Educator Licensing June 2007 Newsletter
Educator Licensing June 2007 Newsletter
Please share this information with appropriate district personnel and feel free to contact us at mde.educator-licensing@state.mn.us with your suggestions, questions or requested topics for future emails. Please note there will not be a newsletter for the months of July and August. Have a great summer and see you in September!
This newsletter contains information regarding the following:
1. Licensure via Portfolio
2. Updated Praxis Project
3. Chinese Bridge Delegation
4. Disclaimer on Minnesota License
5. Online Renewal
1. LICENSURE VIA PORTFOLIO
Notice: Change in Procedure
Effective October 1, 2007, all Licensure via Portfolio candidates who are recommended for a teaching license by the Minnesota Board of Teaching and Minnesota Department of Education, Educator Licensing, will need to pass teacher testing requirements before applying for a license. Licensure via Portfolio candidates with a Notice of Intent submitted prior to October 1, 2007, who have not met teacher testing requirements, will be issued a one-year license with the renewal condition that test requirements must be met to renew.
LICENSURE VIA PORTFOLIO WORKSHOP
The Minnesota Department of Education Educator Licensing Division and the Minnesota Board of Teaching will be providing Licensure via Portfolio workshops for individuals interested in learning more about Licensure via Portfolio.
Upcoming Licensure via Portfolio Workshops:
§ June 6, 2007, Swenson House, Thief River Falls
§ June 7, 2007, Department of Education from 9:00 a.m. to Noon
§ July 12, 2007, Department of Education from 9:00 a.m. to Noon
Registration materials are available at:
http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Teacher_Support/Educator_Licensing/Licensure_Via_Portfolio/index.html or contact Jan Kellner at 651-582-8383 or Jan.Kellner@state.mn.us.
PORTFOLIO PROFILE: Michelle Canto
Michelle added Communication Arts and Literature 5-8 to her Minnesota teaching license through Licensure via Portfolio while learning something about herself in the process.
During the summer of 2004, I moved from California to Minnesota for my graduate studies at the University of Minnesota. As I progressed through my program I decided that I would like to continue to live here and teach when I am finished. My problem was that my California teaching license did not transfer as I had hoped and I was only able to get a license for teaching at the elementary level; therefore, I was unable to teach middle school Language Arts as I had done in California for the past five years. Since teaching at the middle level is the best fit for me, I decided to use my knowledge and experience to apply for the License via Portfolio and soon contacted the Minnesota Department of Education for support.
I began the project during the fall of 2005 by downloading and reading through all of the forms and regulations. I also met with the Alternative Assessment Specialist who proved to be a valuable resource and support. I made two worthwhile trips to the Department of Education office to meet with her and look through examples kept from previous applicants. Between the models and guidance available I determined what my portfolio should look like.
It took countless hours gathering and writing. There were times that I felt like throwing in the towel, but I hung in there and plugged away at the task. I enlisted the help of my teenage son and even my mother when she came to visit. I organized and reorganized as I added and removed pieces of evidence, making sure I had included the best of what I had to offer. In the end, I finished two 4” notebooks that were color-coded and full of work samples, evaluations and graduate school papers and projects that demonstrated my professional accomplishments and proved my value as a potential teacher in Minnesota schools. The hours spent at the computer, the local copy center and hunched over my kitchen table putting this together paid off.
Yes, I earned my license but the process also reminded me about all of my hard work and commitment to my students. While I believe that I am not done learning about literacy or about teaching it and I have areas of continued growth to look forward to, I recognized myself as the professional that I am. Seeing examples of my hard work over the past seven years reinforced the passion I have for teaching middle school students. That reminder made all of the time and effort worthwhile.
2. UPDATED PRAXIS PROJECT INFORMATION AND NEW DEADLINE DATES
MDE is sponsoring a one-time opportunity for certain special education teachers, who must become highly qualified in a core area, to take a PRAXIS II content exam. To be eligible, candidates must complete and submit registration materials according to specific procedures within the timelines stated below. In addition, Minnesota teacher preparation institutions and school districts/charter schools submit information about respective candidates’ educational or employment status.
MDE Deadline Dates: Exam Dates:
June 25, 2007 August 4, 2007
July 16, 2007 September 8, 2007
September 24, 2007 November 17, 2007
November 16, 2007 January 12, 2008
January 28, 2008 March 15, 2008
Details about the PRAXIS Project are provided on the Educator Licensing Web page at:
http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Teacher_Support/Educator_Licensing/index.html
Registration, verification documents, and questions should be directed to Jodie Witte at 651-582-8867 or jodie.witte@state.mn.us.
3. 2007 CHINESE BRIDGE DELEGATION
Commissioner Alice Seagren would like to congratulate the following individuals on being selected to be members of the 2007 Chinese Bridge Delegation to China as guests of Hanban (Office of Chinese Language Council International):
Omoyefe Agbamu, Highland Park Senior High School
Theresa Battle, Highland Park Junior High School
Joan Brzezinski, University of Minnesota China Center
Dale Carlson, St. Michael/Albertville High School
Edward Crawford, Denfeld High School
Rhonda Dean, Wayzata High School
Tim Dorway, Mayo High School
Mary Mackbee, Central High School
Todd Meyer, Nicollet School District
Mark Miley, Willmark Junior High School
Connie Nicholson, Roseville Area High School
Alan Root, Albert Lea High School
John Rutten, Perham High School
Pat Schmidt, Hopkins High School
Julie Swaggert, Buffalo Community Middle School
Delegation members will have the chance to visit schools in Beijing and other regional cities, make contacts to help their Chinese language program and visit historic and cultural sites. The delegation will travel to China at the end of June.
4. DISCLAIMER ON MINNESOTA LICENSE
The statement about the pending criminal background check is printed on all initial licenses. If there should be a concern with the result of the criminal background check, the licensee will be notified by the Board of Teaching immediately. This notification verifies that Educator Licensing has reviewed and printed the license before the background check was completed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. A new license is not reprinted at this time of the completion of the background check. When the license is renewed, the statement is removed.
5. ONLINE RENEWAL
Our office has received many inquires the past few weeks regarding the “serial” number that is required in order to apply online. To enter the online site, a file folder number and the first six digits of the serial number from the most recently issued Minnesota license is required. The serial number is located in the middle of the license.
MDE E-mail Updates