Sec.10-145d-400. Definitions

As used in Sections 10-145d-400 through 10-145d-619, inclusive:

(a) "Adult Education Authorization" means an authorization issued for a period of one year to an adult educator who meets requirements of Sections 10-145d-594, 10-145d-599 or 10-145d-604 except for fulfilling the assessment requirements in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 10-145d-404.

(b) "Alternate Route to Certification Program" means a program of classroom management and instructional methodology.

(c) "Appropriate certificate" means a certificate that the Department determines to be acceptable to serve in the endorsement area.

(d) "Approved CEU provider" means an organization, institution, Board, Board of Education, agency or company authorized to award CEUs for the purpose of continuation of the professional educator certificate.

(e) "Approved institution" means a higher education institution accredited by a regional association of colleges and schools recognized by the United States Secretary of Education or a Connecticut higher education institution accredited by the Board of Governors.

(f) "Approved nonpublic school" means a nonpublic school approved or accredited by the board or by the appropriate governing body in another state or a nationally recognized accrediting association, except that early childhood programs accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, within the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and Connecticut Birth to Three Programs approved by the Department of Mental Retardation shall be considered appropriate for purposes of teaching experience, field experience, internship, or student teaching.

(g) "Approved private special education facility" means a private special education facility approved by the Board.

(h) "Approved program" means a planned program of professional preparation completed at a regionally accredited higher education institution, which is state approved.

(i) "Assessment" means prior to January 1, 1995, CONNCEPT, CONNTENT, CONNECT or BEST; on January 1, 1995 and thereafter, PRAXIS I, PRAXIS II, CONNECT or BEST.

(j) "Beginning educator program" or "BEST" (Beginning Educator Support and Training Program) means such support and assessment program as may have been made available by the Board for holders of initial educator certificates, durational shortage area permits, and temporary 90-day certificates.

(k) "Bilingual" means the ability to read, write, speak and understand two languages fluently.

(l) "Board" means the Connecticut State Board of Education.

(m) "Board of education" means local and regional boards of education, or the appropriate governing bodies of regional educational service centers, unified school districts, cooperative arrangements established pursuant to Section 10-158a of the Connecticut general statutes, the regional vocational-technical school system, approved private special education facilities, and the Gilbert School, Norwich Free Academy and Woodstock Academy.

(n) "Board of Governors" means the Connecticut Board of Governors of Higher Education.

(o) "Certificate of eligibility" means a certificate issued to a person who meets all the preparation and eligibility requirements for an initial educator certificate, including assessment, if appropriate. The certificate of eligibility does not authorize service for a Board but verifies eligibility for an initial educator certificate.

(p) "CEU" means continuing education unit.

(q) "CEU equivalent" means credit awarded by an employing agent of a board of education, or the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee of the following state agencies: Education, Human Resources, Mental Retardation, Mental Health, Corrections and the Board of Education and Services for the Blind, to its employees for successful completion of professional development activities based on 10 contact hours of participation in a planned continuing education experience other than an activity granted CEU credit.

(r) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education.

(s) "Comprehensive high school" means any public secondary school except a vocational-technical school.

(t) "CONNCEPT" means, prior to January 1, 1995, the Connecticut Competency Examination for Prospective Teachers, or an equivalent reading, writing, and mathematics competency examination, as determined by the Board.

(u) "CONNECT" means Connecticut Elementary Certification Test or an appropriate elementary education subject area assessment, as determined by the Board.

(v) "CONNTENT" means, prior to January 1, 1995, subject knowledge, competency assessment, or an appropriate subject area assessment, as determined by the Board.

(w) "Contact hour" means 60 minutes of instruction or other involvement in a professional development experience, exclusive of activities not directly related to the instructional experience.

(x) "Continuation" means reissuance of a professional educator certificate.

(y) "Continuing education unit" means credit awarded by an approved CEU provider for successful completion of professional development activities based on 10 contact hours of participation.

(z) "Cooperative work education" means a program in vocational areas where students alternate between school and on-the-job training.

(aa) "Department" means the Connecticut State Department of Education.

(bb) "Diversified occupations" means a program that provides on-the-job training in multiple occupational areas not covered by existing vocational education programs in the school.

(cc) "Durational shortage area permit" means a permit issued on and after July 1, 1989, for a period of one year to serve in lieu of a certificate to a person who meets the requirements of Sections 10-145d-421 and 10-145d-422.

(dd) "Elementary academic subjects" means all subjects taught in elementary schools except those requiring special subject certificates.

(ee) "Employing agent" means the chief executive officer or other official authorized by the chief executive officer of a board of education, or supervising authority of an approved nonpublic school, out-of-state school or nonpublic school approved by the appropriate governing body in another state.

(ff) "Equivalent" means qualifications determined by the Department to be reasonably comparable to those specifically listed as required for certification.

