Due to the restrictions placed by the Governor’s Executive Orders, all items are continued under the Commission’s COVID guidance:
COVID/LCA Misassignment Reporting;
COVID PDU Reductions;
Suspension of the Civil Rights exam; and
Continued flexibility for those completing their teacher preparation programs with regard to student teaching experiences, Restricted/Emergency Licensure and movement to the Preliminary license with acknowledgment of skill attainment by an employing district.
Detailed information about the available flexibility can be found on this webpage.
COVID/LCA Misassignment Reporting If your district has placed teachers in a teaching assignment for which they are not properly endorsed, the district report under the “Flexibility with Fidelity Guidance” was due to TSPC on October 31. No penalties will be imposed for submitting the report after October 31, but districts should be aware of the risks of permitting these misassignments without reporting them to TSPC.
COVID/PDU Reductions When the pandemic first hit in March of 2020, the Commission immediately moved to adopt temporary rule under the Governor’s Executive Order to reduce the PDUs required for renewal of a TSPC license by 12 PDUs. When the Executive Order was extended in September of 2020, the Commission added an additional reduction of 25 PDUs for those holding a license between September of 2020 and July of 2021. With PDU requirements varying between license types and reinstatement requirements, staff will give consideration for this reduction as long as the year 2027 for some license types. A chart describing the reduced PDU requirements can be found on the Commission’s COVID Guidance Webpage.
Please note that the COVID Guidance includes a suggestion that educator seek professional development opportunities to complete activities that will address these unique times, such as online instruction best practices and social/emotional supports for students.
COVID/Program Completion
As we near the end of the first half of the school year, some teachers that you hired under a Restricted or Emergency License may have met the requirements to move to their Preliminary License without submitting a new application and fee. If these candidates were lacking the student teaching or edTPA requirements, they may request that their evaluations or other documentation be forwarded to TSPC. Please submit these documents to contact.tspc@oregon.gov. They will not be accepted if they come directly from the educator.
Verification of PDUs
As of 12/1/2020, OREPDC (the consortium of ESDs for PDU verification) will no longer accept new requests to verify continuing PDUs for educators not employed by districts and holding licenses that require PDUs to renew. Applicants will now have an option to submit a PDU Log and Certificate directly to TSPC. Details are available on the TSPC Renewal Information webpage.
Question: Does this mean that districts and schools no longer need to include PDUs on the PEER form?
Answer: TSPC uses the PEER form for two purposes, verifying assignment/experience and PDU verification. Without the PEER form, TSPC will not have access to any employment information about educators. Employment data is valuable for consideration of moving to a Professional License, as well as consideration of waivers for licensure requirements and understanding the career of an educator. The Commission expects districts to continue involvement with educators’ professional development planning and completion, and to verify PDUs via the PEER form.
Restricted Substitute Licenses
Many districts report issues with finding substitute teachers to fill positions that last more than 10 consecutive days, limiting the use of the holders of a Restricted Substitute License. The 10-day limit exists in part to comply with ORS 342.610 which includes a requirement for minimum salary calculations for any substitute teacher employed for more than 10 consecutive days.
Additionally, local bargaining agreements may address substitute assignments in a manner different from the Commission’s policies. Because the PEER form is no longer required for those requesting reissuance of a Restricted Substitute License, the district must assess the risk of leaving the Restricted Substitute in a single assignment for more than the 10 days.
Coming Soon! Financial Assistance for Diverse Educators
Watch for a TSPC newsletter in the coming weeks with details about financial assistance available for diverse educators, including expenses for licensing requirements and scholarships for diverse educators interested in becoming a Principal or district leader.
Background Check "Cleared" Date
Scenario: Educator submitted an application and fee on 3/1/2020. The associated background check was cleared on 3/15/2020, and the license was issued through 6/30/2020. The educator submitted a new application, but the application has remained in Submitted status (i.e. the background check for the assignment related to this second application hasn’t been cleared). Is this educator eligible to begin the assignment under the 90 days (ORS 342.125)?
Response: Yes. If you see a background check date of 3 years or less in the eLicensing District Portal, then they are cleared, even if the application is still in Submitted status.
Waivers of Licensure Requirements
In cases where an applicant may not meet the Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) for a particular license, the Executive Director has authority to review the applicant’s qualifications and grant licensure through a waiver process. Two important points to remember about a licensure waiver request:
Only the educator can request a waiver, and must provide documentation to show how they meet the requirement in an alternative manner; and
Waivers can only be considered with an accompanying application and fee submitted through eLicensing.
Districts may provide supporting evidence from the district (e.g. evaluations that include content knowledge, curriculum standards review), but the applicant must make the request. Typical documentation used to successfully demonstrate alternative qualifications include PEER forms to demonstrate teaching experience in the content area, out-of-state licensure with an endorsement in the content, and academic preparation (transcripts).
eLicensing Updates
During the November 2020 Commission meeting, TSPC staff introduced the complete list of items to be completed by the eLicensing contractor to consider the system to be “finalized”. The list does not address all of eLicensing’s issues and constraints, but it will provide the agency with minimum functionality until a new system can be procured and implemented. Of most concern to districts will be TSPC staff’s ability to make corrections to licensure records that fail to display correctly.
A description of the complete “Punch List” can be found as part of the November Commission Meeting Agenda.
Telecommuting Continues
As long as the Governor’s Executive Orders remain in effect, the TSPC office remain closed to the public and most Licensure staff continue to telecommute and remain safe. Phone service is not available, but staff remains responsive to email communications. Just prior to Thanksgiving, to keep all employees safe, the office is completely shut down. US Post Office mail is collected each Tuesday morning and is scanned into files no later than the end of business on Wednesday. Using UPS, FedEx or other delivery options requiring someone to be present in the TSPC office may cause additional delays in processing.
TSPC Commission Meeting
The next full Commission meeting is February 4-5, 2021
Districts: Please contact your TSPC representative if you have questions about licenses for educators in your district.
Please note: Your TSPC representative’s email address and phone number are exclusively for district use and should not be distributed to educators. Educators must contact TSPC by email.
