Expanding the Pool of Teachers Policy
Kentucky offers the Adjunct Instructor certificate as a part-time license.
Candidates in the Adjunct Instructor Certification program must have either a bachelor's or master's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5, or 3.0 in the last 60 hours of coursework. Elementary applicants must have at least a minor in child development or a related area. Secondary applicants must have a major in their intended teaching field. Candidates are not required to pass a subject-matter exam.
The employing district must provide an orientation program for the adjunct instructor that provides information about student safety, policies and procedures and pedagogical assistance.
Require applicants to pass a subject-matter test.
Kentucky should consider requiring all applicants to pass a content knowledge test. Applicants for the Adjunct Instructor certificate should be experts in the area they plan to teach and therefore should be able to demonstrate such on an exam. Even with a minimum GPA and major requirement, it is unlikely that a bachelor's degree is sufficient evidence of expertise in a field. A subject-matter exam serves as an important safeguard; teachers without sufficient content knowledge place students at risk.
Kentucky recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.