Developing an Adult Basic Education Licensure Process for Massachusetts
The Certification Update is published by the ESE (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) in coordination with SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) in an effort to keep practitioners and interested parties apprised of the status of the ABE Certification. This, our second issue, is in an effort to address questions raised in response to the Interim Report released in October to Commissioner Driscoll and members of the State Legislature. Our hope is to open the lines of communication and to encourage feedback from the field. Your voice will be heard.
If you still have not read the Interim Report, we encourage you to do so. The report was mass-mailed to directors of programs and organizations across the Commonwealth and is also available on the ACLS Website, http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls. (The document is available in MS Word and in PDF format for use with Adobe reader.) We will also be conducting a "Roadshow" across the state in order to hear your reactions, answer questions, and give you the most up-to-date information on the status of the ABE Certification.
In general, the responses to the Interim Report were positive. Those who responded expressed their appreciation of the work that has gone into the process to date and are looking forward to the certification.
Questions and Answers
What follows are brief responses to key questions asked by ABE practitioners in response to the Interim Report.
Q: We've heard about ABE Certification for a long time. Is it ever really going to happen?
A: Yes. The Massachusetts legislature mandated that the Board of Education grant voluntary certification to teachers of adult basic education. Upon being granted, certification will be valid for five years and renewable every five years thereafter. Pending the ABE Certification Committee's approval, we hope to begin piloting the certification process with 20-25 ABE practitioners early in 2000.
Q: How does one provide "evidence of sound moral character?"
A: "Evidence of sound moral character" is not a gate-keeping provision. It is not intended to exclude practitioners from the field, but intended to help revoke certification, if necessary. For example, if a practitioner is convicted of a crime, such as rape, while the practitioner will be jailed, the certification wouldn't be revoked simply because of the conviction. Rather, the certification would be revoked as a result of the "sound moral character" requirement.
As an example, in the pre-K-12 application package, applicants are asked to respond "yes" or "no" to the following in evidence of sound moral character:,
"1) I have filed all state tax returns and paid all state taxes required by law. I have not been convicted of and am not under charges for any crime (misdemeanor or felony). I have not been identified by any child protection agency as a perpetrator of child abuse. I have not had a professional license or certificate denied, revoked, suspended, surrendered or annulled, and no action is pending to revoke or suspend my professional license or certificate. I have not been dismissed for cause from a position in a school or child care facility.
2) If I am paid to care or work with children, I will make a report immediately to the Massachusetts Department of Social Services or to the person in charge of the institution in which I work if I have reasonable cause to believe a child under 18 is suffering physical or emotional injury as a result of abuse, including sexual abuse, or neglect."
ABE practitioners do work with children-directly in the case of family literacy programs and less directly in other kinds of programs-but the field's main focus is on adult learners. Therefore, the Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the ESE legal department, will be addressing the specifics of the language for "evidence of sound moral character" in an upcoming meeting to make certain that draft language gets out to you for response.
Q: Will existing ABE practitioners be "grandparented?" I already possess a pre-K-12 Certification. Will I be required to fulfill all of the competencies for the Adult Basic Education Certification?
A: The Education Reform Act of 1993 revoked existing grandfathering of educators and requires that all educators renew their standard certificates every five years. However, the Advisory Committee will be reviewing options for experienced ABE practitioners to demonstrate and receive credit for their prior knowledge and experience. One such option is a portfolio. Most likely, these portfolios will be reviewed by a panel, such as the one currently used in pre-K-12 alternative certification process. In the pre-K-12 process, the panel consists of pre-K-12 instructors and administrators, and representatives from higher education.
Q: Who will pay for this process? Will there be any tuition reimbursement or scholarships?
A: The application fee for the ABE Certification will be the practitioner's responsibility. This fee has yet to be determined. As for the cost of the courses, workshops, and portfolios, ESE is reviewing alternatives and will be working with institutions, higher education, and SABES on ways to offer courses and workshops at low or no cost across the state. ESE may also underwrite some of the costs. Currently, SABES is offering pilot courses in ABE which may be used toward the certification. (Watch for notices about pilot course offerings in the spring.) However, you may also take courses and professional development workshops through any certified agency in order to fulfill the ABE practitioner competencies.
Your feedback is critical!
All work done to date are drafts. Please take the time to give us your reactions. They will help to shape the course of discussions within the Certification Advisory Committee. To those of you who have responded, we thank you. For those of you who have not, we encourage you to send your responses via letter, fax, or email to:
Mary Jayne Fay
ABE Certification Specialist
Adult and Community Learning Services
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
email: MJFAY@doe.mass.edu
FAX: 781-338-3394
last updated: November 1, 1999
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