{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-190","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-190","heading":"Qualifications for teacher employment and certification","body":"A. The board of education of each school district shall employ\n\nand contract in writing, as required in Section 6-101 of this title,\n\nonly with persons certified to teach by the State Board of Education\n\nin accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act, except as\n\notherwise provided for by Section 6-101 of this title and by other\n\nlaw.\n\nB. The Board shall issue a certificate to teach to any person\n\nwho:\n\n1. Has successfully completed the teacher education program\n\nrequired by the Commission for Educational Quality and\n\nAccountability;\n\n2. Has graduated from an accredited institution of higher\n\neducation that has approval or accreditation for teacher education;\n\n3. Has met all other requirements as may be established by the\n\nBoard;\n\n4. Has made the necessary application and paid the competency\n\nexamination fee in an amount and as prescribed by the Commission;\n\n5. Has successfully completed the competency examination\n\nrequired in Section 6-187 of this title; and\n\n6. Beginning November 1, 2001, has on file with the Board a\n\ncurrent Oklahoma criminal history record from the Oklahoma State\n\nBureau of Investigation as well as a national criminal history\n\nrecord check as defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma\n\nStatutes. Upon receipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record, the\n\nBoard may issue a temporary certificate which shall be effective\n\nuntil receipt of the national fingerprint-based criminal history\n\nrecord. The person applying for a certificate shall be responsible\n\nfor the cost of the criminal history records.\n\nC. The Board shall issue a certificate to teach to any person\n\nwho:\n\n1. Holds an out-of-state certificate and meets the requirements\n\nset forth in subsection G of this section;\n\n2. Holds certification from the National Board for Professional\n\nTeaching Standards;\n\n3. Holds an out-of-country certificate and meets the\n\nrequirements set forth in subsection F of this section; or\n\n4. Has successfully completed a competency examination used in\n\nthe majority of other states or comparable customized exam and meets\n\nthe requirements set forth in subsection H of this section.\n\nD. Beginning July 1, 2004, any person applying for initial\n\nOklahoma certification shall have on file with the Board a current\n\nOklahoma criminal history record from the Oklahoma State Bureau of\n\nInvestigation as well as a national criminal history record check as\n\ndefined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon\n\nreceipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record, the Board may issue\n\na temporary certificate which shall be effective until receipt of\n\nthe national fingerprint-based criminal history record. The person\n\napplying for a certificate shall be responsible for the cost of the\n\ncriminal history records.\n\nE. Any person holding a valid certificate, issued prior to\n\nJanuary 1, 1997, shall be a certified teacher for purposes of the\n\nOklahoma Teacher Preparation Act, subject to any professional\n\ndevelopment requirements prescribed by the Oklahoma Teacher\n\nPreparation Act or by the State Board of Education.\n\nF. 1. The Board shall issue a certificate to teach to a person\n\nwho holds a valid out-of-country certificate and meets any\n\nrequirements established by the Board. The certificate to teach\n\nshall only be for those subject areas and grade levels most closely\n\naligned to the subject areas and grade levels recognized on the out-\n\nof-country certificate.\n\n2. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection shall not be required to take any competency examinations\n\nin those subject areas and grade levels most closely aligned to the\n\nsubject areas and grade levels recognized on the out-of-country\n\ncertificate.\n\n3. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection shall have on file with the Board a current Oklahoma\n\ncriminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of\nn shall not be required to take any competency examinations\n\nin those subject areas and grade levels most closely aligned to the\n\nsubject areas and grade levels recognized on the out-of-country\n\ncertificate.\n\n3. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection shall have on file with the Board a current Oklahoma\n\ncriminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of\n\nInvestigation as well as a national criminal history record check as\n\ndefined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon\n\nreceipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record check, the Board may\n\nissue a temporary certificate which shall be effective until receipt\n\nof the national fingerprint-based criminal history record check.\n\nThe person applying for a certificate shall be responsible for the\n\ncost of the criminal history record checks.\n\n4. The Board shall promulgate rules establishing a process by\n\nwhich out-of-country certificates will be reviewed and evaluated for\n\npurposes of awarding a certificate to teach pursuant to this\n\nsubsection.\n\nG. 1. The Board shall issue a certificate to teach to a person\n\nwho holds a valid out-of-state certificate. The certificate to\n\nteach shall only be for those subject areas and grade levels most\n\nclosely aligned to the subject areas and grade levels recognized on\n\nthe out-of-state certificate.\n\n2. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection shall not be required to take any competency examinations\n\nin those subject areas and grade levels most closely aligned to the\n\nsubject areas and grade levels recognized on the out-of-state\n\ncertificate.