{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-182","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-182","heading":"Definitions","body":"As used in the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act:\n\n1. \"Board\" means the State Board of Education;\n\n2. \"Commission\" means the Commission for Educational Quality\n\nand Accountability;\n\n3. \"State Regents\" means the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher\n\nEducation;\n\n4. \"Professional development program\" means the program\n\nmandated by the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act for the continuous\n\nimprovement and enrichment of the certified and licensed teachers of\n\nthis state;\n\n5. \"Teacher education professional development committee\" means\n\nthe committee created in Section 6-186 of this title for the\n\ncontinuous improvement and enrichment of higher education faculty in\n\nteacher education programs in institutions of higher education;\n\n6. \"Department\" means the State Department of Education;\n\n7. \"Induction\" means a program that provides support,\n\nmentorship and coaching to educators at the beginning of their\n\ncareers or as they transition to new roles within a school or\n\ndistrict. Induction programs work with inductees to assist in all\n\nmatters concerning classroom management and professional development\n\nfor that teacher. Induction programs may involve a committee of one\n\nor more mentor teachers, the principal or an assistant principal of\n\nthe employing school, one or more administrators designated by the\n\nschool district board of education, a teacher educator in a college\n\nor school of education of an institution of higher education or an\n\neducator in a department or school outside the institution's teacher\n\neducation unit;\n\n8. \"Teacher\" means a person defined as a teacher in Section 1-\n\n116 of this title;\n\n9. \"Inductee\" means any certified teacher who is employed in an\n\naccredited school to serve as a teacher and the school district has\n\nelected to place under the guidance and assistance of a mentor\n\nteacher or induction committee. Inductees shall include those\n\nindividuals having completed the program of the college or school of\n\neducation of the accredited institution of higher education from\n\nwhich the person has been graduated, and shall have successfully\n\ncompleted the competency examination in areas of approval in which\n\nthe inductee seeks certification, those individuals eligible for the\n\nalternative placement teaching certificate according to Section 6-\n\n122.3 of this title, and those individuals issued an emergency or\n\nprovisional certificate according to Section 6-187 of this title.\n\nAll teachers working in a new role, including classroom teachers\n\ntransitioning to a new role, shall be considered inductees for\n\npurposes of induction programs;\n\n10. \"Certified teacher\" means any teacher who has been issued a\n\ncertificate by the Board in accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher\n\nPreparation Act and the rules of the Board;\n\n11. \"Mentor teacher\" means any teacher who has been appointed\n\nto provide guidance, support, coaching and assistance to an inductee\n\nemployed by the school district. A mentor teacher shall be a\n\ncurrent or former classroom teacher and have a minimum of two (2)\n\nyears of classroom teaching experience as a certified teacher.\n\nWhen possible, a mentor teacher shall have participated in\n\nmentor teacher professional development and have expertise in the\n\nteaching field of the inductee;\n\n12. \"Higher education faculty\" means any individual who is\n\nemployed in a teaching capacity in an institution of higher\n\neducation, approved or accredited by the Commission for the\n\npreparation of education personnel; and\n\n13. \"Competency examination\" means the assessment required in\n\nthe Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act for certification as a teacher\n\nand shall consist of tests over professional education and subject\n\nareas as defined by the Commission for Educational Quality and\n\nAccountability.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"72631b1c7675f4c184f633c20dd1c67fa1c39e76eb2c4f46c99bd9313dfa8abe","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-181","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-184"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}