What is the equity-based school practices requirement?
As part of the 100 clock hours for certificate renewal, teachers and administrators must complete clock hours, professional growth plans (PGPs), or credits focused on equity-based school practices aligned to the cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (CCDEI) standards. Teachers must complete 15 clock hours or the equivalent for certificate renewal, and administrators need to complete 10 clock hours or the equivalent.
Educators can meet the equity-based school practices certificate renewal requirement by maintaining a valid NBPTS National Board certificate.
Who needs to meet this renewal requirement?
Whether or not an educator must meet the equity renewal requirement is dependent upon the certificate(s) they hold, not on their job assignment.
Educators with residency, professional, initial, and continuing certificates in the following certificate roles must meet this requirement:
- Teachers: including teacher and CTE teacher certificates
- Administrator: principal, program administrator, CTE director, superintendent
This is not required for the following:
- Reissuance of updated residency certificates
- Issuance of initial superintendent certificates
- Moving from an initial to continuing, or from a residency to a professional certificate
When does this requirement need to be met? What if I do not meet the requirement?
The equity certificate renewal requirement needs to be met for renewal applications submitted beginning July 1, 2023. This means that June 30, 2024, is the first date that certificates not meeting this requirement will expire.
Renewal applications submitted prior to July 1, 2023, do not need to meet the equity requirement, even if they have an expiration date of June 30, 2024, or beyond.
If an educator does not meet all renewal requirements, then their certificate will expire. Educators may not serve in their role with an expired certificate.
Who can offer professional learning that meets the equity-based school practices and educational leadership requirements?
Professional learning must be provided by organizations designated by the Legislature.
What if I have both a teacher and an administrator certificate?
If you have a teacher certificate and a valid administrator certificate with an expiration date, and you are renewing a teacher certificate:
- You only need to meet the administrator certificate renewal requirement of 10 clock hours for equity, not the teacher requirement of 15 clock hours.
- You need to meet all other requirements of the certificate(s) you are applying to renew.
If you have a teacher certificate and a valid administrator certificate without an expiration date, or an expired administrator certificate, and you are renewing a teacher certificate:
- You need to meet the teacher certificate renewal requirement of 15 clock hours for equity, not the administrator requirement of 10 clock hours.
- You need to meet all other requirements of the certificate(s) you are applying to renew.
My school district is offering a professional learning day focused on CCDEI standards. Can I use this to meet the equity certificate renewal requirement?
School districts are required to offer a professional learning day focused on the CCDEI standards at least every other year, beginning with the 2021-22 school year. This is a new requirement set by the Legislature under SB 5044.
This professional learning under SB 5044 can be used to meet the equity certificate renewal requirement if it is aligned to the CCDEI standards, and clock hours or credits are issued by one of the organizations designated by the Legislature.
The educator will need to ensure that they earn enough equity-related clock hours or credits (15 clock hours for teachers, 10 for administrators) every five years in order to renew their certificate. The district offered professional learning alone may not be enough for certificate renewal, and the educator may need to seek additional professional learning.
The educator needs to maintain documentation, such as clock hour forms or transcripts, of this professional learning.
