Recognition for Additional Preparation. 1. Additional preparation that may add to the professional ability of the teacher, earned after the conferring of the Bachelor degree, shall be considered for initial placement and/or advancement on the salary schedule. The following guidelines exist for placement and advancement purposes and are contingent upon approval of the Superintendent.
a. For placement or advancement on the BA portion of the salary schedule, the following are considered: all academic credits and workshop activities for which credit is earned. Course-work may be graduate or undergraduate for movement on the BA+15, BA=30 and BA=45 steps.
b. For placement on or advancement to the Masters step on the schedule, proof of completion of a Masters program appropriate to the field of education must be provided to the district office.
c. For advancement on the Masters portion of the salary schedule, the following is considered: all academic or workshop credits at the 400’s level and above.
d. Recognition of credits for the initial placement on the salary is based upon credit received after initial teacher certification.
2. A Credits Committee consisting of one Board member appointed by the District, who shall act as chairman; the Superintendent; the appellant teacher; and one certificated professional person of the appellant’s choice shall review any credits refused under Item 5.2 at the appellant teacher’s request and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall make the final decision.
3. Documentation of additional professional preparation shall be submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the beginning of the school year in which the employee is ready to advance on the salary schedule. This documentation may be in the form of an official transcript, course grade slips, or an advisor’s letter. In the event an appeal is made to the Credits Committee, it is incumbent on the Superintendent’s office to turn over to the Committee any and all documents submitted by the employee. The employee shall have the right to submit any additional documents necessary to the Committee’s evaluation of the credits.
4. All credits previously recognized and approved for placement on the salary schedule will not be denied by this contract. Any other credits the teacher would like to submit will be considered according to 5.2
Recognition for Additional Preparation. A. A Bachelor’s Degree in Education must have been attained before Credits for Advancement on the salary schedule will be accepted. (BA + 10, BA + 20, BA + 30, MA) Advancement on the salary schedule must conform to at least one of the following criteria:
1. Subject Matter Credits - For secondary teachers, subject matter credits are graduate credits in the Montana Certification Endorsement areas in which the teacher has been assigned instructional duties. For elementary teachers, subject matter credits are graduate credits in social studies, physical education, health, music, science, language arts, mathematics and art.
2. Education Credits - Education credits are graduate credits in Educational Administration, Education Counseling, Secondary Education, Elementary Education, and Education Foundations.
3. Retroactive to the 2001-2002 school year, the school district at the discretion of the administration can approve non-graduate credit required for a teacher to become certified in a specific area because of school district needs. This provision will allow a teacher to advance beyond the BA Plus 10 using undergraduate credits.
4. The B.A. Plus 10, B.A. Plus 20, and B.A. Plus 30 columns are a means for teachers to pursue educational offerings beyond the B.A. column. Committee approved undergraduate credits that will enhance the teacher’s instructional abilities will be accepted for the B.A. Plus 10. Committee approved graduate credits that will enhance the teacher’s instructional abilities will be the only credits accepted for the B.A. Plus 20 and B.A. Plus 30 column. Final analysis of the credits will be a function of the Credit Evaluation Committee.
5. Masters Degrees - Masters degrees are recognized provided the credits conform to Article 12.4 A.1 and/or Article 12.4 A.2 of this Agreement.
B. Credit Evaluation Committee:
1. The Credit Evaluation Committee shall be composed of the superintendent and one teacher.
2. The Credit Evaluation Committee will meet with teacher(s) planning graduate work to determine the course work acceptable for advancement on the salary schedule.
3. All transcripts will be evaluated and acceptable graduate credits determined by the committee.
4. The committee will recommend to advance or not advance a teacher on the salary schedule.
5. A teacher may appeal this decision to the Board. The Board’s decision shall be considered final.
C. A teacher must inform the superintendent in writing by March 1st of his/her intent to move from on...
Recognition for Additional Preparation. Teachers obtaining additional college credits for advancement on the salary schedule must obtain said credits in the area(s) of their teaching endorsement or in an area that may be added to their teaching assignment. Notification of intent to pursue summer course work and subsequent higher placement on the schedule shall be made to the Superintendent before May 1 of the year in which said credits will be earned. The teachers’ request for approval of course credit will be answered and returned within fifteen (15) working days of submission. Nothing herein shall be construed to reduce credits and/or experience previously recognized. A quarter is defined as fifteen quarter hours or ten semester hours of credit or its equivalent. A teacher will be allowed a maximum of one horizontal move per year if the district has paid for 9 or more of the semester credits.
Recognition for Additional Preparation. (1) All State Board approved credits earned after the conferring of the Bachelor Degree will be accepted as additional professional preparation for initial placement and/or to advance on the salary schedule.
(2) District approved in-service program credits will be accepted for advancement on the salary schedule, if approved by the School Board or Superintendent.
(3) Credit for other educational activity will be accepted for advancement on the salary schedule upon prior approval by the Superintendent or School Board.
(4) Documentation of additional professional preparation, if sufficient to advance the teacher’s preparation status, shall be submitted to the District Clerk. This documentation may be in the form of an official transcript, course grade slips or an advisor’s letter. Salary adjustment for additional credits earned may be made in May to include summer courses pending documentation by the second Wednesday of September each year.
