It has recently come to my attention that all courses for the AV Communications Pathway require specialized endorsements. That is to say, whatever English Language Arts certification allowed instructors to teach communication technology courses under VE2 is no longer valid for Career Pathway approval. A journalism, business, or art endorsement is acceptable for most of the courses. See the license requirements for all AV Communications courses in the image to the right.
Below is a message from my ESSDACK consultant regarding this issue:
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Dear Dr. Dierksen and Travis,
Lori Adams at KSDE just called me back. If Mr. Feil has 50% or more of his journalism licensure coursework completed, then he can offer 21st Century Journalism that is a required aspect of the Arts/AV and Communication pathway. If he does not, then he will have to get enough coursework to offer that class before he can offer that class. Now, he does not have to offer that class the first year and he can get a pathway approved without having enough journalism to offer that class or the classes in the pathway that require journalism licensure to teach the courses. Travis, could you call me at your earliest convenience so that I can find out how far along you are on that journalism licensure? Derek can teach two of the pathway courses since he has art licensure. We just need to analyze the licensure requirement sheet and see what we can make possible for Sterling OR have to sit out a year without any funding for school publication skills courses. The regulations are continuing to be drafted but this is where things are for 2012-2013.
Clelia McCrory, Grants/CTE
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It appears from this message that the situation is as follows: a teacher not certified in journalism can offer the pathway for one year without teaching the 21st Century Journalism course. The course would have to be offered in year two, and certification must be 50% complete by that time.
For those of you who were unaware of this, it is certainly important that we all begin thinking of solutions. Clelia expressed her frustration that the state department recognizes their failure to communicate this requirement adequately; Clelia has attended every state meeting and informational session about these pathways and was not aware of this requirement until today.
A possible solution:
That having been said, I have contacted Linn Ann Huntington at FHSU to inquire about their journalism endorsement program. It appears to be the simplest and most accessible route for obtaining certification but will still present unique difficulties since some of the course work must be completed on campus. Ms. Huntington had this to say:
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Dear Travis:
Thank you for your interest in the Journalism Endorsement Program at Fort Hays State University. To begin your process, I am forwarding your e-mail to Ms. Kerry Schuckman, the teacher licensure officer at Fort Hays State.
She will need copies of transcripts from any colleges/universities where you have taken classes that could possibly transfer in. I am listing our required classes below, along with the semesters they are normally offered. Please note, our program is not an online program. While some of our classes are offered online occasionally, the majority are face-to-face classes on campus. For FHSU to provide your endorsement, at least 6 hours must be taken from FHSU.
We require 18 hours (six 3-hour classes) for certification. These are:
- Comm 128 Mass Media in a Free Society (on-campus fall and spring; occasionally online in the summer, depending upon state funding)
- Comm 129 Elements of Photography (Fall only)
- Comm 240 News Reporting (Spring only)
- Comm 345 Dekstop Publishing (Fall and Spring)
- Comm 622 News Editing (Spring only. If a student is already teaching in a classroom, we will offer this online as an independent study)
- Comm 625 Scholastic Journalism and Publications Advising (Spring only, online only)
An option that some high school journalism teachers opt for is trying to test out of one or more of these classes. Test-outs are $25 each (non-refundable). All test-outs are administered on-site at FHSU. They take from two-three hours each.
Again, thank you for your interest in the Journalism Teacher Endorsement Program at Fort Hays State University. If I can answer additional questions, please let me know.
Linn Ann Huntington
Professor of Communication Studies
Director of Journalism/Public Relations/Advertising
Fort Hays State University
600 Park St.
Hays, KS 67601
785-628-4018
[email protected]
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Pursuing another route:
To follow up on this information, I have drafted a letter to Lori Adams at KSDE. She is in charge of the licensure department and would be the one responsible for granting endorsements. My request to her was that KSDE seriously consider JEA’s CJE/MJE certification program as a route for Kansas teachers to receive state certification. My letter to Lori is as follows:
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Hello Lori,
My name is Travis Feil. I’m the president-elect of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and a CTE teacher for USD 376 in Sterling, KS.
As I’m working with fellow CTE educators on the transition process from VE2 programs to Career Pathways, a frequent concern has arisen about endorsement requirements for the AV Communications pathway courses. Like many other media instructors in the state, I’m certified in English but not journalism.