\n\n3. A person who meets the requirements of this subsection shall\n\nhave on file with the Board a current Oklahoma criminal history\n\nrecord check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as well\n\nas a national criminal history record check as defined in Section\n\n150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon receipt of the\n\nOklahoma criminal history record check, the Board may issue a\n\ntemporary certificate which shall be effective until receipt of the\n\nnational fingerprint-based criminal history record check. The\n\nperson applying for a certificate shall be responsible for the cost\n\nof the criminal history record checks.\n\nH. 1. The Board shall issue a certificate to teach to a person\n\nwho has successfully completed a competency exam used in a majority\n\nof the other states. The certificate to teach shall only be for\n\nthose subject areas and grade levels that correspond with a\n\ncertification area used in Oklahoma.\n\n2. A person who meets the requirements of paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection shall have on file with the Board a current Oklahoma\n\ncriminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of\n\nInvestigation as well as a national criminal history record check as\n\ndefined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Upon\n\nreceipt of the Oklahoma criminal history record check, the Board may\n\nissue a temporary certificate which shall be effective until receipt\n\nof the national fingerprint-based criminal history record check.\n\nThe person applying for a certificate shall be responsible for the\n\ncost of the criminal history record checks.\n\nI. 1. The Board may establish new levels of teacher\n\ncertificates: advanced, lead, and master. Each level shall have a\n\nstipend paid with state dollars from the lottery funds as provided\n\nin Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes. The advanced\n\ncertificate shall include a stipend of Three Thousand Dollars\n\n($3,000.00), the lead certificate shall include a stipend of Five\n\nThousand Dollars ($5,000.00), and the master certificate shall\n\ninclude a stipend of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).\n\n2. A teacher who works in a school with an enrollment of forty\n\npercent (40%) or more of students who are economically disadvantaged\n\nas defined in Section 18-109.5 of this title or a school district\nand Dollars\n\n($3,000.00), the lead certificate shall include a stipend of Five\n\nThousand Dollars ($5,000.00), and the master certificate shall\n\ninclude a stipend of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).\n\n2. A teacher who works in a school with an enrollment of forty\n\npercent (40%) or more of students who are economically disadvantaged\n\nas defined in Section 18-109.5 of this title or a school district\n\nwith an enrollment of fewer than one thousand students shall be paid\n\na one-time award in addition to the stipends provided in paragraph 1\n\nof this subsection:\n\na. One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for an\n\nadvanced certificate,\n\nb. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for a\n\nlead certificate, and\n\nc. Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for a master\n\ncertificate.\n\n3. School districts may identify and designate the highest\n\nquality teachers for advanced, lead, and master certificates.\n\nParticipating districts shall submit designation plans to the State\n\nDepartment of Education for evaluation and approval. Districts\n\nshall have local control and flexibility in determining how to\n\nevaluate teachers and assign designations, but, at a minimum, the\n\ndesignation system shall include a teacher observation, out-of-\n\nclassroom time, and a student performance component.\n\na. Teacher observation shall be based on the district’s\n\nselected Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness\n\nEvaluation System (TLE) evaluation tool or an\n\nalternate method of evaluation; provided, the method\n\nis evidenced-based. Alternate methods of evaluation\n\nshall not replace the requirements of Section 6-101.16\n\nof this title.\n\nb. Each school district that elects to participate in\n\nassigning advanced, lead, and master teacher\n\ncertificates shall include an out-of-classroom\n\ncomponent for its assigned teachers to allow for\n\nprofessional growth opportunities while staying in the\n\nclassroom. How out-of-classroom time is allotted and\n\nmanaged shall be determined by the school district and\n\nsubmitted as part of its designation plan to the State\n\nDepartment of Education for review and approval.\n\nc. Student performance measures may be determined by the\n\ndistrict and may include, but shall not be limited to,\n\npre- and post-tests, summative or formative, and\n\nportfolios. The school district application shall\n\nshow evidence of validity and reliability of the\n\nmeasures.\n\nd. No more than ten percent (10%) of each school\n\ndistrict’s teachers may be designated as advanced,\n\nlead, or master teachers in any given school year.\n\nDistricts which receive Title I funds within the top\n\nquartile of individual student allotment amounts may\n\ndesignate an additional ten percent (10%) of teachers\n\nwho are employed at school sites which receive the\n\nTitle I funds as advanced, lead, or master teachers.\n\nDistricts may use additional factors in determining which\n\nteachers are eligible to receive a designation, such as student\n\nsurveys, teacher leadership responsibilities, teacher mentorship\n\nresponsibilities, family surveys, demonstration of district core\n\nvalues, teacher peer surveys, and contributions to the broader\n\nschool community.\n\n4. If a school district chooses to participate in this program,\n\nthe state shall provide the stipend amounts indicated for advanced,\n\nlead, and master certificates in paragraph 1 of this subsection.\n\n5. School districts that designate teachers for advanced, lead,\n\nand master certificates do not have to participate in annual TLE\n\nevaluations for the designated teachers.