Striving to expand its pool of teachers and staff certified as "highly qualified," the V.I. Department of Education is hosting certification workshops this summer and will pay tuition for one UVI class this fall.
The summer workshop series will serve as an alternative certification route for public school teachers, according to a statement from the Education Department.
“Teachers who need any of the following courses: Foundations of Education, Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction, Classroom Management, and Educational Technology are urged to visit the Human Resources office to register for the workshop at no cost," Nicole Jacobs, Education’s acting human resources director, said in a statement.
All V.I. public school teachers who are lacking education coursework for certification can sign up from June 7 through June 18 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Human Resources Offices on Kongens Gade for the St. Thomas-St. John District and in Orange Grove in the St. Croix District.
“Final dates for the summer institute are dependent on the number of teachers who register,” Jacobs said. “However, due to the limited number of available slots, interested individuals are asked to act quickly as the selections will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
This fall, Education will pay 100 percent of tuition and fees for public school teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff and administrators to take one three-credit course at UVI. Teachers can take undergraduate or graduate level coursed that lead to certification, while paraprofessionals may only take undergraduate courses that relate to their duties. All other support staff persons may enroll in undergraduate or graduate classes related to their duties. Sign-up, which runs from June 7–16, has to be done in person.
While tuition is free, textbooks are the student’s responsibility and should anyone fail a course paid for by Education, they will have to reimburse the department for the cost.
For more information or to register, visit the Human Resources Offices or call 772-3848 (STX), extensions 26, 31, 32 or 34; or 774-0100 (STT), extensions 8052 or 8055.