I fully understand why the new pathway courses require specialized endorsement, and I want you to know that the nature of my contact is not to request that English endorsements suffice for these AV courses. Rather, I’m contacting you today to ask if the state department has ever considered an alternative for AV Communications instructors to receive state recognized journalism certification.
Over the past few days, I’ve explored options for journalism endorsement both for myself and for several other KSPA constituents. What I’ve found is that KSDE and TEAL recognize two options for adding endorsements: Praxis exams or college programs of study. The first option cannot apply to journalism as Praxis does not offer a test in this area. That leaves journalism educators only one option for obtaining proper endorsement. The option of following a college’s program of study is certainly a challenging process to say the least as most colleges and universities do not offer such programs except on campus while most teachers are actually teaching. This option would force good teachers to leave their classrooms to return to college and, potentially, not have jobs to which they could return when the course work was complete.
This is my request; please thoughtfully and seriously consider this alternative route for awarding journalism endorsements in Kansas:
The Journalism Education Association, a national organization of journalism educators, is headquartered at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. I’m an 8-year member of this organization and frequently work for them as a state and national presenter. I can attest to the organization’s commitment to keeping quality journalism advisers in the classroom and equipping them and their students with the latest and most relevant skills in journalism in all its emergent forms, especially A/V communications.
To enhance and validate the skills of its member teachers, JEA has designed a certification program known as CJE (Certified Journalism Educator) and MJE (Master Journalism Educator). To earn the CJE distinction, educators must either present proof of successful college course work (primarily for state’s that do not offer a journalism endorsement at all) or pass a Praxis-like content examination at one of the two national conventions offered each year. This model mirrors KSDE’s own model, but it differs in one important way: JEA’s program recognizes that media instructors who have taught the content for years or attended professional development activities outside of college programs of study have gained the same skills and knowledge base that many state certified instructors have, and JEA offers the Praxis replacement exam as proof of such. This is how JEA puts it:
“State certification, which does not exist in many states, is usually mandatory and based entirely on college credits. Through the test, this program will recognize teachers who have gained knowledge through experience and self-study or from attending convention sessions or non-credit workshops. It also offers national certification whether or not a state program exists. The Master Journalism Educator program recognizes the teacher of unusual ability and expertise, a recognition that state certification cannot provide.”
While Kansas does offer a journalism endorsement, the option of completing this endorsement once one has begun teaching full time is nearly impossible. Likewise, since Praxis does not offer this exam, many Kansas instructors are left with little opportunity to pursue state recognized certification.
Would you please consider looking at JEA’s certification program closely and evaluating its merit as a Praxis replacement? The link below will take you to JEA’s CJE information page:
http://jea.org/home/commissions-2/certification/certified-journalism-educator/
Much information, including the program’s objectives and requirements and a list of commission members, can be found there. If you have further questions, JEA board members are more than willing to help clarify the nature of their CJE program and would gladly provide the content examination for your review. They can be contacted as follows:
Mark Newton, JEA President and former CJE chairperson:
[email protected]
Kelly Furnas, JEA Executive Director:
[email protected]
Susan Massy, Kansas State Director of JEA:
[email protected]
Kim Green, JEA Certification Chariperson:
[email protected]
Jill Chittum, KSPA President
jechittum@bluevalleyk12.org
Jeff Browne, KSPA Executive Director
[email protected]
On behalf of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and CTE instructors across Kansas, I look forward to visiting with you about this further. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Travis Feil
KSPA President-Elect
USD 376 CTE Instructor
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Waiting for further direction:
I sent this letter to the JEA and KSPA contacts listed in the letter for their approval and input. Once I hear back from them, I will send it to Lori.
FINISH YOUR PATHWAY APPLICATIONS ANYWAY:
My recommendation for right now is to proceed with your pathway application process as planned. The deadline for submission is March 15. Don’t miss this deadline. If you have need of course outlines to complete your application process, I have developed seven completed outlines for the following courses that I’m willing to share:
- 21st Century Journalism
- Media and Public Relations
- Photo Imaging
- Graphic Design Fundamentals
- Graphic Design
- A/V Production Fundamentals
- Digital Media Design and Production
Email me for copies of these outlines or a pathway design proposal:
Best of luck, colleagues.
Sincerely,
Travis Feil
KSPA President-Elect
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