Friday, November 04, 2016

CHANGE OF LICENSE FOR SOME TEACHERS

Like many of you I received the email below on my Department of Education account concerning a change of my license that the UFT, behind closed doors as usual, negotiated with the DOE. Many of us who are licensed Day High School teachers in the city have New York State Certification for grades 7-12 so making the license mirror what the state certification says looks to be a positive step as it would expand opportunities. Teachers who go up or down will no longer have to serve a new probation period.

However, what if someone who is teaching in high school wants no part of a middle school job? Conversely, what if a teacher who is in middle school does not want to move up to the high schools?

We can no longer count on our license to keep us teaching at the high school or middle school level. This looks like it might be a concern for those who teach in 6-12 schools. Many are appointed on their high school license while others are appointed on middle school license. I have been told that teachers were moved to teach classes at different levels routinely and license didn't matter but at least it was something to use if a teacher wanted to stay within the high school or middle school division.

If anyone has any other information and can read this better than me, please feel free to chime in.

Dear Colleague:

Effective November 1, 2016, in order to better align with New York State Education Department Certification levels, your New York City teaching license has been broad-banded to apply to all secondary grades. This change is being made in accordance with an agreement between the United Federation of Teachers and the NYC Department of Education.

If you are currently a licensed teacher of Social Studies for Day High School, the following will apply:
·        Effective 11/1/2016, your current license code will remain the same, but that license has now been expanded to apply to all secondary grades:  “Social Studies (Secondary)”. There will be no change to your seniority, completion of probation status, or other conditions of employment.

If you are currently a licensed teacher of Social Studies for Junior High School, the following will apply:
·        Effective 11/1/2016, your license will be changed to “Social Studies (Secondary)”.  This change will be retroactive to the date of your appointment in the Junior High School license. There will be no change to your seniority, completion of probation status, or other conditions of employment.

If you are currently a licensed Bilingual or Students with Disabilities (SWD) teacher of Social Studies, the following will apply:
·        Effective 11/1/2016, your license will be changed to the corresponding Bilingual or SWD Social Studies (Secondary) license as opposed to a license only for high school or junior high school. There will be no change to your seniority, completion of probation status, or other conditions of employment.

This license change will have no immediate impact on your assignment. However, as you progress in your career it may expand your opportunities to work with students in different grades and/or to consider broader transfer opportunities. Please know that the City license and corresponding grade bands does not supersede any grade limitations from your State certificate. Further, this license change has no effect on excessing or other personnel decisions made prior to the date of the change.

Questions regarding the above may be directed to your UFT chapter leader or borough office, HR Connect during regular business hours, at (718) 935-4000, or via email at licensechange2016@schools.nyc.gov.

Yours truly,

NYCDOE Division of Human Resources

            

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

The real question is "have traveling tenure rules changed?" Used to be, if you changed from HS to elementary, or to middle, or any change, you had to go through another tenure process (traveling tenure), however shorter, but I don't (or anyone I've asked) knows how that's changed. So, if you do find a job in a different level, are you still protected and for how long? From what I understand, before, you couldn't be forced to give up your tenure, ie.. change to another grade.

Unitymustgo! said...

I have a question about building seniority and excessing in elementary. My schools phys ed teacher is licensed middle school, but if I understand it correctly is (or has been up to now) grouped into the common branch license for excessing decisions. Would he now for excessing purposes no longer be grouped with common branch, but instead be the one and only teacher in my building under the middle school phys ed license? Wouldn't this make him easier to excess?

Anonymous said...

A HUGE exodus from middle schools has just been triggered! I work in a middle school and have seen many teachers leave for HS, even when they needed to be retenured, and so many more dreame of it. With this new change I know dozens of colleagues and friends who will rush to apply for HS positions when the open market goes up next year. Many HS were looking for special Ed teachers, math, science, and ELL teachers well into August, those will be filled from middle school teachers. Middle schools are going to be stripped of teachers, have a constant turnover, and find it difficult to even fill positions. I guess I'm just upset that so many of my friends and colleagues are going to be gone in a year, yet I'm happy they don't need to be stuck with "mock-teenagers" anymore! Middle school kids are absolutely the worst! Trust me on that, 20 years of teaching it and four kids, two currently in middle school!

Anonymous said...

In the paragraph before the last note :

"The City license and corresponding grade bands does not ....."

Come on DOE - you talk about incompetent teachers! What about administrators who are not conversant with the most basic of
grammar rules. Maybe you should try: "The City license, along with the corresponding grade bands, does ..."

incompetent ELA teacher.

NYC Educator said...

ESL teachers got them too. I wonder whether they're just allowing all teachers of every discipline to teach any grade.

Anonymous said...

