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	THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 Assistant Commissioner of Office of Teaching Initiatives
Date:	October 20, 2008
To:	District Superintendents; Superintendents of Schools; School Business Officials; Human Resources Officers; Career and Technical Education Coordinators; Regional Certification Officers
From:	Robert G. Bentley
Subject:	Career and Technical Education Teaching Positions

At the request of the Board of Regents, the Department established a work group to address concerns about potential shortages of career and technical education (CTE) teachers.  One of those concerns relates to the requirements for certification of career and technical education teachers. 

The work group has been studying this matter for several months.  As a result, we have identified a need for a more comprehensive process of working with school districts to ensure the early identification of the appropriate certification for specific CTE teaching assignments, and to expedite the certification of qualified candidates.

This memo describes a new process to allow the Office of Teaching Initiatives and school districts to share information more specifically to accomplish two objectives:

• Identification of the correct CTE certificate title for a given teaching assignment, and
  
  
• Certification of a potential hire for the position through expedited service.

We will be relying on the BOCES Regional Certification Officers (RCO) and district Human Resources Officers as the communications channel to reach the 700 school districts in New York State in this new process.  Attached is a form along with related documents for use by BOCES regional certification officers and district Human Resources Officers to request a determination from the Office of Teaching Initiatives on the appropriate certificate title for a given career and technical education teaching assignment.  This form will also serve as a request for expedited service if the district wishes the review of a potential hire’s certificate application. 
The Office of Teaching Initiatives will respond to these requests within two weeks, including requests for expedited service.   

By having a single point of contact either the RCO or the Human Resources Officer for a district and a prompt turn around on requests for information on the appropriate titles for career and technical education teaching assignments, we hope to avoid situations in which districts are forced to make teaching assignments before relevant certification issues are resolved.  Through timely and appropriate guidance regarding certification and potential options about which a school district may be unaware, we believe the number of teaching assignments filled by teachers without proper certification can be reduced.

If you should have any questions regarding the implementation of this new communications process, please contact Cathy Rekemeyer of the Office of Teaching Initiatives or me at (518) 474-4661.

Attachments

• Determination of Correct Career and Technical Education Title Form and Instructions

cc:       Johanna Duncan-Poitier
            Joseph P. Frey
            Cathy Rekemeyer
            Jean Stevens
            Howard Goldsmith
            Eric Suhr
            Barbara D. Meinert
            Linnea LoPresti
            Richard Gervais
            Walter Robinson
            Charles McCarthy   
            Jeffrey Evans