An individual with a Provisional Certificate must complete eighteen semester hours after the issuance of their Provisional certificate in an approved planned program. However, if the person has an "approved" master's or higher degree, regardless of when earned, is not required to complete the eighteen semester hour program.
Planned program routes:
Restrictions:
The candidate must have taught successfully for the equivalent of three years, following the issuance of their Provisional Certificate and within the validity of their grade-level and subject area. The success of the teaching experience is determined by the State Board of Education upon recommendation of the University and of the local school district(s) in which the candidate taught.
Experience can be accumulated through part-time, including substitute teaching, under the following prorating formula: one half or more of a teaching day (2 and l/2 or more clock hours) is the equivalent to one day, and 150 accumulated days is the equivalent of one year. However, but not more than 1 year of employment can be earned during a calendar year and only one day of employment can be earned during a calendar day. There is no requirement that such experience be under contract, in consecutive years, or be completed in Michigan.
The teaching experience does not have to be completed before expiration of the Provisional certificate as it remains cumulative toward the Professional Certificate. It is not lost when the initial Provisional Certificate expires but rather like credit, it remains “in the bank” until you have the requirements necessary to go from Provisional to Professional.
Types of teaching experience that may be accepted:
- All public, private, or parochial school teaching at grade levels and in subjects endorsed on certificate
- Guidance and Counseling, but only if certified
- Most administrative positions in schools such as Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Curriculum Directors or Coordinators
- Community School Director if MA or appropriate coursework in this area
- Community Ed. or Adult Ed. teaching if teaching high school completion courses and in some cases General or Basic Education courses. Most of these cases are determined on their individual merits
- Peace Corps, but only if it is a teaching position for areas in which one is certified to teach
- Nursery and Pre-School teaching only if the school is licensed by the State Department of Social Services or part of a public institution’s program
- Federal title programs but only if the position is definitely a teaching position.
Types of teaching experience that are not acceptable:
- Any experience not listed above
- Community college, junior college or college teaching
- Private tutoring
- Any position designated as a TEACHER AIDE by the school system regardless of the duties performed
- School Social Worker unless the employer requires a teaching certificate for the position
- Paraprofessional Experience.
Reading Methods:New Reading Methods Requirement for Teachers (Public Act 118) - Effective Jun. 29, 2009, any teacher who does not yet have a Professional certificate is required to complete a three credit hour course of study, with appropriate field experiences, in diagnosis, remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction in order to qualify for a PROFESSIONAL certificate. LS 5160 Professional Symposium in Reading has been approved to meet this requirement.
Teachers who have a professional or continuing certificate are exempt from this requirement.
Teachers who completed their initial teacher education programs in Michigan before 1983 and those who completed their teacher education programs at an out-of-state institution need to provide verification that they have also completed the 1983 reading methods requirement, which is in addition to the new reading diagnostic law. This 1983 reading methods law requires Elementary teachers to have completed six credit hours of reading methods course work; Secondary teachers must have completed three credit hours, appropriate to their certification grade levels. A list of acceptable reading courses may be obtained from the Certification Office.
Advanced Renewal of the Professional or Occupational Certificate:
Persons receiving a Professional Certificate are required to renew that certificate every five years, using the MOECS website. In order to be eligible to renew the individual must complete 6 semester hours at any four-year or community college listed in the Directory of Michigan Institutions of Higher Education, or 18 State Board Continuing Education Units (SB-CEUs) or a combination of the two, with 3 SB-CEUs are equivalent to 1 semester hour of credit. Credits completed at approved out-of-state four-year teacher preparatory institutions are also acceptable. The semester credits or SB-CEUs must have been completed within the five year period preceding the date of application and after the date of issuance of the previous certificate.