COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 88

April 30, 2004

INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

 

FROM:

Jo Lynne DeMary

Superintendent of Public Instruction

 

SUBJECT:

Regional and Virtual (Self-Study) Teacher-Training Academies for Selected Industry Certifications (May-August)

 

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Education Services, is pleased to sponsor a third round of teacher-training academies to prepare career and technical education teachers for selected industry certification examinations. These academies are scheduled in different regions of the state. In addition to instructor-led (or facilitated) academies, a new industry certification training format is being piloted in selected certification areas. The virtual academy with any time/any day course content access may be an attractive training option for teachers wanting to do online self-study using the Internet. Regional and virtual training academies will continue to be sponsored throughout the year. Testing options for the specific industry certification will be available as a part of the academies.

These industry certifications are Board of Education approved for the student-selected verified credit option. Career and technical education teachers must be certified in an industry certification before their students can be eligible for the student-selected verified credit that may be earned by passing an industry certification exam while completing a career and technical education course and/or program sequence.

For the May-August group of industry certification training academies, registration will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. A waiting list will be maintained for each training academy, and will be used to give first priority when enrolling participants in the next round of training academies.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will reimburse participants for travel expenditures (according to state guidelines) for training academies that are external (or scheduled as a pre/post-session) to summer conferences sponsored by CTE professional organizations. Expenditures will be reimbursed for either daily commuting mileage, or one round trip to the training academy if a participant travels from a distance that requires an overnight stay.

The Virginia Department of Education will not reimburse travel expenditures for training academies that are scheduled within the regular program of summer conferences sponsored by CTE professional organizations. Overnight lodging and meals will not be reimbursed by the VDOE for training academy participants for any event. Travel expense reimbursement does not apply to enrollment in virtual academies where access to study materials is provided online through the Internet.

All training academies will be tuition free (to include the cost of industry certification examinations and certain Internet courseware license fees) to career and technical education teachers who include preparation for the specific industry certification in their course or course sequence, and who use the industry certification as an option for their students to earn student-selected verified credit.

Teachers attending instructor-led training academies must test on-site or, if exam vouchers are provided, within 30 days of training. Teachers enrolling in virtual academies will have a 90-day period for online (Internet based) preparation and examination testing (i.e., June-August).

Individuals enrolling in virtual academies will have the option of individually scheduling examination testing at schools that are Certiport Testing Centers (IQ Centers) where available in their school systems, or at a centrally located testing facility to be scheduled by the Department of Education during each month of the 90-day preparation/testing period.

The industry certification training academies for the May-August time frame are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information about teacher-training academy times, directions to the locations, and preparation materials will be sent when a registration application is confirmed. Enrollment confirmation (or waiting list notification) will be sent directly to participants. All training academies require pre-registration. The registration application is attached. Persons who registered for a spring academy and were put on a waiting list (to be given priority for the next schedule of academies) must register again to indicate they still want to attend a particular training academy (location of academy may also differ from previous schedule, etc.).

For further information about an industry certification training academy, contact the registration coordinator for a specific training academy. For information about a specific industry certification, contact Gordon Creasy, specialist for industry certification and licensure, Office of Career and Technical Education, at gcreasy@pen.k12.va.us or 804-225-2057.

 

Registration application forms should be sent by mail or fax by May 30, 2004 (submit name/address page and the specific page(s) of interest) to the registration coordinator for a specific academy, Office of Career and Technical Education, Virginia Department of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120, or Fax: 804-371-2456, Attention: (specific) academy registration coordinator.

JLD/RAA/GC/sgj

Attachment

 

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2004/inf088a.pdf