Licensure for Substitute Teachers: Kansas
Hiring Policy
Analysis of Kansas's policies
Substitute License(s): Kansas offers two substitute licenses: a Standard Substitute License that requires a bachelor's degree and completion of a teacher preparation program, and an Emergency Substitute License requiring 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university.
Length of Assignment: Kansas allows certified teachers to substitute teach for up to 125 consecutive days in the same assignment. The state permits holders of a Standard Substitute License to teach for up to 90 consecutive days in the same assignment. Holders of the Emergency Substitute License who also possess a bachelor's degree may teach up to 30 consecutive days in the same assignment. Kansas permits holders of just an Emergency Substitute License to teach for no more than 15 consecutive days in the same assignment. However, districts may apply to the state board of education to extend the assignment for up to 93 days. If the state board of education declares an emergency, there are no restrictions on the amount of time any substitute can teach "in a position made vacant by reason of the emergency."
Evaluation of Long-Term Substitutes: Kansas has no requirements for the evaluation of any of its substitute teachers. Kansas state policy is unclear on whether substitutes with a current teaching license are subject to evaluation under the state's evaluation requirements.
Recommendations for Kansas
Require substitute teachers to have a substitute license or meet uniform minimal requirements.
Kansas should require all substitute teachers to obtain a substitute teaching
license. Licenses issued by the state allow for uniform minimum requirements so
that all districts have access to a similarly qualified substitute teaching
pool. In absence of requiring state substitute licenses, Kansas should
establish uniform baseline requirements to help ensure that all substitutes are
at least minimally qualified to teach students.
Distinguish requirements for short-term and long-term substitutes.
Kansas should distinguish between requirements for short-term and long-term substitutes so that it can ensure that its requirements are appropriate for the needs of these teachers. The state's long-term substitute requirements should be rigorous (e.g., that all long-term substitutes have current or expired licenses) to help ensure that teachers who are spending extended periods of time with
students are prepared to do so.
Require long-term substitute teachers to be evaluated.
Kansas should maintain standards for substitute teacher quality and accountability for all substitutes, but especially for long-term substitutes who are expected to stand in for licensed teachers for extended periods of time. Kansas can help ensure that substitute teachers are held to high standards and have access to the supports necessary to improve their practice by requiring evaluations—
which it may find appropriate to modify from its standard, state-required
teacher evaluations— of long-term substitutes.
State response to our analysis
Kansas recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
Updated: December 2017
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Kansas
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Hiring
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Teacher and Principal Evaluation
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Retaining Effective Teachers
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How we graded
Research rationale
Research finds that teacher absences negatively affect student achievement and growth.[1] While some of this is attributable to the disruption of regular classroom practices and instruction,[2] it may also be attributable to substitute teacher quality. The gap in instructional quality and daily productivity when a regular teacher is replaced by a substitute teacher is significant.[3] However, absences covered by substitutes licensed by the state are not as detrimental to student achievement as those covered by non-licensed substitutes.[4] Some research hypothesizes that the low-skill level and mobility of substitute teachers may contribute to the reduction in instructional focus and quality and that even when substitute teachers are good instructors, they may be unable to effectively implement a teacher of record's long-term instructional strategies.[5] Parents, teachers, principals, and students have concerns about substitute teachers' quality and qualifications.[6] States should maintain rigorous standards for substitute teacher quality and accountability for all substitutes, but especially for long-term substitutes who are expected to stand in for teachers for long stretches of time.
[1]Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.; Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2009). Are teacher absences worth worrying about in the United States? Education Finance and Policy, 4(2), 115-149.; Joseph, N., Waymack, N., & Zielaski, D. (2014). Roll call: The importance of teacher attendance. National Council on Teacher Quality. Retrieved from https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/RollCall_TeacherAttendance; Zubrzycki, J. (2012). Educators take another look at substitutes. Education Week, 31(36), 1-16.
[2] Rundall, R. A. (1986). Continuity in subbing: Problems and solutions. Clearing House, 59(5), 240.; Turbeville, I. F. (1987). The relationship of selected teacher characteristics on teacher absenteeism in selected school districts of South Carolina (Unpublished Dissertation). University of South Carolina.
[3] Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.; Varlas, L. (2001). Succeeding with substitute teachers. Education Update, 43(7).; Gagne, R. M. (1977). The conditions of learning (3d ed.). New York, NY: Holt Rinehart and Winston.; Capitan, J. H., & et al. (1980). Teacher absenteeism. A study of the Ohio Association of School Personnel Administrators. Seven Hills, OH: American Association of School Personnel Administrators; Herrmann, M. A., & Rockoff, J. E. (2012). Worker absence and productivity: Evidence from teaching. Journal of Labor Economics, 30(4), 749-782.
[4] Note that this study did not define what "licensed" meant in the context of substitutes; see: Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2009). Are teacher absences worth worrying about in the United States? (Working Paper 24). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.
[5] Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.
[6] Abdal-Haqq, I. (1997). Not just a warm body: Changing images of the substitute teacher. ERIC Digest.; Ostapczuk, E. D. (1994). What makes effective secondary education substitute teachers?: Literature review. ERIC Digest.; Weems, L. (2003). Representations of substitute teachers and the paradoxes of professionalism. Journal of Teacher Education, 54(3), 254-265.; Seldner, J. K. (1983). Substitute teaching: Is there a better way? Teacher Education Quarterly, 61-70.