
- September 24, 2020
- by Diane Staehr Fenner
- Multilingual Learner Education
State Recertification Requirements & Recommendations for All Teachers of English Learners


Key Findings
Our key findings include:- In many (but not all) states, recertification in general is required every five years and necessitates evidence of continued learning such as college credit or semester hours, continuing education units, or PD hours.
- The overwhelming majority of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, do not currently have a policy in place that requires general education teachers to complete any amount of English learner–related professional development in order to renew their general education certification.
- Four states have some type of English learner PD requirement in place for certification renewal: Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York.
- Some states have a requirement for districts to offer English learner PD, although completing the English learner PD is not a requirement for teachers to renew their certification. These states include, but are not limited to, California, Florida, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Texas.


Our Recommendations
Based on our findings, our recommendations are the following:- States should require all teachers to engage in some kind of high-quality professional development and certification around teaching English learners.
- Professional development topics should reflect the realities of today’s schooling, including supporting ELs academically and social-emotionally in face-to-face as well as distance learning environments.
- State legislatures should collaborate with key stakeholders such as state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), teacher education programs, English learner educators, and English learner advocacy groups in order to assess teacher professional development needs and develop recertification policies and procedures that support adequate preparation for all teachers of English learners.
- SEAs should analyze models being used in other states to promote training and preparation for all educators of English learners to determine which models might be most appropriate and viable in their context.
- SEAs and LEAs should offer incentives and opportunities for general educators to take courses related to language acquisition, language pedagogy, and culturally responsive instruction, among others.
- SEAs and LEAs should seek opportunities to elevate the role of the English learner specialist.
- SEAs and LEAs should support flexible ways for educators to engage in PD related to instruction of English learners, such as online courses, English learner–focused book studies, and professional learning community discussion groups.
- SEAs and LEAs should collaborate with local colleges and universities to develop programs to encourage bilingual populations of high school students and teacher assistants to become teachers. –

About SupportEd
SupportEd, LLC is a woman-owned small business based in Fairfax, VA specializing in Multilingual Learners (MLs). Founded in 2011 by Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner, best-selling author and ML expert, SupportEd meticulously crafts customized solutions to fit each client’s strengths, needs, and provides teachers and administrators the practical tools necessary to champion MLs’ success within and beyond the classroom. All SupportEd team members have prior experience in the classroom which enables the SupportEd team to provide realistic, actionable solutions. Services include online and in-person immersive professional development workshops, easy-to-implement tools and resources, and an array of supporting services. Visit SupportEd.com or call (202) 660-1444 to learn more.