Master Professional Educator Designation Pathways

The Master Professional Educator designation provides a career continuum for teachers who love to teach and want to impact students from the classroom. The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) recognizes the critical role of teacher efficacy in student achievement, and the Master Professional Educator designation is one opportunity ADE has established to reward excellent teachers and keep their talents in the classroom.

Becoming a Master Professional Educator

ADE has approved several pathways that lead to the Master Professional Educator designation. Once the Master Professional Educator designation is earned, it remains on the teacher’s license for the duration of his or her career. Regardless of the pathway, a teacher interested in receiving a Master Professional Educator designation must have the following:

  • Documentation of three (3) years of licensed teaching experience. This experience may include time spent teaching with a provisional license, but the teacher must have a standard Arkansas teaching license to be eligible.
  • Evidence of an effective or highly effective rating on the applicant’s most recent summative evaluation conducted within the previous 4 years.

Teachers who fulfill the bulleted criterion may select one of the pathways below to earn the Master Professional Educator designation:

Award Pathway: Because recipients of these awards have been vetted through a highly competitive process, winners of the following awards in educational excellence are eligible for the Master Professional Educator licensure designation:

National Board Pathway: The Master Professional Educator designation is awarded to teachers who have successfully completed the rigorous process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). The designation remains on the teacher’s license after the NBCT status has expired, but only active NBCT’s are eligible to apply.

 

Master’s Degree plus ADE approved Micro-credential Pathway: The ADE recognizes the value of a teachers’ content knowledge, but also the importance of pedagogy to impart their knowledge to students. Teachers who have earned a master’s degree in a content area or initial licensure area may pair the degree with two approved micro-credentials to receive the Master Professional Educator designation.  

 

Option 1 

Master’s degree Providing Feedback for Professional Growth + Scaffolding Instruction to Elevate Rigor. (micro-credentials offered through ArkansasIDEAS) 

 

Option 2 

Master’s degree + Facilitating Adult Learning + Building Collaborative Relationships to Foster Shared Purpose (micro-credentials offered through Bloomboard)  

 

BloomBoard’s Master Professional Educator Micro-Endorsement: Teachers choosing this pathway complete a stack of micro-credentials designed to improve instructional practices, content knowledge, and classroom management skills. Educators who successfully complete the Master Professional Educator Foundations micro-endorsement or the Foundations for Blended Learning micro-endorsement may apply for the Master Professional Educator designation.

The High Reliability Teacher (HRT) Program: Teachers who participate in the HRT Program through Marzano Resources learn the process necessary for continuous improvement of teaching practices, grow professionally in instruction and assessment, improve student achievement, and expand their career opportunities. Teachers who successfully complete Level 1 (Effective Use of Instructional Strategies) and Level 2 (Student Learning) of the HRT Program are eligible to receive the Master Professional Educator designation. 

Add a Designation to Your License

 

For more information, please contact:

Bobette Ray, Program Advisor
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Office of Educator Effectiveness
Four Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-683-1224