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Michigan Certification Update
New laws have been passed that will affect teacher certification in Michigan. The changes reported here are not all-inclusive. Only changes that directly affect advancement to the Professional Certificate and renewal of the Provisional and Professional Certificates and are addressed here. All changes become effective September 1, 2013. Until that time, current rules and requirements apply.
For complete information, please see Facts on Educator Certification in Michigan (on the Michigan Department of Education website), the Provisional Renewal Timeline and the Professional Renewal Timeline.
Effective September 1, 2013:
Initial Provisional Certificate
- Valid for a period of 6 years
- All certificates expire 6 years from June 30 of the calendar year in which the certificate was issued.
First Renewal of the Provisional Certificate
- Valid for a period of 3 years
- All certificates expire 3 years from June 30 of the calendar year in which the certificate was issued.
- Requires completion of at least one of the following since the issuance of the initial certificate and within three years prior to application:
- Six semester credit hours in a planned program at an approved teacher preparation institution or an approved college or university;
- 180 State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs) appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate, or
- A combination of semester credit hours and SCECHs (30 clock hours of state continuing education are equivalent to 1 semester credit hour
Second Renewal of the Provisional Certificate
- Valid for a period of 3 years
- All certificates expire 3 years from June 30 of the calendar year in which the certificate was issued.
- Requires completion of at least one of the following since the issuance of the first renewal and within three years prior to application:
- Six semester credit hours in a planned program at an approved teacher preparation institution or an approved college or university;
- 180 SCECHs appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate; or
- A combination of semester credit hours and SCECHs (30 clock hours of state continuing education are equivalent to 1 semester credit hour)
Third Renewal of the Provisional Certificate
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An additional 3-year renewal may be granted if all academic requirements for the Professional Certificate have been completed. An employing Michigan school district or nonpublic school must sponsor a teacher for a third renewal. Third renewals of the Provisional Certificate are not available for substitute teaching or for applicants who have already met Professional Education Certificate requirements.
Professional Education Certificate
- All initial Professional Education certificates expire 5 years from June 30 of the calendar year in which the certificate was issued.
- A Professional Education Certificate may be issued to an applicant who presents evidence that he or she has completed:
- At least 3 years of successful teaching experience;
- A State-approved 3 semester credit course in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction, including field experiences (the approved course at MSU is TE 846); and
- At least one of the following since the issuance of the initial certificate or last renewal and within five years prior to application:
- Six semester credit hours in a planned program at an approved teacher preparation institution or an approved college or university (this can include the reading course if taken within the past five years);
- 180 SCECHs appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate;
- 180 annual District Provided Professional Development (DPPD) hours appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate; or
- A combination of semester credit hours, SCECHs (30 clock hours of state continuing education hours are equivalent to 1 semester credit hour), and/or DPPD hours (30 clock hours of annual district provided professional development is equivalent to 1 semester credit hour)
Renewal of the Professional Education Certificate
- To renew, a person shall apply to the superintendent of public instruction and shall verify completion of the renewal requirement.
- All Professional Education Certificate renewals expire 5 years from June 30 of the calendar year in which they were issued.
- To renew the Professional Certificate one of the following must be completed:
- Six semester credit hours in a planned program at an approved teacher preparation institution or six semester credit hours of academic credit appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate at any approved college or university;
- 180 clock hours of state continuing education in approved professional development activities appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate;
- Annual district provided professional development completed through professional development programs that are appropriate to the grade level and content endorsement(s) of the certificate; or
- A combination of semester credit hours, state continuing education hours (30 clock hours of state continuing education hours are equivalent to 1 semester credit hour), or district provided annual professional development (30 clock hours of annual district provided professional development is equivalent to 1 semester credit hour or 30 clock hours of state continuing education) that equals 6 semester hours.
- Additional semester credit hours beyond the required 6 or the equivalent in state continuing education hours earned during any certificate validity span shall not be applied toward any
subsequent renewals.
Advanced Professional Education Certificate (optional)
- The applicant must:
- Hold the Professional Certificate,
- Hold national board certification or have completed an approved teacher leader training preparation program, and
- Have received five consecutive ratings of "effective" or "highly effective" in the most recent 5-year period.