Recognition for Additional Preparation. All college credits and/or renewal units acceptable towards Montana Teacher's Certification or renewal of teaching certification will be accepted as additional professional preparation to advance the teacher’s preparation status on the salary schedule to the BA+30 level. Movement beyond the BA+30 level to the MA/BA+40 level requires the completion of a master’s degree in an education related field or the equivalent of (10) additional semester* credits and/or 150 renewal units. All credits applied towards movement from BA+30 to BA+40 and all credits beyond the master’s degree level must receive prior approval of the superintendent. These credits will be based on the following criteria:
(1) Graduate or approved undergraduate credits and/or renewal units within an approved program focused on specific educational goals designed to enhance the teacher’s ability to plan and implement his/her curriculum to fit the need of the district as approved by the Superintendent.
(2) A teacher may request a prior evaluation of credits, which do not fall under these headings. These courses in question may be submitted to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will evaluate the program and within ten (10) working days notify the teacher in writing with specific attention to the way(s) in which the courses do, or do not, meet the criteria listed.
(1) Graduate or approved undergraduate credits and/or renewal units within an approved program focused on specific educational goals designed to enhance the teacher’s ability to plan and implement his/her curriculum to fit the need of the district as approved by the Superintendent.
(2) A teacher may request a prior evaluation of credits, which do not fall under these headings. These courses in question may be submitted to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will evaluate the program and within ten (10) working days notify the teacher in writing with specific attention to the way(s) in which the courses do, or do not, meet the criteria listed. In the event that the teacher does not agree with the evaluation findings, he/she may seek review through a standing committee composed of three (3) members appointed by the Association President and three
(3) members appointed by the Superintendent. The findings of this committee will be final. In the event standing committee is unable to come to a consensus decision, the Superintendent’s decision will be final. Documentation of additional professional preparation, completed prior to the star...
Recognition for Additional Preparation. All credits earned after the conferring of a Bachelor Degree and their initial teaching certificate will be accepted as additional professional preparation for initial placement and/or to advance on the salary schedule. District approval in-service program credits will be accepted for advancement on the salary schedule. Credit for other educational activity will be accepted for advancement on the salary schedule upon prior approval by the superintendent or designee. Documentation of additional professional preparation, if sufficient to advance the teacher’s preparation status, shall be submitted to the superintendent. This documentation may be in the form of notice of completion from either the trainer or sponsor of the in- service program. Credits earned must be submitted by September 5th to apply in the current contract year for salary adjustments.
Recognition for Additional Preparation. Documentation of additional professional preparation may be in the form of an official transcript, course grade slip, or an advisor’s letter. In moving from one preparation column to another, a teacher will move to the next column and down one step (i.e., a teacher with a BA+1 (one) semester with five (5) years experience on obtaining an additional semester of preparation, shall move to the BA+2 (two) semesters at the six (6) year step.) A semester is defined as twelve (12) graduate or fifteen (15) undergraduate quarter credits, OR eight (8) graduate or ten (10) undergraduate semester credits. A combination of graduate and undergraduate quarter or semester credits is allowed. All teachers going back to school in the summer and by doing so move horizontally across the salary schedule must inform the Superintendent of their intention in writing by April 10th of the school year prior to that summer. The program must be in the appropriate teaching field and pertinent to the current curriculum OR approved by the Superintendent. The program would not be considered in the appropriate teaching field and pertinent to the current curriculum if it is in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Education Administration (or School Administration). Grade slips must be turned in to the District Clerk by October 1st each year and the individual teacher’s salary will be adjusted retroactive to the beginning of that school year.
Recognition for Additional Preparation. 1. Additional preparation that may add to the professional ability of the teacher, earned after the conferring of the Bachelor degree, shall be considered for initial placement and/or advancement on the salary schedule. The following guidelines exist for placement and advancement purposes and are contingent upon approval of the Superintendent.
a. For placement or advancement on the BA portion of the salary schedule, the following are considered: all academic credits and workshop activities for which credit is earned. Course-work may be graduate or undergraduate for movement on the BA+15, BA=30 and BA=45 steps.
b. For placement on or advancement to the Masters step on the schedule, proof of completion of a Masters program appropriate to the field of education must be provided to the district office.
c. For advancement on the Masters portion of the salary schedule, the following is considered: all academic or workshop credits at the 400’s level and above.
Recognition for Additional Preparation. (a) On Appendix C1, all credits acceptable toward Montana teachers’ certification or renewal of teaching certificates will be accepted as additional professional preparation to advance the teacher’s preparation status on the salary schedule. A semester credit for purposes of the salary schedule is defined as: (1) one college semester credit; (
Recognition for Additional Preparation. 1. Advancement for teachers on the salary schedule from the BA/BS column through the MA column will be based upon:
1.) approval by the Superintendent of all college credits accepted by the Office of Public Instruction for teacher licensure renewal
2.) any enrichment credits approved by the District Superintendent or Board. Advancement from the MA column will be based on all graduate or approved enrichment credits. The fifth year and Master programs are viewed as graduate programs. An additional fifteen (15) quarter/ten (10) semester credits are required to move from one column to the next.
2. To qualify for horizontal lane advancement, the teacher must fill out the Credit Approval Form providing courses that will be taken for approval and indicate whether or not they plan to advance on the salary schedule the following school year. They will need to provide their current status on the salary schedule and where they plan to move on the schedule the following school year. This documentation must be submitted to the office of the District Superintendent by March 1st of the school year prior to the anticipated lane advancement. The credit approval/lane advancement form is provided in this agreement as Appendix D.
3. If sufficient to advance the teacher's preparation status, the teacher will submit documentation of this additional preparation to the office of the District Superintendent not later than the 1st day of September. This document may be in the form of an official transcript, course grade slips or an advisor's letter. However, the official transcript must be presented to the office of the District Superintendent by December 1.
4. All credits that have been earned by current teachers and approved by the District Superintendent between the awarding of a Master's degree and September 1, 1997 may be used for advancement beyond the MA column.
