ABCTE Approved to Provide Missouri Elementary Education Certification
Certification Opportunities Expanded
Washington, DC – The Missouri legislature has authorized the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence to provide certification for Elementary Education, effective August 28, 2014. The new authorization expands American Board’s service in the state of Missouri. Currently, American Board provides Missouri teacher certification in the following areas: Biology (9-12), Chemistry (9-12), English Language Arts (5-9 & 9-12), General Science (5-9 & 9-12), History (5-9 & 9-12), Math (5-9 & 9-12), and Physics (9-12).
The new Missouri Elementary Education (K-6) certification expands American Board’s offerings in Missouri into an area where American Board has an established practice throughout the United States. To date, American Board has certified more than 5000 educators nationwide, including 1400 elementary education certifications. Additionally, American Board has certified more than 950 educators in the state of Missouri since 2008. The new Missouri Elementary Education (K-6) educator certification will increase the number of high quality educators that American Board credentials within the state each year.
Missouri Teacher Certification Requirements
For Missouri certification, candidates must complete the required American Board curriculum and assessments. Missouri teacher candidates must also meet the following state criteria:
- Bachelors Degree with a 2.75 minimum GPA
- Attain 90 contact hours as a para-professional, lead teacher in a public or private school, or as a substitute teacher, or combination of any of these. At least 30 of these hours must be at a K-6 level.
American Board President & CEO, Shawn McCollough stated the following about the new Missouri K-6 educator certification “We are excited about the opportunity to provide elementary education certification in Missouri. The practice aligns with our mission to provide quality educators in areas of need throughout the United States. We look forward to expanding our service to teacher candidates and Missouri school districts in this capacity.” American Board is a national, nonprofit, teacher certification organization. For more information on all of American Board’s teacher certification programs, please visit https://www.americanboard.org/.