I would like to note that these letters are never signed by a person and now the only way to contact them is by email. There used to be a phone number. We know you are all hiding in the Tweed Courthouse on Chambers Street.

Anonymous said...

This will not happen because everyday you work at a DOENYC school makes you more undesirable for a transfer. See all entries about Fair Student Funding. If you have experience in any school and have never worked in a DOENYC school, you are most likely to be hired. Charter school experience and out of state experience are most desirable. This is what I see in better run and attended high schools. So,if you really want to teach (and I would suggest you find something else to be passionate about), go teach somewhere else and then only apply to schools you have completely vetted and find acceptable. Do not try to teach in a middle school or less than acceptable high school. Only on rare occasions, you may be able to transfer out but for the most part, you will have basically destroyed your career prospects.

TeachmyclassMrMayor(andyoutooMrMulgrew) said...

My PE license has always said K-12

Anonymous said...

My PE License from the State is also also K-12. Been appointed under it for for a long time. The interesting thing is that NYC is making a big push to get PE certified teachers to teach at the elementary level. (You have always been allowed to teach elementary PE with a common branch license) I have heard rumors in the past year that soon all elementary PE teachers will be required to have a PE license. This is actually good news as 40% of current elementary PE teachers do NOT have a PE license and thus, people like me who have a PE license will be able to transfer to more desirable schools where there is a common branch teacher teaching PE. Bottom line though is that NYC is having a teaching shortage and that is a fact.

Anonymous said...

I'm a PE teacher too, even though you are certified K-12 by the state you were appointed to either HS or JHS and probably just didn't know it. They don't tell you this when you are appointed. Anyways, this could be great for us if we can take a job at an elementary school and not be at risk of being excessed. In the past if a certified PE teacher was teaching at an elementary school they were at risk of being excessed because they were teaching "out of license," and a principal could cut PE at the elementary level and just have classroom teachers bring their class to the gym once a week. Most elementary schools in the city either do this or have a veteran common branch teacher teaching PE. There could potentially be a lot of vacancies at elementary schools, I'm 4 years in, tenured and ready to find my dream job far out in Queens, don't tell anyone else!

Anonymous said...

Umm, not sure where you are teaching, I have been teaching PE in NYC for 15 years. Every elementary school I have been to has a full time elementary PE teacher. (Either common branch or certified PE) I have NEVER seen a school where a principal excessed a PE teacher and a classroom teacher brings the class to the gym and teaches PE. Also, at the elementary level, if there is a certified PE teacher in the building that person is considered more qualified to teach PE than a common branch teacher. In other words, a certified PE teacher with say 3 years in the system will get to teach PE instead of common branch teacher with say 10 years in. Basically, a PE license is more important that seniority in regard to teaching PE at the elementary level.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I am a rare breed. I teach elementary PE andI I have a both a PE license AND a common branch license. This is the most secure way to land an elementary PE job. Elementary principals love PE teachers who have classroom knowledge and expertise.

Anonymous said...

I didn't say it is that common, but they can do it if they want, and I have seen and heard about it, especially if a PE teacher approaches top salary, you did say that 40% of PE teachers at elementary schools don't have PE licenses. Two years ago it was much more before they started a new program in some districts. Twenty, thirty years ago the PE teacher at elementary schools would typically be one of the veterans who wanted to get out of the classroom and took it on seniority. Now with the K-12 license a PE teacher at an elementary school should be safe from excessing, I will have to go to the UFT and find out for sure, one would think this is the whole reason they made PE a K-12 license already.

Anonymous said...

Many schools are 6-12, as an ATR with 9-12 license I am continually covering 6-8 classes in these schools. I complained to several of the principals who told me their high school teachers refuse those coverages, so therefore as an ATR I have to. I contacted the Bronx UFT who told me it's true if I'm in such a school, even though I have a 9 - 12 license I have to cover those classes. Now the teachers of the schools are refusing these coverages because it's not their grade level, but we can't? Some schools are not hiring teachers and just have ATRs cover all the classes on a rotating basis. Many of these are special Ed classes. The ATRs aren't licensed in the subject, grade level, or in special Ed. Many of these kids are very disturbed. Last week one student was masturbating in his seat. It's like some kind of nightmarish mental facility. Then ATR supervisors come in and formally observe us in Masturbation 101. Every student passes that class, except the ATR. Maybe I'll expose myself and see if that will get me a satisfactory.

Anonymous said...

Did anybody ever investigate in minority schools why all the suprevisors are 99 percent minority? Doesn't sound mathematically feasible.

Anonymous said...

Who gives a shit? I'm covering crazy classes where kids masturbate in class and this is your reply to me!

James Eterno said...

We've put out some of the special education rules in a followup post. Hopefully, someone will get something going to get these kids who need the help proper services.

Dude said...

My Li. changed from K-5 to pre-K-5 a few years back now.