\n\n6. School districts may designate teachers for advanced, lead,\n\nor master certificates two times per year, once prior to the\n\nbeginning of the school year, and once prior to the beginning of the\n\nsecond semester. Teachers statewide who receive these designations\n\nshall be placed in professional development cohorts and provided\n\nadditional training opportunities from the State Department of\n\nEducation.\nchool districts may designate teachers for advanced, lead,\n\nor master certificates two times per year, once prior to the\n\nbeginning of the school year, and once prior to the beginning of the\n\nsecond semester. Teachers statewide who receive these designations\n\nshall be placed in professional development cohorts and provided\n\nadditional training opportunities from the State Department of\n\nEducation.\n\n7. After initial approval by the State Department of Education,\n\nthe Department shall review and validate each participating school\n\ndistrict’s teacher evaluation system biennially.\n\n8. The State Department of Education shall annually report the\n\nschool districts participating in the program, the number of\n\nadvanced, lead, and master certificates awarded, and the total\n\namount in state funding that was distributed to teachers from the\n\nTeacher Empowerment Revolving Fund created in Section 6-190.2 of\n\nthis title.\n\n9. The selection criteria; designation of advanced, lead, or\n\nmaster teachers; and any associated stipend amounts shall not be\n\nsubject to collective bargaining.\n\n10. Stipends provided pursuant to this subsection shall not be\n\nincluded in the calculation of the teacher’s salary for purposes of\n\nmeeting the district or statutory minimum salary schedule or for\n\npurposes of calculating Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma\n\ncontributions or benefits.\n\nJ. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement\n\na renewal schedule and associated fees for advanced, lead, and\n\nmaster teaching certificates. The rules shall allow a teacher that\n\nno longer meets the requirements of an advanced, lead, or master\n\nteaching certificate to make application for the standard teaching\n\ncertificate.\n\nK. The terms of the contracts issued to those holding advanced,\n\nlead, and master teaching certificates shall include the following:\n\n1. Advanced: an additional five (5) days to be used to\n\nstrengthen instructional leadership. A person with an advanced\n\nteaching certificate shall receive an annual stipend of Three\n\nThousand Dollars ($3,000.00) or the district’s daily rate of pay,\n\nwhichever is higher, in addition to the salary for which the teacher\n\nqualifies pursuant to Section 18-114.15 of this title. This stipend\n\nshall be funded by state dollars from the lottery funds as provided\n\nin Section 713 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and shall be\n\npaid directly to teachers through school districts;\n\n2. Lead: an additional ten (10) days to be used to strengthen\n\ninstructional leadership. A person with a lead teaching certificate\n\nshall receive an annual stipend of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00)\n\nor the district’s daily rate of pay, whichever is higher, in\n\naddition to the salary for which the teacher qualifies pursuant to\n\nSection 18-114.15 of this title. This stipend shall be funded by\n\nstate dollars from the lottery funds as provided in Section 713 of\n\nTitle 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and shall be paid directly to\n\nteachers through school districts; and\n\n3. Master: an additional fifteen (15) days to be used to\n\nstrengthen leadership. A person with a master teaching certificate\n\nshall receive an annual stipend of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00)\n\nor the district’s daily rate of pay, whichever is higher, in\n\naddition to the salary for which the teacher qualifies pursuant to\n\nSection 18-114.15 of this title. This stipend shall be funded by\n\nstate dollars from the lottery funds as provided in Section 713 of\n\nTitle 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes and shall be paid directly to\n\nteachers through school districts.\n\nIf a person with an advanced, lead, or master teaching\n\ncertificate changes school districts during the life of the\n\ncertificate, the terms of the contracts required in this subsection\n\nshall be subject to approval by the new employing school district.\n\nL. Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, the Department shall\nlahoma Statutes and shall be paid directly to\n\nteachers through school districts.\n\nIf a person with an advanced, lead, or master teaching\n\ncertificate changes school districts during the life of the\n\ncertificate, the terms of the contracts required in this subsection\n\nshall be subject to approval by the new employing school district.\n\nL. Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, the Department shall\n\nmake the teaching certificates provided for in this section\n\navailable for any person who has received a recommendation from his\n\nor her school district and who meets the eligibility criteria as\n\noutlined in each school district’s teacher evaluation system\n\nprovided for in subsection I of this section.\n\nM. The funding necessary for the administration of this section\n\nshall be provided from the Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund\n\ncreated in Section 6-190.2 of this title. If funding for the\n\nadministration of the teaching certificates listed in subsection I\n\nis not available, the Department shall not be required to fulfill\n\nthe requirements listed in subsections I, K, and L of this section.\n\nN. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to\n\nimplement the provisions of Section 6-180 et seq. of this title.","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":"820dcb3fe138dfd69eeebbf655776d0c9272bae4463c9c88d3df8637199f1a56","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-189.2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-6-190.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}