Help for school districts apply for a temporary authorization certificate

The Temporary Authorization Certificate (TAC) does not include the areas of elementary education (1-6); early childhood (B-3); or early childhood special education (B-3).  Applicants for the areas of driver’s education, English for speakers of other languages, gifted and special reading must hold a certificate of license to teach or must seek a certificate of license to teach in a stand-alone area.

Before applying for a TAC for an individual, the school district should ensure that the applicant:

• has a bachelor’s degree in the subject area to be taught or a closely related field, and
  
• has a grade point average of  2.5 or higher, on a 4.0 scale, both in content area and overall.

When applying for a TAC for an individual who does not hold a valid professional Missouri teaching certificate, the school district and applicant should:

1. Submit a Temporary Authorization Certificate joint application
2. Submit official transcripts of all coursework (undergraduate and graduate), and
3. A criminal background check must be completed within the past twelve months. 

    

The Temporary Authorization Certificate may be renewed by:

1. submitting a TAC joint application.  On the application, the school district will verify that the certificate holder has:
   1. successfully completed a yearly Performance Based Teacher Evaluation, and
      
   2. participated in a yearly mentoring program; and
2. submitting with the first renewal, copies of the Praxis II assessments scores:
   1. content knowledge or specialty area assessment; and
      
   2. principles of learning and teaching, 7-12 (Praxis not required for currently certified teachers).
      

Failure to achieve the Missouri qualifying score on either of these assessments should be used by the certificate holder as means to identify priority classes for further study.

3. submitting an official transcript(s) that shows completion of at least nine semester hours of coursework toward meeting the required competencies for a professional certificate of license to teach in the area of assignment.

Course work in education, not to exceed 24 credit hours, for any temporary authorization certificate (excluding an administrator's and/or special education temporary certificates) is to include competencies in:

1. psychology of the exceptional child;
   
2. behavioral management techniques;
   
3. measurement and evaluation;
   
4. teaching methods/instructional strategies;
   
5. methods of teaching reading at the appropriate level;
   
6. developmental psychology at the appropriate level; and
   
7. beginning teacher assistance.

Course work in education, not to exceed 29 credit hours, for a special education temporary authorization certificate is to include competencies in:

1. psychology of the exceptional child;
   
2. behavioral management techniques;
   
3. evaluation of abilities and achievement (to include intelligence testing);
   
4. introduction to cross-categorical disabilities;
   
5. methods of teaching students with cross-categorical disabilities;
   
6. methods of teaching reading:
   1. reading methods; and
      
   2. analysis and correction of reading disabilities; and
7. methods of teaching mathematics:
   1. mathematics methods; and
      
   2. methods of teaching remedial mathematics; and
8. counseling techniques