I. Accrual of professional development points
shall be determined by criteria set forth by the Virginia Department of
Education.
K. J. Persons seeking license renewal as
teachers must demonstrate proficiency in the use of educational technology for
instruction.
L. K. Virginia school divisions and nonpublic
schools will recommend renewal of licenses using the renewal point system. The
renewal recommendation must include verification of demonstrated proficiency in
the use of educational technology for instruction.
M. L. Training in instructional methods tailored
to promote academic progress and effective preparation for the Standards of
Learning tests and end-of-grade assessments is required for licensure renewal.
N. M. If they have not already met the
requirement, persons seeking licensure renewal as teachers must complete study
in child abuse recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum
guidelines developed by the Board of Education in consultation with the
Department of Social Services that are relevant to the specific teacher
licensure routes.