New Hampshire
Teaching Standards and Leadership Standards
Teaching Standards
Is working with and meeting the needs of students with disabilities addressed in state teaching standards?
New Hampshire school districts are required to implement the Professional Education Requirements, which are based on InTASC standards. The team also used the “Teaching Works High Leverage Practices as a guide. These standards do not specifically address working with students with disabilities. However, they establish the expectation that effective teachers create “inclusive learning environments” and address the “unique needs of each learner.”
Sources:
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 505.07
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Part Ed 610.02
New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching, Phase I Report (October 2011)
New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching, Phase II Report (November 2013)
Ed 501 to Ed 504 – Credential Standards for Educational Personnel
- Adopted by the State Board on September 10, 2020
- Rules effective October 5, 2020 through October 7, 2030
Ed 507.40 and Ed 507.41 – Special Education Teacher and Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
- Adopted by the State Board on September 10, 2020
- Rules effective September 11, 2020 through September 11, 2030
School Leadership Standards
Is knowledge of working with students with disabilities included in leader standards?
Current Certification Standards for Principal Instructional Leader and Associate Principal Instructional Leader, which are based on the ISLLC standards and include two additional standards, establish skills, competencies and knowledge as basic qualifications. In the area of the culture of teaching and learning, the candidate shall have the ability to:
- Use multiple methods to assess and create a school district culture that recognizes diversity, including, but not limited to: language, disability, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
- Develop a school profile, using qualitative and quantitative data, to make recommendations regarding curricular design, implementation and evaluation that fully accommodate the diverse needs of individual learners.
The Administrator Standards are currently under review and being revised by a subcommittee of the PSB. The role of Special Education Director is being added to the revised standards.
Sources:
New Hampshire Department of Education, Certification Standards for Educational Personnel by Subject Area
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 506.04, Part Ed 614.04
New Hampshire Principal Evaluation Task Force Report
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 506.04, Part Ed 614.04
Teacher and Principal Preparation
Teacher Preparation – Program Approval/Accreditation
Required course work in teaching students with disabilities/diverse learners
Graduates of professional educator preparation programs in New Hampshire must demonstrate evidence of:
- An understanding of how learners develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the personal, physical, social, and academic dimensions;
- The ability to facilitate developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences based on the unique needs of each learner;
- Ensuring inclusive learning environments that allow each learner to reach his or her full potential; and
- The ability to employ universal design principles and assistive technology.
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Part Ed 610.02
Clinical time in diverse settings/teaching special populations
Professional Educator Preparation Programs are required to design varied field experiences that require candidates to interact with diverse learners and in diverse settings.
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Part Ed 604.04, 610.03-07
Teacher Preparation – Accountability
Quality of teacher preparation programs
New Hampshire does not monitor how well programs are preparing teachers to be successful by means of collecting program-specific objective data that reflect program performance, nor does it provide the public with meaningful, readily understandable indicators of how well programs are doing. New Hampshire requires that programs provide evidence of on-going assessment of their students and their faculty, a continuous improvement model.
The New Hampshire Council for Teacher Education has approval authority under state law for educator preparation programs. State rules require each preparation program to “have in place an assessment system and continuous improvement data cycle that evaluates the curriculum, learning facilitation, assessment processes and resources” that enable the oversight and coordination for the preparation of effective educators.
Sources:
National Council on Teacher Quality, 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Improving Teacher Preparation in New Hampshire
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Part Ed 602
Principal Preparation – Program Approval/Accreditation
Require course work in leading a school/district that serves students with disabilities/diverse learners
State regulations identify specific skills, competencies and knowledge that must be possessed by principals, superintendents and other educational leaders as part of the certification process. Our state policy analysis did not identify such capacities or specific course work required of school administrator candidates with regard to students with disabilities. Candidates, however, are still required to meet the professional education rule for teachers (Ed.505.07).
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Parts Ed 602, 609 and 614.04
Principal Preparation – Accountability
Are programs reviewed based on outcomes of graduates’ success? Can school principals be linked back to institutions of higher education and preparation programs?
Our state policy analysis did not identify any state accountability system for school administrator preparation programs. The New Hampshire Council for Teacher Education has approval authority under state law for educator preparation programs. State rules require each preparation program to “have in place an assessment system and continuous improvement data cycle that evaluates the curriculum, learning facilitation, assessment processes and resources” that enable the oversight and coordination for the preparation of effective educators.
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 600, Part Ed 602
Teacher and Principal Certification/Licensure
Teacher Certification/Licensure – Structure
Is a specific certificate, license or endorsement related to special education required?
New Hampshire offers only a K-12 general special education teacher certification and an early childhood (birth-age 8) certification in special education. All candidates must earn a degree in a major area of concentration. The state also offers certification in the following disability areas, with specific requirements: Intellectual or Developmental; Deaf and Hearing; Emotional and Behavioral; Specific Learning; Physical and Health; and Blind and Vision.
