THE PROGRAM
§ 49.1. Definitions.
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Act—The Public School Code of 1949 (24 P.S. § § 1-101—27-2702).
Alternative program provider—A provider of accelerated post-baccalaureate preparation program, other than an institution of higher education, that has been approved by the Department in accordance with section 1207.1(a) of the act (24 P.S. § 12-1207.1(a)).
Approved educator preparation program—A sequence of courses and experiences, offered by a preparing institution or alternative program provider, that is reviewed and approved by the Department.
Articulation agreement—A formal agreement between two higher educational institutions, stating specific policies relating to transfer and recognition of academic achievement to facilitate the successful transfer of students without duplication of course work.
Assessment of basic skills—A measurement of a candidate’s ability to communicate orally and in writing and to demonstrate proficiency in fundamental computational skills.
Assessment of general knowledge—A measurement of a candidate’s knowledge in the fields of literature, mathematics, the sciences and social studies.
Assessment of professional knowledge and practice—A measurement of a candidate’s knowledge of educational theory, principles of human growth and development, educational psychology and other subjects directly related to educational practice and their application/demonstration in school settings.
Assessment of subject matter—A measurement of a candidate’s knowledge of an academic field or discipline to be taught in the public schools of this Commonwealth.
Baccalaureate degree—A conferred bachelor’s degree from an approved 4-year college or university.
Candidate—A person seeking certification in any of the areas outlined in this chapter.
Certificate—A document prepared and issued by the Department indicating that the holder has completed an approved professional preparation program and is qualified to perform specific professional duties.
Certified personnel—Professional employees, excluding school secretaries, as defined in section 1101 of the act (24 P.S. § 11-1101) or educators, or both, holding a comparable certificate from another state.
Chief school administrator—The superintendent, intermediate unit executive director, or equivalent private school administrator.
Collegiate studies—Studies pursued at institutions which are entitled to apply to themselves the designation of college or university as defined by 24 Pa.C.S. Chapter 65 (relating to private colleges, universities and seminaries).
Commissioned officer—District superintendents and assistant district superintendents under section 1078 of the act (24 P.S. § 10-1078) regarding commissions and objections to election.
Community provider—A not-for-profit or for-profit organization that operates prekindergarten programs.
Continuing professional education—The formal acquisition of collegiate or in-service credits designed to improve and expand the expertise of professional personnel.
Core academic subject—Includes reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, social studies and the arts.
Cultural awareness—Understanding, consideration and integration of individuals’ culture, language, heritage and experiences.
Culturally relevant and sustaining education (CR-SE)—Education that ensures equity for all students and seeks to eliminate systemic institutional racial and cultural barriers that inhibit the success of all students in this Commonwealth—particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. Culturally relevant and sustaining education encompasses skills for educators including, but not limited to, approaches to mental wellness, trauma-informed approaches to instruction, technological and virtual engagement, cultural awareness and emerging factors that inhibit equitable access for all students in this Commonwealth.
Day-to-day substitute permit—A permit issued for no longer than 20 consecutive days to fill a position due to the absence of professional certified personnel.
Degree-granting institution—A public college or technical institute which provides a 2 year, postsecondary college-parallel, terminal-general, terminal-technical, out-of-school youth or adult education program or a combination of these and which is established and operated under the act.
Diverse learner—A student who because of limited English language proficiency or disabilities may have academic needs that require varied instructional strategies to help the student learn.
Educational specialist—Professional certified personnel whose primary responsibility is to render professional service other than classroom teaching, such as dental hygienist, home and school visitor, instructional technology specialist, social restoration specialist, nutrition service specialist, elementary counselor, secondary counselor, school nurse and school psychologist.
Educator Discipline Act—24 P.S. § § 2070.1a—2070.18c.
Emergency permit—A permit issued to fill a vacancy resulting from resignation, termination, retirement, death or the creation of a new position.
Exceptional case permit—A permit issued to fill a vacancy due to exceptional conditions.
Historically underrepresented groups—Groups that are documented to have been represented across time in the educator population in proportions below their representation in the general population. These include, but are not limited to, people of color and the economically disadvantaged.
Inclusive setting—The placement of a diverse learner in a regular classroom setting.
Induction—A process by which a variety of professional support services are provided to newly employed teachers and educational specialists under the guidance of professional personnel to facilitate entry into the education profession.
Induction plan—A description of the induction process developed and submitted by the school entity to the Department for approval which describes how a teacher or educational specialist will be introduced to the teaching profession under this chapter.
Intern certificate—A professional certificate that entitles the holder to fill a full-time professional teaching position.
Invalid certificate—A certificate which no longer enables its holder to perform specific professional duties.
Long-term substitute permit—A permit issued for an indeterminate period to fill a position due to the absence of professional certified personnel.
Occupational competency credential—A document issued by the Occupational Competency Testing Examiners which signifies that the holder possesses knowledge and skill in a technical field at a journeyman level. When the document is presented to a preparing institution or to the Department, it may be registered by the Department on the holder’s vocational intern, vocational instructional or instructional certificate, and it enables the holder to teach that occupational specialty.
PSPC—Professional Standards and Practices Commission—A body composed of educators from the fields of basic and higher education, members of the general public and an ex officio member of the Board established by the Educator Discipline Act.
Permit—A document prepared and issued by the Department indicating that the holder is allowed to serve in lieu of a certified professional for a specified period of time.
Prekindergarten—A program operated by an early intervention agency as defined in § 14.101 (relating to definitions), school district or under contract from a school district that is open to children who are 3 years of age and who have completed the program prior to the school district’s entry age for kindergarten.
Preparing institution—A college or university that offers a program approved by the Department to prepare professional personnel for employment in the public schools.
Professional duties—A duty the performance of which is restricted to personnel by the scope of their certificate.
Professional ethics—The standards of behavior, values, and principles that inform and guide professional decision-making. These standards of behavior, values and principles include those detailed in the Pennsylvania Model Code of Ethics for Educators, as adopted by the Professional Standards and Practices Commission.
Satisfactory achievement—An acceptable level of performance as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Board on the Department-prescribed assessments required in this chapter.
School entity—Public schools, school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter schools, cyber schools and independent schools.
Structured literacy—Systematic, explicit instruction that provides a strong core of foundational skills in the language systems of English, integrates listening, speaking, reading, spelling, and writing and emphasizes the structure of language across the speech sound system (phonology), the writing system (orthography), the structure of sentences (syntax), the meaningful parts of words (morphology), the relationships among words (semantics), and the organization of spoken and written discourse.
Subject area—Specific areas of instructional content.
Term of validity—A period of time as specified in § § 49.33, 49.34, 49.82, 49.92, 49.102, 49.142 and 49.152 in which the holder of a certificate is entitled to perform the professional duties for which the certificate was issued.
Trauma-informed approaches to instruction—Pedagogy that recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma and integrates knowledge about trauma for the purpose of promoting resiliency among students.
Authority The provisions of this § 49.1 issued under sections 202, 408.1, 1302 and 1317—1320 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § § 62, 118.1 (Repealed), 352 and 367—370 (Repealed)).
Source The provisions of this § 49.1 adopted January 25, 1985, effective June 1, 1987, 15 Pa.B. 245; readopted May 29, 1992, effective May 30, 1992, 22 Pa. B. 2824; amended September 24, 1999, effective September 25, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 4954; amended July 14, 2006, effective July 15, 2006, 36 Pa.B. 3655; amended September 21, 2007, effective September 22, 2007, 37 Pa.B. 5150; amended April 22, 2022, effective April 23, 2022, 52 Pa.B. 2451. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (329951) to (329952) and (376611).
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