State education department approves UW-Green Bay educator re-licensure program
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has granted first-time full approval for an educator re-licensure program offered only by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Professional Program in Education.
The Accomplished Educator Professional Development Certificate Program provides a more rigorous alternative to traditional educator re-licensure that focuses on professional development and collaboration, said Kim Desotell, coordinator of the PDC program at UW-Green Bay. DPI’s licensing division previously recognized the program, but the full department designation — granted in a July 1 letter from state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers — takes it from being a local program to one with potential as a statewide credential, Desotell said.
Eight area school districts have existing partnerships with the PDC, and 110 educators — including teachers, school psychologists and others — currently are pursuing re-licensure through the program. The DPI approval, good for five years, immediately reinforces those partnerships. Participating districts of Sheboygan, Pulaski, Green Bay, De Pere, Manitowoc, Two Rivers, West De Pere and Kiel have yielded more than 240 PDC graduates during the program’s 11-year history, with re-licensure typically earned in 18 to 36 months.
“This approval provides credibility to those holding a PDC certificate as well as those currently seeking re-licensure through our PDC program,” Desotell said. “We are pleased that DPI has recognized the program as a rigorous and worthy alternative for re-licensure in Wisconsin.”
The PDC is a unique, self-paced, individualized professional development program that is designed to meet a demand from educators and school districts to provide a responsive and practical structure for continuing professional growth and improved student learning. The new designation could provide additional options for struggling districts; for example, those that have missed federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks in recent years, Desotell said.
The PDC program was the first professional development program to be endorsed by the Professional Development Academy of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. It is coordinated through the offices of the Institute for Learning Partnership, which is a joint venture of the UW-Green Bay Professional Program in Education, local school districts in CESA 7 and CESA 8, and area businesses.
For information about the PDC contact Kim Desotell at (920) 465-2992; or desotelk@uwgb.edu.
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