Teachers seeking certification in Missouri will be meeting new requirements after a State Board of Education vote Tuesday. The proposed rule changes were presented to the Board after a period of public feedback that ended Jan. 1.

Teachers, school administrators, and representatives from higher education, professional organizations, the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators, the Department and members of the Missouri General Assembly provided feedback through the public comment period. Much of the feedback pertained to early childhood education, with more than 40 percent of the comments focused in that area. The rest of the nearly 700 comments were spread over other aspects of certification. 

“This is an important step toward meeting the Top 10 by 20 goal of preparing, developing and supporting effective educators,” said Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro. “As educator preparation and certification improves, our teachers will have the tools they need to help our children succeed.”

The new requirements for certification are scheduled to go into effect August 1, 2017. The Office of Educator Quality will work with the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators and other key stakeholder groups to complete any final revisions on rules language prior to the requirements going into effect. The Office of Educator Quality will also assist institutions of higher education regarding implementation of the new certification requirements.