{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-189","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-189","heading":"Certification system","body":"A. The certification system required by the Oklahoma Teacher\n\nPreparation Act as part of the new teacher preparation system shall\n\nbe competency-based. The competencies for certification shall be\n\nintegrated with competencies specified in Section 6-185 of this\n\ntitle. By July 1, 1996, the State Board of Education shall adopt\n\ngeneral competencies for certification, and by January 1, 1997, the\n\nBoard shall have adopted full competencies and implemented the\n\ncertification system as required in this act. No higher education\n\ncourses or credit hours may be specified by the State Board of\n\nEducation in rules for certification. Nothing in the certification\n\nrules adopted by the Board shall prohibit the Oklahoma State Regents\n\nfor Higher Education from adopting policies and procedures it deems\n\nappropriate for coursework, grade point average, or credit hours for\n\nteacher preparation at institutions in The Oklahoma State System of\n\nHigher Education.\n\nB. The certification requirements for a school principal not\n\nalternatively certified under subsection D of this section shall\n\ninclude not less than:\n\n1. Completion of a standard master's degree;\n\n2. Completion of a program in education administration approved\n\nby the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation with an emphasis\n\non curriculum, instruction and building-level leadership skills.\n\nThe requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person who\n\nhas completed a master's degree program in education that included\n\ncompetencies that are substantially equal to those listed in this\n\nparagraph and if the degree was completed prior to July 1, 2005;\n\n3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be\n\nfixed by the State Board of Education;\n\n4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination\n\nrequired in Section 6-187 of this title; and\n\n5. A minimum of two (2) years of successful teaching experience\n\nin public or private schools accredited by the State Board of\n\nEducation or by the proper accrediting authority of another state of\n\nthe United States.\n\nC. The certification requirements for a superintendent of\n\nschools not alternatively certified under subsection D of this\n\nsection shall include not less than:\n\n1. Certification as a school principal or completion of the\n\ncertification requirements for a school principal as set forth in\n\nsubsection B of this section;\n\n2. Completion of a program in education administration approved\n\nby the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation with an emphasis\n\non district-level leadership skills, and which shall include the\n\nfollowing competencies:\n\na. instructional leadership,\n\nb. organizational leadership, including education\n\nfinance, education law, and risk management,\n\nc. collaborative and community leadership, and\n\nd. ethical leadership.\n\nThe requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person\n\nwho has completed an Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation\n\napproved Master's Degree in Education Administration or has\n\ncompleted a program in education that included competencies that are\n\nsubstantially equal to those listed in this paragraph, and if the\n\ndegree or program was completed between the effective date of this\n\nact and July 1, 2005;\n\n3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be\n\nfixed by the State Board of Education;\n\n4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination\n\nrequired in Section 6-187 of this title; and\n\n5. A minimum of two (2) years of administrative experience in\n\npublic or private schools accredited by the State Board of Education\n\nor by the proper accrediting authority of another state of the\n\nUnited States.\n\nD. 1. The standards for alternative certification for\n\nsuperintendents of schools and principals shall include:\n\na. the completion of a standard master's degree,\n\nb. two (2) years of relevant work experience in a\n\nsupervisory or administrative capacity,\nlic or private schools accredited by the State Board of Education\n\nor by the proper accrediting authority of another state of the\n\nUnited States.\n\nD. 1. The standards for alternative certification for\n\nsuperintendents of schools and principals shall include:\n\na. the completion of a standard master's degree,\n\nb. two (2) years of relevant work experience in a\n\nsupervisory or administrative capacity,\n\nc. a passing score on the subject area competency\n\nexamination required in Section 6-187 of this title,\n\nand\n\nd. filing with the director of teacher education at an\n\nOklahoma accredited institution of higher education a\n\nplan for completing an alternative administrative\n\npreparation program within three (3) years. Relevant\n\nwork experience and coursework may be considered and\n\napplied to complete the plan.\n\n2. An alternative certificate for superintendent of schools and\n\nprincipals shall not exceed three (3) years and shall not be\n\nrenewable.\n\n3. Upon successful completion of an alternative administrative\n\npreparation program by a participant, the State Board of Education\n\nshall issue a standard certificate for superintendent or principal,\n\nas applicable, to the applicant.\n\n4. Any person participating in an alternative certification\n\nprogram for superintendent of schools and principals on the\n\neffective date of this act shall be subject to the program\n\nrequirements in effect prior to the effective date of this act.\n\nE. The certification requirements for a superintendent of a\n\ntechnology center school district shall include not less than a\n\nstandard master's degree, any other professional education\n\nrequirements as may be fixed by the State Board of Education, and a\n\nminimum of four (4) years teaching, supervisory or administrative\n\nexperience, which may include teaching of full-time adult students,\n\nin a technology center school district. A person meeting the\n\nrequirements set forth in subsection C of this section shall be\n\neligible for a certificate for superintendent of a technology center\n\nschool district.\n\nF. The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall\n\npromulgate rules for a certification system specifically for\n\nteachers and instructors in the technology center school districts.\n\nThe system shall be competency-based. The competencies for\n\ncertification shall include industry-based skills, standards, and\n\ncertifications.\n\nG. Certificates issued by the State Board of Education may be\n\nrevoked by the State Board of Education for willful violation of any\n\nrule of the Board or of any federal or state law or other proper\n\ncause but only after sufficient hearing has been given before the\n\nBoard.\n\nH. Teaching in a Head Start program or programs shall be used\n\nfor renewal of a standard teaching certificate.","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":"b3a822419c67e73efaf94c85723161d20c7c08a0d77117b9cfca55a1de69aba9","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-187e","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-189.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}