Sources:
National Council on Teacher Quality, 2012 State Teacher Policy Yearbook: Improving Teacher Preparation in New Hampshire
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 507.39
Ed 507.40 and Ed 507.41 – Special Education Teacher and Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
- Adopted by the State Board on September 10, 2020
- Rules effective September 11, 2020 through September 11, 2030
Teacher Certification – Examination
Does the state require teachers to pass a basic skills exam for initial certification? What are the pass rates on the exams? Does the state require Praxis II or more pedagogical assessment for licensure? Does it include anything about teaching diverse learners or special populations?
All teacher candidates are required to take Praxis I Praxis Core and Praxis II tests for each area of certification. Effective July 1, 2014, the Foundations of Reading Test will be required for the following subject areas: Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Reading & Writing Teacher, and Reading & Writing Specialist.
Sources:
ETS, Overview of New Hampshire Testing Requirements
NH Department of Education
nhdoepm.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CHD/pages/193954172/Basic+Academic+Skills+Assessment+BASA+and+Subject+Area+Testing+Information
Teacher Certification/Licensure – Requirements
Is professional development around working with special populations required to move from initial to a professional license?
The state’s general certification requirements do not address issues about working with specific student populations. However, teacher candidates who enter the profession through a route other than a state-approved preparation program or an out-of-state program that is part of the NASDTEC Interstate Contract must meet professional education requirements that include: (1) The ability to facilitate developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences based on the unique needs of each learner; (2) Ensuring inclusive learning environments; and (3) the ability to employ universal design principles and assistive technology. [Ed 505.07]
A candidate for certification as an elementary education teacher for grades K-6 or K-8 shall have skills, competencies and knowledge through a combination of academic and supervised practical experiences, including: knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of various personnel, including principal, speech language specialist, speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, special education administrator, and paraeducator in elementary schools and districts; and the knowledge of the laws governing the education of all learners and ability to use that knowledge to create an inclusive learning environment. [Ed 507.11] This is currently under review by the PSB (10/21).
A candidate for certification as an early childhood general special education teacher for children birth-to-age 8 or as an elementary/secondary general special education teacher for children ages 5-to-21 shall have the skills, competencies and knowledge through a combination of academic and supervised field-based experience in the following areas: theoretical foundation, characteristics of learners, learning differences, learning and social environments, assessment, instructional planning and strategies, professional and ethical practice, special education law, and collaboration. [Ed 507.39 and Ed 507.391]
Sources:
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Parts Ed 504-507
New Hampshire Department of Education, Certification Standards for Educational Personnel by Subject Area
Principal Certification/Licensure – Requirements
Is prior teaching experience required to become a principal and/or a superintendent? Is specific coursework or other evidence required around working with special populations?
New Hampshire requires principal candidates to have completed at least 3 years of successful experience as an educator and a program approved by the state board of education in school administration/leadership. Candidates must also be recommended for this certification by the designated official of the preparing collegiate department of education or demonstrate competencies, skills, and knowledge to promote “the success of all students” through experience in comparable leadership positions in education.
Sources:
New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 506
ECS, Administrator License Requirements, Portability, Waivers and Alternative Certification
George W. Bush Institute, Operating in the Dark
Teacher and Principal Induction
Teacher Induction
Is mentoring required for all new teachers and for how many years? If so, do program guidelines/requirements specifically address teaching diverse learners?
The state does not require new teachers to receive induction or mentoring support. However, the New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching has identified of the “four pillars of a coherent system of teacher education and professional development” as “programs and practices that support teacher induction with mentoring in at least the first three to five years of service.” The recommendation says that, “all new educators receive induction with mentoring for a minimum of 3-5 years to ensure alignment with New Hampshire certification rules and regulations for Beginning and Experienced Educators.”
Sources:
New Teacher Center, Review of State Policies on Teacher Induction
New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching
Principal Induction
Is coaching/mentoring required for all new principals/administrators/ superintendents and for how many years? If so, do program guidelines/requirements specifically serving diverse learners?
The state does not require new administrators to receive induction support. However, the New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching recommends that new administrators experience professional development training alongside mentors to better understand how the mentor’s roles and responsibilities differ from the administrator’s role of supervision and evaluation.
Source: New Teacher Center, Review of State Policies on Teacher Induction
Teacher and Principal Professional Development Standards
Teacher Professional Development Standards
Does the state have professional development standards for teacher PD?
The state’s professional education rules require each school district or other administrative entity to create and for the state to approve a professional development master plan. It must include processes for developing comprehensive 3year individual professional development plans. The state does not appear, however, to have standards for teacher professional learning. New Hampshire’s standards for professional learning are embedded within the state’s Code of Administrative Rules, Part Ed 512.
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 512
Principal Professional Development Standards
Does the state have professional development standards for leadership PD?
New Hampshire’s standards for professional learning are embedded within the state’s Code of Administrative Rules, Part Ed 512.
Source: New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Chapter 500, Part Ed 512