I came across some information this weekend that might be of interest to any preparatory provisional teachers (PPTs: those who do not yet meet the requirements for state certification for whatever reason). The gist of it:

Effective September 1, 2003, PPC's (PPT certificates) will no longer be issued or extended. That means you must meet all your certification requirements before that date. That may seem like a long time, but believe me, if you still need the bulk of your 36 credits in science (or 30 in education if you are a CB teacher), the time is very short. If you haven't started thinking about how you will meet that deadline, start planning now. Let me know if I can help. I'm not sure how the deadline applies to NYC Teaching Fellows, and it doesn't specify on their website.

-- Michael Gatton (mg143@aol.com), November 24, 2001

Answers

I've added a page to our website on licensing information for science teachers. I've included links to the UFT's guide to certification and licensing, summaries of state requirements, and a link to City College's Master's in Science Education programs. I also couldn't resist listing some of my observations about how difficult it is to get a science license and how little respect we get in return for our efforts!

-- Michael Gatton (mg143@aol.com), November 28, 2001.