On Monday, January 9, 2006, the State Board of Education approved the following Licensure Endorsements for P-4 and 7-12 licensed teachers to teach in grades 5 and 6:
1)The modification of the present licensure endorsement for P-4 licensed teachers to teach in grades 5 and 6. This modification allows the coursework to be taken prior to the testing. However, both the coursework and the assessment are required for the endorsement and are required in order for the teacher to obtain the status of a Highly Qualified Teacher under No Child Left Behind.
2)A new licensure endorsement that allows 7-12 licensed teachers in secondary mathematics, both areas of secondary science, English or social studies to become endorsed to teach in that subject area in grades 5 and 6. Again, both the coursework and the assessment(s) are required for the endorsement and are required in order for the teacher to obtain the status of a Highly Qualified Teacher under No Child Left Behind.
The Additional Licensure Plans for both of these licensure endorsements are attached. On both plans a program of study, in the pedagogy of middle level education, is required as well as the content area assessment(s) for the particular subject area for the 7-12 teachers and the middle childhood context knowledge for the P-4 teachers.
At the present time there are eight institutions of higher education that have approved programs of study for the P-4 endorsement. Those institutions are: Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Harding University, Henderson State University, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Universtiy of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Central Arkansas and University of the Ozarks.
Any college/university which has an approved program of study for the P-4 endorsement and which submits an offical request from the Dean to offer the same coursework for the 7-12 endorsement will be approved. This request must be on college/university letterhead and submitted to the Office of Teacher Quality of the Arkansas Department of Education.
Colleges/universities currently not approved for this program of study are encouraged to apply.