Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter



CAT Tracks for October 24, 2000
RECERTIFICATION UPDATE

Most of you have been wondering about the details of the new teacher certification process in Illinois. This is especially true of the 25 members of the CAT whose certificates expired this past June 30th. Specifically: "What do I have to do?" Finally, the basic structure has been finalized and Districts are being told to proceed. Accordingly, a special meeting of the Cairo Board of Education has been called for Wednesday, October 25th, at 6:15 p.m. for the purpose of convening our Local Professional Development Committee--the LPDC. So...hopefully we will be up and running in November.

The IEA held a training session for LPDC members, school administrators and board members last Wednesday night at the Marion Conference Center. Your team of Deborah Hammel, Dorice (De De) O'Shea, Suzan Partridge, and Ron Newell attended the training. The presenter was Dr. Susan Shea (IEA Staff Member, Chief Negotiator for IEA on the recertification process, and acclaimed recertification "GURU"). Although still a work in progress, Dr. Shea was able to provide clarification and insight into what needs to be done immediately to implement the new teacher certification process. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Be sure to keep documention of any professional activity completed! Only give the LPDC copies--YOU are responsible for providing documentation--NOT the LPDC! Accordingly, the IEA has provided folders for keeping said documentation. See Deborah, De De, Suzan, or Ron for a folder...and don't lose the folder!!!

  • Application for renewal of a certificate is made no sooner than September 1st and no later than March 1st of the final year of the certificate's validity...this is the reason for the emphasis of keeping your documentation safe! You could conceivably write your plan this year and complete the requirements of your plan this year...BUT you cannot apply for renewal until September 1, 2004!

I hope that this synopsis has been informative. Although long, it truly does provide only the highlights. In your handy-dandy IEA folder, you will find a copy of the training slides that provide addtional details. Your folder also contains a copy of the CRP form, an instruction sheet, and sample CRP's. There is additional information pertinent to recertification. And...if that is not enough...you can go to the IEA website and follow links to recertification information that is updated frequently. There you will find the complete Certificate Renewal Manual which includes all forms, samples, and formulas for conversion of CEU's and CPDU's--the basic units of credit that must be completed in order to renew your certificate. The address of the IEA website is www.ieanea.org or you can always go to the CAT website at www.geocities.com/cattracks.geo and find that link as well as others that might interest you.

Good luck to all of you as you venture forth upon uncharted waters. Although it appears a daunting challenge, you CAN get recertified by doing the same things that you have done in the past--you just have to keep documentation to prove how "professional" you are. In fact, many of us may surprise ourselves at how much we actually do to improve ourselves and keep current in our respective fields. And if the "positive approach" doesn't impress you, take comfort in the knowledge that it could have been a whole lot worse. We grumble each year when we see the dues increases, but without the efforts of the IEA in beating back the "opposition"...