{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-161.048","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 161.048","heading":"Legislative findings -- Alternative certification program -- Purpose --","body":"Options -- Testing and eligibility requirements -- Salary schedule.\n(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that:\n(a) 1. There are persons who have distinguished themselves  through a variety\nof work and educational experiences that could enrich teaching in\nKentucky schools;\n2. There are distinguished scholars who wish to become teachers in\nKentucky's public schools, but who did not pursue a teacher preparation\nprogram;\n3. There are persons who should be recruited to teach in Kentucky's public\nschools as they have academic majors, strong verbal skills as shown by\na verbal ability test, and deep knowledge of content, characteristics that\nempirical research identifies as important attributes of quality teachers;\n4. There are persons who need to be recruited to teach in Kentucky schools\nto meet the diverse cultural and educational needs of students; and\n5. There should be alternative procedures to the traditional teacher\npreparation programs that qualify persons as teachers;\n(b) There are hereby established alternative certification program options as\ndescribed in subsections (2) to (10) of this section;\n(c) It is the intent of the  General Assembly that the Education Professional\nStandards Board inform scholars, persons with exceptional work experience,\nand persons with diverse backgrounds who have potential as teachers of these\noptions and assist local boards of education in implementing these options and\nrecruitment of individuals who can enhance the education system in\nKentucky;\n(d) The Education Professional Standards Board may reject the application of any\ncandidate who is judged as not meeting academic requirements comparable t o\nthose for students enrolled in Kentucky teacher preparation programs; and\n(e) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative\nregulations establishing standards and procedures for the alternative\ncertification options described  in this section. If the certification option\nrequires employment prior to certification, the procedures shall establish a\nprocess for candidates to obtain an eligible for hire letter from the Education\nProfessional Standards Board.\n(2) Option 1: Certification of a person with exceptional work experience. An individual\nwho has exceptional work experience shall receive a one (1) year provisional\ncertificate with approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an\napplication by the individual under the following conditions:\n(a) The application contains documentation of all education and work experience;\n(b) The candidate has documented exceptional work experience in the area in\nwhich certification is being sought; and\n(c) The candidate possesses:\n1. A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree;\n2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -five\nhundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point\naverage of three (3.0) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30)\nhours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate\ncoursework from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary\ninstitution; and\n3. An academic major or a passing score on the academic content\nassessment in the area in which certification i s being sought by the\napplicant as designated by the Education Professional Standards Board.\nAfter successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the\nrecommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional\nStandards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be\nsubject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a\nprofessional certificate.\n(3) Option 2: Certification through a local school district training program. A lo cal\nschool district or group of school districts may seek approval for a training\nprogram. The state-approved local school district training program is an alternative\nto the college teacher preparation program as a means of acquiring teacher\ncertification for a teacher at any grade level. The training program may be offered\nfor all teaching certificates approved by the Education Professional Standards\nBoard, including interdisciplinary early childhood education, except for specific\ncertificates for teachers  of exceptional children. To participate in a state -approved\nlocal school district alternative training program, the candidate shall possess:\n(a) A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree;\n(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -five\nhundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average\nof three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit\ncompleted, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a\nnationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; and\n(c) A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which\ncertification is being sought by the applicant as designated by the Education\nProfessional Standards Board. To be eligible to take an academic con tent\nassessment, the applicant shall have completed a thirty (30) hour major in the\nacademic content area or five (5) years of experience in the academic content\narea as approved by the Education Professional Standards Board.\nAn individual may participate  in a local school district training program upon\nmeeting the participation requirements as established in this subsection and\napproval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by the\nindividual. The candidate shall be issued a one ( 1) year provisional certificate by\nthe Education Professional Standards Board. After successful completion of the\nlocal school district training program, one (1) year of teaching, and upon the\nrecommendation of the employing school district to the Educatio n Professional\nStandards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be\nsubject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a\nprofessional certificate.