Occasional Per Diem Teachers
Nov 21, 2001 3:29 PM
GLOSSARY
Appointment; appointed teacher. Appointment is placement into a permanent teaching position, subject to satisfactory evaluations, completion of license requirements and the continued availability of positions.
Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W). See New York State Teacher Certification Exams.
Board of Education. The New York City Board of Education over sees the entire public school system in the city and appoints the system’s chief executive officer, known as the chancellor. The board is responsible for operating citywide special education programs for youngsters with severe handicaps; running the high schools, which are divided into five districts;and monitoring the operations of the 32 community school districts.The mayor appoints two members to the board and each of the five borough presidents appoints one.
Certificate. A document that the Board of Education issues regular substitutes and occasional per diem (day-to-day) substitutes that allows them to teach.
Certification. The New York State Education Department issues a certificate attesting that a teacher has achieved certain qualifications.These certificates are either provisional or permanent, and should not be confused with the board certificate.
Certified provisional teacher (CPT). A CPT is someone hired to fill a full-time vacancy who has valid state certification, either provisional or permanent, and has filed an application to take a Board of Education oral examination for a city license.
City license; licensed teacher. The Board of Education issues licenses in various areas of education to pedagogues who have passed a Board of Education interview examination, secured state certification and are eligible for appointment. A license allows you to teach in a particular field (like French or math) or at a certain level (like common branch for pre-K-6). Licenses are issued based on an oral interview, a review of records, a medical exam and fingerprint clearance. This is not related to the temporary state license.
Community school district. The public school system has 32 community school districts that generally are responsible for the education of youngsters in elementary and middle schools. In this age of experimentation, some also have opened their own high schools. Each community school district has a nine-member board chosen in a public election.
Day-to-Day Substitute. Another name for occasional per diem substitute.As opposed to regular substitute.
Educational deficiencies. For certification, the state requires a minimum number of credits in college courses, tests or experience to secure provisional certification; the requirements vary by license area or educational level. You must remedy any deficiencies you have in these educational requirements in order to get provisional certification.
File number. Your official Board of Education identification number,which is given to you on your first certificate or license. It stays with you throughout your board career, regardless of what position you hold.
High school district. There are five centrally run high school districts,each run by a superintendent, which oversee city high schools. They are:Brooklyn (which covers most of the borough), BASIS (southwestern Brooklyn and Staten Island), Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
Interview examination. The oral interview that the Board of Education conducts to determine whether to appoint you to a permanent position.
Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST). See New York State Teacher Certification Exams.
License; licensed. See city license.
Long-term assignment, position, vacancy. These terms refer to a sub hired after the 15th calendar day of the school year to fill a full-time vacancy that will last for the rest of the term or school year. A long-term per diem is paid every other week and gets the same benefits as a regular sub. The sub holding this post is known as a long-term per diem or full-time substitute.
New York City license exam. See city license.
New York State Education Department. The state agency that, among other things, issues regulations governing the education of pedagogues. One of its functions is to assess each substitute’s educational record and to establish an individual program to remedy any educational deficits that exist. This is the agency that issues provisional or permanent certification.
New York State teaching certificate. See certification.
New York State Teacher Certification Exams. A variety of tests that the New York State Education Department requires for certification. For just about everyone, for provisional certification they include both the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) and the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written(ATS-W). For permanent certification they include the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Performance (ATS-P), which includes a videotape of your classroom skills as well as a Content Specialty Test (CST). See the Regular Sub’hand book for more information by license area.
Nominate; nomination. The process by which a district tells the board that it wants to hire someone as a sub.
Occasional per diem certificate. See certificate.
Occasional per diem substitute. A substitute teacher who works on an occasional, day-to-day basis. As opposed to a regular substitute.
ORPAL. The Board of Education’s Office of Recruitment, Personnel Assessment and Licensing oversees the staffing of the school system, assesses teachers’ records and administers the interview examination, among other chores.
Permanent certification. The New York State Education Department will issue a permanent certificate to those who complete a master’s degree,have two years of teaching experience and pass required tests.
Placement center. This is a centralized job placement center from which the board makes appointments and, at times, assigns CPTs in shortage areas.
Preparatory provisional teacher (PPT). A PPT is someone hired to fill a long-term vacancy who does not yet have the requirements for state certification. PPTs agree to follow an educational plan set by the New York State Education Department to remedy any educational deficiencies they have.
Provisional certification. The New York State Education Department will issue a provisional certificate to those who secure a district superintendent’s signature attesting to employment in a public school.Provisional certification allows the certificate holder to work for five years while striving to obtain permanent certification. A PPT does not have state certification. A CPT does.
Regular license. See city license.
Regular substitute. A generic term for a pedagogue who is working provisionally in a full-time position at the Board of Education. Regular subs fall into two categories, PPTs and CPTs.
Shortage area. A license area that the board has particular trouble filling. Ask for the Board of Education shortage area "circular" with an up-to-date list. In the past the list has included bilingual special education,bilingual academic subjects (like math or science), English as a second language,speech improvement and certain vocational areas. (Bilingual elementary grades- pre-K-6 -are not shortage areas.)
Temporary state license. The New York State Education Department issues a temporary state license to PPTs; in essence this is the statement of deficiency, which states what you need to become certified. This is not related to the city license.
Uncertified. This refers to people who do not have state provisional certification.
