Certification Alert
Attention Teachers: Remember that a Professional Education teaching certificate expires on July 1 of any given year and must be renewed prior to that date to avoid a district taking action against your employment. A district may only employ a teacher with a valid certificate and once your certificate expires and has not been renewed the district may terminate your employment. Without a valid teaching certificate you no longer can invoke your rights under the Tenure Act.
A teacher is responsible for maintaining the validity of a teaching certificate. The date of expiration appears on the face of a certificate so take time to know that date. It is not the responsibility of the district or the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to notify the teacher of an impending expiration date.
Teachers with a Provisional teaching certificate with 3 years of successful teaching experience and who have earned at least 18 semester credits in a planned program are encouraged to advance to the Professional Education teaching certificate prior to July 1, 2009 in order to avoid taking an additional 3 semester credit course in reading. Applications to request a university or college to recommend you to the MDE must be received by the certification officer of the institution prior to July 1, 2009. Similarly, if you will be applying directly to the MDE (in the case of completing credits through an out-of-state institution) the application will need to be postmarked prior to July 1, 2009.
Teachers holding a Provisional Teaching certificate who cannot advance in certification prior to July 1, 2009 will need to take a 3 semester credit course in the diagnosis and remediation of reading difficulties as a condition of advancing to the Professional Education teaching certificate. All Michigan teacher preparation institutions are prepared to offer an approved course, however, you will need to work closely with an out-of-state institution to be assured of meeting this requirement prior to applying to advance in certification.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Frank Ciloski at 1-800-292-1934 extension 6213.
Updated: March 25, 2009 11:11 AM