Licensure Requirements

Related to Renewal and Advancement of Licensure from PED Regulation 6.69.4 Performance Evaluation System Requirements for Teachers

6.69.4.8 Requirements

E. Except as provided in subsection F of this section, in order for a teacher to advance from licensure level I to level II and from licensure level II to level III-A a teacher who applies for licensure after June 30, 2004 must successfully meet the requirements of the state's high objective uniform standard of evaluation as provided in 6.69.4.11 NMAC.

F. Those teachers who are in the third year of a level I license in the 2003-2004 school year may advance to level II through the rules in place prior to the adoption of this rule by the local superintendent verifying that the teacher has met the nine essential competencies required for renewal of licensure by June 30, 2004.

G. Those teachers who hold a level II license in the 2003-2004 school year may advance to level III-A through the rules in place prior to the adoption of this rule by the local superintendent verifying that the teacher has met the nine essential competencies required for renewal of licensure by June 30, 2004.

H. On the effective date of this rule, teachers holding level I, level II, or level III licenses will continue to hold those licenses at the same level and shall meet the requirements for their level of licensure as provided in 6.69.4.12 NMAC by September 1, 2006, as established through local annual evaluations.

6.69.4.11 Implementation of the High Objective Uniform Standards of Evaluation for Advancement to Level II or Level III Licensure

A. No later than April 1, 2004, each school district shall submit for approval to the department, policies, guidelines, and procedures for teacher performance evaluation for licensure advancement that meet the requirements of this regulation. The licensure advancement plan will be combined with the annual evaluation plan provided in Subsection A of 6.69.4.9 NMAC to form an overall system for teacher evaluation and support.

B. With the adoption of this rule by the state board, the minimum salaries associated with licensure levels provided in Chapter 22, Article 10A, NMSA 1978 shall become effective.

C. The teacher shall develop and submit a professional development dossier (PDD) according to the following schedule:

1. If advancing to level II, during the third year at level I
2. if advancing to level III, no earlier than the third year at level II

D. The PDD shall include:

1. Evidence of competence that has been collected over a three-year period, including the year the PDD is being developed
2. Evidence in the following format that demonstrates how the teacher meets the state board's nine teacher competencies and indicators for the level of licensure to which the teacher is advancing. Evidence that demonstrates how the teacher meets competencies related to an:
   • (a) Instruction strand (competencies 1, 2, 5)
   • (b) Student learning strand (competencies 3, 4, 6, and 7)
   • (c) Professional learning strand (competencies 8 and 9)
3. Evidence from an evaluation strand that includes the teacher's annual evaluations from at least the two years prior to the application for advancement and the superintendent's recommendation for advancement to the next licensure level.
4. A verification strand that includes:
   • (a) For a level I teacher advancing to level II:
     • (i) Verification of participation in a district's formal mentorship program
     • (ii) Verification of three years successful teaching experience at level I
     • (iii) Verification by the superintendent that the work product in the dossier is that of the teacher and that the data submitted is accurate.
   • (b) For a level II teacher advancing to level IIIA:
     • (i) Verification of a post baccalaureate degree or national board professional teaching certification
     • (ii) Verification of a minimum three years of successful teaching experience at level II
     • (iii) Verification by the superintendent that the work product in the dossier is that of the teacher and that the data submitted is accurate.

E. Evidence in the PDD competency strands:

1. The instruction strand shall include evidence of:
   • (a) Student achievement data
   • (b) Assessment techniques and procedures
   • (c) Instructional plans and materials
   • (d) Examples of student work and performance
   • (e) Eevidence of implementation of state curriculum standards
2. The student learning strand shall include mandatory evidence and may include optional evidence as follows:
   • (a) The student learning strand shall include evidence of:
     • (i) Adaptations/modification for diverse learners
     • (ii) Evidence of effective classroom management strategies and procedures
     • (iii) Classroom observation reports
     • (iv) Evidence of communication with students and parents.
   • (b) The student learning strand may include evidence in the form of:
     • (i) Student surveys; and/or
     • (ii) Video tapes with reflections/analysis.
3. The professional learning strand shall include evidence of at least one of the following:
   • (a) Professional development activities associated with the teachers annual professional development plan (PDP); or
   • (b) Evidence of collaborating with professional community; or
   • (c) Parent surveys; or
   • (d) Research publications; or
   • (e) Professional presentations.
4. Evidence comparable and equivalent to Paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) of Subsection E of this section may be developed through regionally accredited college or university programs or through certification by the national board of professional teaching standards (NBPTS).

F. The PDD shall be submitted to the state department of education (SDE) or its contractor by the teacher.

1. The PDD may be submitted electronically or in paper format. If submitted in paper format, the teacher must include two copies of the PDD.
2. The teacher will submit fees for processing and evaluation of the PDD as provided in Subsection C of 6.60.7.8 NMAC.

G. The PDD shall be evaluated and scored by the superintendent of the teacher's school district and by two external reviewers, as follows:

1. The superintendent will rate the verification and evaluation strands and the two external reviewers will rate the three competency strands as "exceeds standards," "meets standards" or "does not meet standards."
2. Each one of the five strands of a teacher's PDD must be rated as either "exceeds standards" or "meets standards" in order for the teacher to advance to the next higher level of licensure.
3. The superintendent and the reviewers will submit the scored PDD to the SDE or its contractor with their ratings.
4. SDE will evaluate the ratings of the superintendent and the external reviewers and approve or deny the teacher's application for licensure advancement:
   • (a) If one of the external reviewers rates one of the competency strands of the PDD as "exceeds standards" and the other external reviewer rates the same strand as "meets standards," the strand will be deemed passed.
   • (b) If one of the external reviewers rates one of the competency strands of the PDD as "does not meet standards" and the other rates the same strand as "exceeds standards," the finding will be that the candidate "meets standards" and the strand will be deemed passed.
   • (c) If one of the external reviewers rates one of the competency strands of the PDD as "does not meet standards" and the other rates the same strand as "meets standards," a third reviewer will resolve the discrepancy in order to determine if the strand will be passed.
   • (d) If both of the external reviewers rate the competency strand(s) of PDD the same, that rating will be their finding.

H. A candidate for level III-A licensure who is not successful in the PDD may continue to submit a new PDD once annually.

I. If a candidate for level III-A licensure meets or exceeds standards in one or some of the five strands, but not in all five, the teacher's score(s) of "meets standards" or "exceeds standards" may be retained for a period of two calendar years. Any resubmission of a PDD during that two-year period need only address those strands rated "does not meet standards" in order to determine a final passing score for all five strands for licensure advancement to level III-A.

Performance Evaluation Guidelines