STEM (Part-Time) Teaching Licenses: Rhode
Island
Hiring Policy
Analysis of Rhode Island's policies
Pathway for STEM professionals to teach part-time: Rhode Island offers two certificates that allow content-experts to teach; the Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificate and Expert Residency.
The Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificate allows content experts to assist teachers of record in the classroom at the request of a school district. The certificate is only available for secondary grades and all grade certificate areas (i.e., dance, theater, physical education and music). The state requires individuals with this certificate to exhibit distinct qualifications, which "may include demonstrated expertise in a professional field, significant recognitions and awards in a professional field, or exceptional contributions to a professional field." Those certified under this license cannot teach a classroom on their own.
Employment with this certificate is not restricted to teaching part-time, nor is it restricted to teaching only STEM subjects. This certificate is valid for one year and can be renewed.
The Expert Residency certificate is awarded to candidates who are pursuing a path to full certification and who demonstrate sufficient preparation in subject matter, administrative expertise, or other certificate area-specific requirements. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree, and an advanced degree is required for some certification areas.
Employment with this certificate is not restricted to part-time work, nor is it restricted to teaching only STEM subjects. The certificate is valid for one year and may be renewed up to three times.
Subject-matter test: Rhode Island does not require candidates for the Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificate to pass a subject-matter exam. The state requires Expert Residency candidates to meet differing requirements depending on the specific certification area sought, but these generally consist of a subject-matter test and a related major or equivalent coursework.
Induction support and evaluation systems: Rhode Island requires districts to develop a program of support to assist those with Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificates which includes observation, guidance, and evaluation of performance. Rhode Island does not explicitly require individuals with the Expert Residency Preliminary Certificate to have access to induction support or evaluation systems.
Other licensure requirements: Rhode Island does not set any other requirements for candidates for these two certificates.
Recommendations for Rhode Island
Offer a license that allows content experts to serve as part-time instructors who are responsible for their own classes.
Although Rhode Island allows Visiting Lecturers to assist in the classroom, these content experts should be able to teach in a classroom on their own rather than solely assisting classroom teachers. In addition, it is unclear whether the Expert Residency certificate serves as a vehicle for individuals with deep subject-area knowledge to teach a limited number of courses. It appears that this may be the intent of the license; however, state policy does not describe the conditions of employment, whether it is for part-time or full-time teaching.
Require applicants to pass a subject-matter test.
While it is commendable that Expert Residency candidates must pass subject-matter tests, Rhode Island should require the same of Visiting Lecturer candidates. While documentation of "distinct qualifications" provided by Visiting Lecturer applicants may show evidence of expertise in a particular field, only a subject-matter test ensures that Visiting Lecturers know the specific content they will need to teach.
State response to our analysis
Rhode Island was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.
The state also indicated that the Expert Residency and Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificates were created with varying intentions. The Expert Residency certificate may serve as an entry point into the workforce for nontraditional individuals. This certificate would allow an individual to attain a position as a teacher of record within a specific certificate area in Rhode Island. The Visiting Lecturer is intended for individuals who do not plan to become fully certified. The Visiting Lecturer Preliminary Certificate is intended to allow for individuals with distinct qualifications to enhance or supplement the educational programming. A Visiting Lecturer will never serve as an educator of record and has not demonstrated content competency by meeting the certification-testing requirements.
Updated: December 2017
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Research rationale
Part-time licenses
can help alleviate severe shortages, especially in STEM subjects.
Some of the subject areas in which states face the greatest
teacher shortages are also areas that require the deepest subject-matter
expertise. Staffing shortages are
further exacerbated because schools or districts may not have high enough
enrollments to necessitate full-time positions.
Part-time licenses can be a creative mechanism to get content experts to
teach a limited number of courses. Of
course, a fully licensed teacher is best, but when that isn't an option, a
part-time license allows students to benefit from content experts—individuals
who are not interested in a full-time teaching position and are thus unlikely to
pursue traditional or alternative certification. States should limit requirements for part-time licenses to
those that verify subject-matter knowledge and address public safety, such as
background checks.
Part-Time Teaching Licenses: Supporting Research
The origin of this goal is the effort to find
creative solutions to the STEM crisis. While teaching waivers are not typically
used this way, teaching waivers could be used to allow competent
professionals from outside of education to be hired as part-time instructors to
teach courses such as Advanced Placement chemistry or calculus as long as the
instructor demonstrates content knowledge on a rigorous test. See NCTQ, "Tackling the STEM Crisis: Five steps your state can take to improve the quality and quantity of its K-12 math and science teachers", at: http://www.nctq.org/p/docs/nctq_nmsi_stem_initiative.pdf.
For
the importance of teachers' general academic ability, see R. Ferguson,
"Paying for Public Education: New Evidence on How and Why Money
Matters," Harvard Journal on Legislation,Volume 28, Summer 1991, pp. 465-498.
For
more on math and science content knowledge, see D. Monk, "Subject Area Preparation of Secondary Mathematics and Science Teachers and Student Achievement," Economics of Education Review, Volume 13, No. 2, June 1994, pp. 125-145; R. Murnane, "Understanding the Sources of Teaching Competence: Choices, Skills, and the Limits of Training," Teachers
College Record, Volume 84, No. 3, 1983, pp. 564-569.