The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce that on May 11, 2022, the State Board of Education voted in favor of final adoption of Rule Chapter 115: The Credentialing of Education Personnel. These changes come after more than two years of work with numerous stakeholders to ensure unnecessary barriers were removed, and that Maine continues to have well-prepared educators to work with students in our schools. The final version includes changes required by the Maine Legislature.
Some of the highlights of the new rule include:
- Praxis exams are no longer required. Instead of this specific requirement, an applicant for certification may choose to pass Praxis I, utilize a summative grade point average (gpa) of 3.0 for courses required for the certification, or submit a portfolio for review.
- References to the latest versions of professional standards for many certificates have been updated.
- Language was enhanced to include greater flexibilities with degrees, as well as work and academic experiences.
- Course requirements for human development as well as diversity-centered content related to today’s classroom have been added.
- Many updates to Career and Technical Education certificates and endorsements have been made.
- Some grade spans have been expanded to include pre-kindergarten.
- Greater flexibilities for international teachers and alternative education teachers have been added.
- Renewal requirements for some administrator certificates have been changed.
The new regulations will now be filed with the Maine Secretary of State and become effective 30 days after. The new rule will be posted here.
To assist in understanding the new regulations, the DOE is offering a webinar series, which will be recorded, for anyone in the field. Please see below for dates, topics, and a link to the webinars:
May 18 – New Ch. 115 Regulations: How Did We Get Here?
- This session will provide an overview of the processes and work completed over the past three years in relation to Ch. 115. If you have ever wondered how these decisions get made or what the process is to make changes, this is the session for you!
- 5-6pm
- Join Zoom Meeting- https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/89971174165?pwd=d3R3NDA4a1p2WHUySlNWN1c1TnpBQT09
May 25 – Overview of Chapter 115 Changes
- This session will highlight the most significant changes made to the regulations and how these changes impact current vs. new educators. If you have questions on how this impacts you, this is a great session to attend!
- 5-6pm
- Join Zoom Meeting- https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/89971174165?pwd=d3R3NDA4a1p2WHUySlNWN1c1TnpBQT09
June 8 – How to Best Support Educators Through the Certification Process
- This session is designed for Local Credentialing Committee (LCC) Support Chairs, but anyone is welcome to attend. Topics will include how to understand the evaluation letter and how to move from one certificate level to the next.
- 5-6pm
- Join Zoom Meeting- https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/89971174165?pwd=d3R3NDA4a1p2WHUySlNWN1c1TnpBQT09
The Certification Team is hard at work implementing the new changes and providing updated resources on the website www.maine.gov/doe/cert. The best way to reach the team is to email cert.doe@maine.gov.