\n(4) Option 3: Certification of a professional from a  postsecondary institution: A\ncandidate who possesses the following qualifications may receive a one (1) year\nprovisional certificate for teaching at any level:\n(a) A master's degree or doctoral degree in the academic content area for which\ncertification is sought; and\n(b) A minimum of five (5) years of full -time teaching experience, or its\nequivalent, in the academic content area for which certification is sought in a\nregionally or nationally accredited institution of higher education.\nAfter successful co mpletion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the\nrecommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional\nStandards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be\nsubject to certificate renewal requirements  the same as other teachers with\nprofessional certificates.\n(5) Option 4: Certification of an adjunct instructor. A person who has expertise in areas\nsuch as art, music, foreign language, drama, science, computer science, and other\nspecialty areas may be e mployed as an adjunct instructor in a part -time position by\na local board of education under KRS 161.046.\n(6) Option 5: Certification of a veteran of the Armed Forces. The Education\nProfessional Standards Board shall issue a statement of eligibility, valid  for five (5)\nyears, for teaching at the elementary, secondary, and secondary career technical\neducation levels to a veteran of the Armed Forces who was honorably discharged\nfrom active duty as evidenced by Defense Department Form 214 (DD 214) or\nNational Guard Bureau Form 22 or to a member of the Armed Services currently\nserving with six (6) or more years of honorable service, including Reserves,\nNational Guard, or active duty. The candidate shall possess:\n(a) A bachelor's degree or graduate degree;\n(b) A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -five\nhundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average\nof three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit\ncompleted, including undergraduate an d graduate coursework from a\nnationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; and\n(c) An academic major or a passing score on the academic content assessment in\nthe area in which certification is being sought by the applicant as designated\nby the Education Professional Standards Board.\nThe eligible veteran shall receive a one (1) year provisional certificate with\napproval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by the\nveteran. After successful completion of one (1) yea r of teaching and upon the\nrecommendation of the employing school district to the Education Professional\nStandards Board, the veteran shall receive a professional certificate.\n(7) Option 6: University alternative program. With approval of the Education\nProfessional Standards Board, a university may provide an alternative program that\nenrolls students in a postbaccalaureate teacher preparation program concurrently\nwith employment as a teacher in a local school district. A student in the alternative\nprogram s hall be granted a one (1) year provisional certificate. The one (1) year\nprovisional certificate may be renewed four (4) additional years, and shall be\ncontingent upon the candidate's continued enrollment in the preparation program\nand compliance with all requirements established by the board. A professional\ncertificate shall be issued upon the teacher candidate's successful completion of the\nprogram and all academic content assessments in the specific teaching field of the\napplicant as designated by the Ed ucation Professional Standards Board, and upon\nthe recommendation of the employing school district.\n(8) Option 7: Certificati on of a person in a field other than education to teach in\nelementary, middle, or secondary programs. This option shall not be limited to\nteaching in shortage areas. An individual certified under provisions of this\nsubsection shall be issued a one (1) year  provisional certificate, renewable for a\nmaximum of four (4) additional years with approval of the Education Professional\nStandards Board.\n(a) The candidate shall possess:\n1. A bachelor's degree with a declared academic major in the area in which\ncertification is sought or a graduate degree in a field related to the area\nin which certification is sought; and\n2. A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -five\nhundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point\naverage of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours\nof credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework\nfrom a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution.\n(b) Upon meeting the requirements of paragraph (a) of  this subsection and\nenrolling in an approved institute, the Education Professional Standards Board\nshall issue the candidate a one (1) year provisional certificate or during the\nfirst year of the certificate, the teacher shall complete the following:\n1. For elementary teaching, the individual shall successfully complete a\ntwo hundred forty (240) hour institute that is an equivalent of six (6)\nhour days for eight (8) weeks. The providers and the content of the\ninstitute shall be approved by the Education Pr ofessional Standards\nBoard. The content shall include research -based teaching strategies in\nreading and math, research on child and adolescent growth, knowledge\nof individual differences, including teaching exceptional children, and\nmethods of classroom management.