(gg) "Experience" means appropriate professional or work activity that is prerequisite or pursuant to the issuance of a certificate which, except for the provisions of Section 10-145d-414 of these regulations, shall be accepted in accordance with the following: more than half time of what constitutes a full assignment as defined by the employing agent shall be deemed to constitute full time and half time or less shall be deemed to constitute half time.

(hh) "Extension" means issuance of a certificate to complete specific requirements as defined in subsections (b), (i), (j) or (k) of Section 10-145d-427 and Section 10-145d-615.

(ii) "Full time" means a teacher's employment in a position for more than half of what constitutes a full assignment as defined by the employing agent, except that for purposes of adult education instruction in accordance with Sections 10-145d-592 through 10-145d-606, inclusive, full time means a teacher's employment in an adult education program for a minimum of 360 student contact hours per year.

(jj) "General conditions" means applicable requirements generic to all types of certificates described in Sections 10-145d-401 to 10-145d-408, inclusive.

(kk) "Initial educator certificate" means a license to teach issued on and after July 1, 1989, to a person who has successfully met the preparation and eligibility requirements specified by the Board for entrance into a beginning educator program, as appropriate, and who has met the requirements of Section 10-145d-412.

(ll) "Interim educator certificate" means a license to teach issued to a person who has met the requirements of Section 10-145d-412, Section 10-145d-413, Section 10-145d-415 and Section 10-145d-417, as appropriate.

(mm) "Long-Term Substitute" means a person serving in the employ of a board of education in the same assignment for more than 40 school days.

(nn) "Marketing education" means a program that prepares students for employment in occupations concerned with the distribution, marketing and sale of goods.

(oo) "Noncredit mandated programs" means General Educational Development (GED) and the Adult Basic Education (ABE).

(pp) "Part time" means a teacher's employment in a position half time or less of what constitutes a full assignment as defined by the employing agent, except that for purposes of adult education instruction in accordance with Sections 10-145d-592 through 10-145d-606, inclusive, part time means a teacher's employment in an adult education program for less than 360 student contact hours per school year. Part time experience shall be deemed to be equivalent to half time.

(qq) "Permanent teaching certificate" means a license to teach issued prior to November 1, 1960. This certificate shall no longer be valid after July 1, 1989, except for a substitute teacher authorization or a coaching permit.

(rr) "Practicum" means supervised field or clinical training in an educationally suitable placement as determined by an approved institution.

(ss) "PRAXIS I" means, on or after January 1, 1995, the state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination or an equivalent, as determined by the board.

(tt) "PRAXIS II" means, on or after January 1, 1995, subject knowledge, competency assessment, or an appropriate subject area assessment, as determined by the board.

(uu) "Professional Education" means courses taken under the auspices of an education department of an approved institution or courses accepted by the education department of an approved institution as being equivalent to those offered at the education department of an approved institution.

(vv) "Professional educator certificate" means a license to teach, issued on and after July 1, 1989, to a person who has met the requirements of Section 10-145d-417.

(ww) "Provisional educator certificate" means a license to teach issued on and after July 1, 1989, to a person who has met the requirements of Section 10-145d-415.

(xx) "Provisional teaching certificate" means a license to teach issued prior to July 1, 1989.

(yy) "Regionally accredited" means accredited by a regional association of colleges and schools recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.

(zz) "School month" means any month or part of a month in which school is in session, which would include, where appropriate, summer school.

(aaa) "School year" means September 1 to August 31.

(bbb) "Secondary academic subjects" means those subjects taught at the secondary level, including business, English, foreign languages, history and social studies, mathematics and science.

(ccc) "Standard teaching certificate" means a license to teach issued prior to July 1, 1989. This certificate shall no longer be valid after July 1, 1989, except for a substitute teacher authorization or a coaching permit.

(ddd) "State Department of Education" means the Connecticut State Department of Education.

(eee) "State education agency" means the state agency legally charged with the responsibility for elementary and secondary education in the public schools of a state.

(fff) "Student teaching" means supervised full day practice teaching, with a trained cooperating teacher, as part of a teacher preparation program in a school setting of 10 or more weeks, following the completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit in professional education in a teacher preparation program.

(ggg) "Successful teaching or service" means successful full time professional educational experience or its equivalent, as determined by the employing agent, as a teacher, administrator or special service staff member.

(hhh) "Summative evaluation" means that formal evaluation which is made by an individual, taking into account various components of formative evaluation data such as peer and supervisory observations.

(iii) "Technology education" means a program to provide an understanding of technology as it relates to the areas of construction, transportation, communication and manufacturing.

(jjj) "Temporary 90-day certificate" means a certificate to teach issued on and after July 1, 1988, and valid for 90 school days, to a person who has met the requirements of Section 10-145d-414.

(kkk) "Trade and industrial occupational subjects in comprehensive high schools" means a program for entry-level occupations in skilled trades areas.

(lll) "Year" means 12 consecutive months.

(Effective July 1, 1995; Amended July 1, 2003)