The Teach For America • Delta staff has worked hard to remove barriers, restrictions, and duplication and to streamline the licensure experience for corps members so that they can become fully certified within their two-year commitment. Your initial provisional licensure is primarily dependent upon passing a series of tests. All Delta corps members are first required to take and pass the Praxis I (professional assessments for beginning teachers) series in reading, writing, and mathematics before entering the classroom. All corps members must also take a Praxis II subject-specific test that applies to their specific teaching placement. These exams must be taken before the summer training institute begins in early June due to licensure timelines and requirements. In addition, Arkansas placements will be required to take between one and three additional Praxis II tests during their first and second year of teaching in order to maintain provisional licensure for the second year.
Certification and testing requirements in the Mississippi Delta vary depending on the state, subject, and grade level. Teach for America • Delta’s professional development model, which includes Professional Saturdays and Investment, Community, and Execution Groups is a required part of the certification process for corps members in both states. These states also require corps members to enroll in and complete the nine graduate course credits offered at the institute. Delta staff will provide further details about the certification process and testing requirements to corps members during orientation, once their district and subject placements are finalized.
In most cases in Mississippi, corps members can become certified by the end of their first year. In Arkansas, corps members are expected to have completed all requirements to become certified by the end of their second year. Reciprocity with other states is possible with some additional requirements, and will vary by state.
Additionally, Teach for America • Delta corps members have the option to participate in tuition-paid master's programs at Delta State University (DSU) in Cleveland, Mississippi. DSU offers graduate assistantships, which cover the cost of tuition and fees for Teach For America corps members. DSU also offers up to two paid courses per each fall and spring semester, as well as one paid course during the summer. These courses are provided in exchange for corps-member-initiated and DSU-Delta Center for Culture and Learning approved service learning projects in their school communities. Although DSU is located in Mississippi, corps members teaching in Arkansas are also encouraged to participate in these programs. Any out-of-state fees are dropped.
| Costs to Begin Teaching |
|---|
| Testing: Praxis I combined test in Reading, Writing, and Math: $130; One or two Praxis II exams: $65-160; yearly registration fee: $50 |
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Background Checks and Processing:
$47 (Arkansas) $0 (Mississippi) |
| Three Graduate Level Courses at Institute: $300/course ($900 total in 2007) |
| Up-Front Certification Costs: $400-480 for Praxis exams; $900 for the University of St. Thomas credits (paid at the institute); $45 for background check in Arkansas only |
| Costs to Maintain Provisional Credential |
|---|
| Arkansas: $160-350 (additional Praxis tests), up to $1200, dependent on placement for possible additional course work (Teaching Reading II and AR History) |
| Mississippi: $0-500 (dependent on area of placement) |
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