Recertification for Alabama Teachers

<p>There are two options for recertification: continuation and reinstatement. A continuation occurs when a teacher with a valid certificate submits an application to maintain that certificate. In reinstatement, the teacher's certificate would have already expired and an application is being made to obtain a valid certificate. This article will focus on the continuation option, and as such the general requirements are shown below. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td>Certification Renewal Period </td><td>5 years</td></tr> <tr><td>Requirements for Renewal </td><td> Completion of experience, coursework and/or professional development; submission of required documents and a $30 application fee</td></tr> <tr><td>Alabama Average Salary (2018)* </td><td> $49,850 for elementary school teachers; $50,210 for middle school teachers, $51,180 for high school teachers*</td></tr> <tr><td>Estimated Job Growth, Nationwide (2016-2026)* </td><td>8% for kindergarten, middle school and high school teachers*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---GeneralRequirementsForRenewalOfACertificate">General Requirements for Renewal of a Certificate</h3> <p>In order to renew their certificates, educators must satisfy certain requirements with regards to course credit, clock hours of professional development, and professional education work experience. Options for meeting these requirements include: </p> <ul><li>Three years of experience and 50 hours of professional development </li><li>Three years of experience and three credit hours of coursework </li><li>Three credit hours of coursework and 50 hours of professional development </li><li>Six credit hours of coursework </li><li>100 hours of professional development </li><li>Board certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards </li></ul><h3 id="section---AcademicCourseCredit">Academic Course Credit</h3> <p>Course credit must be received from a regionally accredited college or university and must be earned in a certain type of program. These include a state-approved educator preparation program (either in the same teaching field or a different one), a course related to instruction or the teaching field, and a related doctoral program. </p> <h3 id="section---ProfessionalDevelopment">Professional Development</h3> <p>Any professional development courses and workshops that were undertaken must have been related to educational advancement in order to satisfy the requirements. Publications, course auditing, travel, presentations, student supervision, and book study will only be counted for up to 10 hours of a teacher's professional development clock hours, and college course credit will not be counted at all. </p> <h3 id="section---ProfessionalWorkExperience">Professional Work Experience</h3> <p>Professional education work experience is defined as full-time employment in specific facilities, such as a local public school, a parochial school, a regionally accredited college or university, or an Alabama charter school. This experience must be verified by the employer in order to be used for recertification. Working as an aide, intern, or substitute teacher will not count towards professional work experience. </p> <h3 id="section---GeneralApplicationProcess">General Application Process</h3> <p>The requirements necessary to apply for a continuation must be satisfied during the period within which the current certificate is valid. The application forms required for the continuation of an Alabama certificate can be downloaded from the Alabama State Department of Education website. These forms must be completed and submitted by mail. </p> <p>Applications sent via email or fax will not be accepted, but the fee can be paid online via the website. Once the completed applications, the non-refundable application fee of $30, a personal data page, and background clearance have been completed, the application for renewal will be reviewed.</p>