\n2. For middle and secondary teaching, the individual shall successfully\ncomplete a one hundred eighty (180) hour institute that is an equivalent\nof six (6) hour days for six (6) weeks. The providers and the content of\nthe institute shall be appro ved by the Education Professional Standards\nBoard and shall include research -based teaching strategies, research on\nchild and adolescent growth, knowledge of individual differences,\nincluding teaching exceptional children, and methods of classroom\nmanagement.\n(c) The candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be subject to\ncertificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers with a professional\ncertificate:\n1. After meeting the requirements of this option;\n2. After obtaining a passi ng score on the academic content assessment in\nthe area in which certification is being sought;\n3. After successfully completing one (1) year of teaching; and\n4. Upon the recommendation of the employing school district to the\nEducation Professional Standards Board.\n(9) Option 8: Certification of a Teach for America participant to teach in elementary,\nmiddle, or high schools. Nothing in this subsection shall conflict with the\nparticipation criteria of the Teach for America program. An individual certified\nunder this subsection shall be issued a one (1) year provisional certificate.\n(a) The candidate shall possess:\n1. A bachelor's degree;\n2. A successful completion of the summer training institute and ongoing\nprofessional development required by Teach for Amer ica, including\ninstruction in goal-oriented, standards-based instruction, diagnosing and\nassessing students, lesson planning and instructional delivery, classroom\nmanagement, maximizing learning for diverse students, and teaching\nmethodologies; and\n3. A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which\ncertification is being sought as designated by the Education Professional\nStandards Board.\n(b) The provisional certificate granted under this subsection may be renewed two\n(2) times with a  recommendation of the superintendent and approval of the\nEducation Professional Standards Board.\n(c) A Teach for America participant shall be issued a professional certificate\nupon the participant's successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and\nthe assessments relating to teaching of subject matter required by the\nEducation Professional Standards Board under KRS 161.030, and upon the\nrecommendation of the employing school district to the Education\nProfessional Standards Board.\n(d) Notwithstanding a ny statute or administrative regulation to the contrary, a\nteacher certified under this subsection shall have ten (10) years to complete a\nmaster's degree or fifth year program, or the equivalent as specified by the\nEducation Professional Standards Board in administrative regulation.\n(10) Option 9: Expedited certification of a person to teach at any grade level through a\ncooperative program. With approval of the Education Professional Standards\nBoard, a college or university may partner with a school distri ct to develop an\nexpedited certification program that results in a bachelor's degree and initial\ncertification within three (3) school years.\n(a) The program shall:\n1. Include a residency or paraprofessional component which employs the\nperson within the participating district for the duration of the program to\ngain work experience to supplement the expedited program and reduced\ncoursework;\n2. Utilize experienced teachers employed by the district to provide\ncoaching and to mentor the candidates; and\n3. Be de signed to meet the needs of the participating district and may\ninclude an emphasis in developing a teacher pipeline for the district's\nstudents, improving the numbers of underrepresented populations\namong the district's workforce, or focusing on increasing  the number of\nteachers with certification areas that are in high demand.\n(b) A school district entering into a cooperative partnership shall ensure the\navailability of funding for each candidate employed within the district in the\nresidency or paraprofess ional program for the duration of the candidate's\nparticipation in the program. However, nothing in this subsection shall be\ninterpreted as requiring the district to continue employing the candidate\nduring the program or after the candidate has received initial certification.\n(c) A person who has begun a traditional path or another option for certification\nshall be eligible to transfer into this option if the person meets the program's\nrequirements.\n(d) If a school district participating in a cooperative partnership determines to e nd\nthe partnership, the district shall no longer accept new candidates to the\nprogram but shall continue the partnership until the district's employed\ncandidates for Option 9 certification complete the program or are no longer\nemployed by the district.\n(11) A public school teacher certified under subsections (2) to (10) of this section shall\nbe placed on the local district salary schedule for the rank corresponding to the\ndegree held by the teacher.\n(12) Subsections (1) to (3) of this section notwithstandin g, a candidate who possesses\nthe following qualifications may receive certification for teaching programs for\nexceptional students:\n(a) An out-of-state license to teach exceptional students; and\n(b) A bachelor's or master's degree in the certification area  or closely related area\nfor which certification is sought.","path":["KRS Chapter 161"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54577","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:09Z","sha256":"3386dbdb7b02c3dd540ab4c14fdbdc3eda5f660b6039b8050659d95c2b68047b","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-161.046","next":"us-ky/krs-161.049"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}