Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 20-A > Part 6 > Chapter 501 - Credentialing of Teachers

• Administrator: means an individual who provides leadership services to assist in the operation of schools, including, but not limited to, in the following capacities: superintendent, assistant superintendent, building administrator and principal. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Certificate: means the credential issued by the department to a qualified individual to serve as a teacher, educational specialist, educational technician or administrator. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Clearance: means the credential issued by the department to a qualified individual who has cleared a criminal history record check under section 6103 to serve as an employee in a position for which certification is not required or as an employee of a contracted service provider. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Conditional certificate: means the credential issued to a teacher, educational specialist or administrator who has not met all of the requirements for a certificate or endorsement. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Credential: means a document issued by the department indicating that a person has met the criteria to be certified, conditionally certified or cleared under this chapter or chapter 502. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Criminal history record check: means the fingerprint-based criminal history record check conducted by an entity designated by the department under section 6103. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Department: means the Department of Education. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Educational specialist: means an individual who provides professional services to a school, including, but not limited to, an athletic director, school counselor, library-media specialist, literacy specialist, school psychologist, school nurse or career and technical education evaluator. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Educational technician: means an individual who provides supportive educational services in accordance with section 13019?H. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Educator preparation program: means a public or private baccalaureate-level or postbaccalaureate-level program approved by the state board to recommend graduates for certification pursuant to chapter 502 as prekindergarten to grade 12 teachers, educational specialists or school administrators. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Endorsement: means a notation on a certificate that specifies the grades and subject area or work area for which the certificate is valid. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Majority: when used in reference to age shall mean the age of 18 and over. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Principal: means the person who supervises the operation and management of a school and school property as determined necessary by the superintendent under policies established by the school board. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Private school: means an academy, seminary, institute or other private corporation or body formed for educational purposes covering kindergarten through grade 12 or any portion thereof. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Program completer: means a person who, by successfully completing all of the requirements of an educator preparation program, has qualified for a recommendation for certification as a teacher or an educational specialist or an administrator. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• Public school: means a school that is governed by a school board of a school administrative unit and funded primarily with public funds. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• School administrative unit: means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district, regional school unit or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include a career and technical education region. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Secondary school: means that portion of a school that provides instruction in any combination of grades 9 through 12. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Semester hours: means units of academic credit that each reasonably approximate one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks or an equivalent amount of academic work at an institution of higher education, including laboratory work, internships, practice studio work or other academic work leading toward the awarding of a credit hour of approved study. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 13001-A
• State board: means the State Board of Education. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1
• Superintendent: means the person in a school administrative unit or school union appointed and having the authority and responsibility under this Title and other applicable statutes. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 20-A Sec. 1