TSPC is currently undergoing a transition to eLicensing 2.0. This newsletter is to provide an update on items of importance to school district personnel tracking the licensure of the district’s TSPC licensed educators. We sincerely appreciate your patience and cooperation during this transition.
Contacting TSPC
During the data migration and initial setup of eLicensing Version 2.0, agency licensing staff were unavailable by phone the weeks of April 15 and 22. Evaluators are available by email, but have been focused on preparing standardized messaging and work processes. Evaluators are available to respond to district emails, but keep in mind that they may or may not be able to respond to your questions until the data migration is complete.
The week of April 29, Public Service Representatives will be available between 7:30 and 11am, then again between 3 and 5pm.
Districts are encouraged to continue to email questions to their assigned Evaluator.
Issues with creating usernames, retrieving passwords and linking usernames to account can be sent to online.tspc@oregon.gov
Educators on Expiring Licenses
Educators with licenses expiring in the next 30 days
Educators are able to submit applications and pay licensing fees. If educators contact you and say they are experiencing problems with user names and passwords, please ask them to send an email to online.tspc@oregon.gov.
Resetting the Password: TSPC staff does not have access to passwords. Educators can select the Forgot Password link from the Login page. A link will be sent to the email address they created when they first logged into eLicensing. If the educator no longer has access to the email account, they should send an email to online.tspc@oregon.gov and request that the email be changed.
Educators who are unable to meet deadlines due to difficulties with eLicensing transition will not be penalized by TSPC in any way. Districts should work with TSPC if they have educators experiencing these difficulties.
Educators with licenses expiring 30 days from now or later
Please encourage educators to wait until May 15 to give us time to get all functions operating smoothly.
Public Educator Search
Educator Look-Up has been replaced by the Public Educator Search. You can search by TSPC account number, first name, or last name (or any combination). Depending on when the educator first logged into eLicensing and whether or not they were successful in linking their username to their existing TSPC account, the Account Number may be the TSPC number they’ve had for many years or a new eLicensing number. eLicensing numbers are six digits long and begin with a “5”. Anyone new to TSPC licensure after January 1, 2016 will have the six digit number beginning with a “5”.
For now, the search feature returns only current, active license records. Due to issues with data migration, historical data is not being displayed to the public. Effective Thursday, April 25, Public Search is showing the 120 grace period.
Printing Educator Licenses
The official record of licensure is the record viewable in the Public Search, districts no longer have access to view and print the actual license image. TSPC encourages districts to view the licensee’s information in the Public Search and print that information as proof of licensure. In future releases, eLicensing will provide educators the ability to print their active licenses by logging into their eLicensing account.
Program Completion Report (C2)
The Program Completion Report (C2 form) used by the Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) is under development and will not be available before mid-May. The EPPs have expressed that some recent graduates have immediate employment offers or would like to accept substitute teaching assignments.
If a district is hiring a recent graduate into a position through the end of this school year, the district may wish to contact EPPs to verify program completion during this transition time.
Background Clearance Dates and Sponsor Module Setup
Senate Bill 205 (2017) gave districts the ability to allow an educator to begin work prior to the issuance of their license, provided that the district and TSPC background checks were complete and clear. Several elements are part of TSPC's background check:
Fingerprinting (checks Oregon and FBI criminal records)
LEDS (Law Enforcement Data System, the Oregon State Police database)
Responses to Character Questions
A check against the National Clearinghouse hosted by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
For applicants from outside of Oregon, an internet search
Prior to the launch of eLicensing, districts could only view the date TSPC received the fingerprint results from the Oregon State Police and FBI checks. eLicensing will provide the date that the entire background check is completed, not just the fingerprinting date. Fingerprinting alone is not a complete background check to meet the provisions of Senate Bill 205 (2017).
Background clearance dates will be available to districts and EPPs through the Sponsor Module. In the coming weeks, the Evaluators will contact districts with instructions on how to request their eLicensing accounts. Once the Account setup is complete, districts and EPPs will have access to the Background Clearance date. Educators applying on or after April 10, 2019, will receive an email stating that their background check is complete.
The migration of the FBI and Oregon State Police records is causing some of the delay in issuing licenses, so background checks may take longer than they have in the past. Resolving this issue is at the top of the list. It is preventing applications from moving through work queues and our ability to issue licenses.
Comments About Implementation?
Executive Director Dr. Rosilez appreciates any feedback you might have regarding the transition to our new eLicensing system, including challenges your district may be experiencing in this rollout. You may send comments to him at ExecutiveDirector.TSPC@Oregon.gov
This newsletter is intended to provide general information only. Please refer to Chapter 584 of the Oregon Administrative Rules for specific rules and regulations governing educator licensure in Oregon.
