Vermont Northern Lights Professional Development Instructors

INSTRUCTOR

Instructing adults is a skill, separate from teaching children, working with families or supervising staff. The Instructor Qualification System structures the collection, development and recognition of qualified instructors of adults who support the early childhood and afterschool fields. The Instructor Registry helps sponsors of professional development find these instructors. This system was designed in 2006 and launched in January 2007 by a committee of Northern Lights Career Development Center. Updates to the Instructor Qualification System were implemented in October 2009.

Quick Links:

About the Instructor Registry
Frequently Asked Questions
Benefits of Joining
Instructor Levels
Search the Instructor Registry

Applying to the Instructor Registry
Before you Apply to the Instructor Registry
Instructor Registry Application
Hard Copy of the Instructor Registry Application

Resources
Instructor Observation Tool
Instructor Support Documentation
Instructor Renewal Questionnaire

There are six different levels of Instructor in Vermont’s Instructor Registry.
Look at the Instructor Levels table before you apply to theInstructor Registry or search for an instructor. The following table describes the six different levels of the Instructor Registry. See the Definition of Terms and Special Guidance sections for more specific information about each level.

INSTRUCTOR REGISTRY and QUALIFICATIONS SYSTEM

1. PURPOSE and RATIONALE:
The purpose of the Instructor Qualification System is to ensure that quality instruction is available statewide to individuals working with or on behalf of children. To accomplish this, an approval process determines that competent instructors are qualified to provide professional development. This system is designed to:

Formal Instruction on Teaching Adults: All applicants need to have received this instruction, no later than one year after being approved. The formal instruction can be a workshop, a course or part of a course. It must include the following learning objectives for participants.

The workshop, Orientation to Teaching Adults meets all these objectives. It is offered by the Northern Lights Career Development Center annually, and as requested by groups. If applicants have completed a different training, they should specify in their application whether it met these learning objectives.

The Northern Lights Career Development Center will provide training and assistance in using these documents.

Instructors teach groups of adults working with or on behalf of children. Instructors provide professional development to individuals at all levels of the Vermont Northern Lights Career Ladder for early childhood and afterschool professionals. Instructors have education and experience in the content of the professional development they teach, as demonstrated by appropriate work experience or academic credit.

Instruction is a planned and documented, interactive group learning experience among adults, led by a qualified instructor to meet specific learning objectives. It is responsive to the needs and interests of the learner and learning outcomes for individuals are assessed. For the purpose of the Instructor Registry, hours of one-to-one instruction between an instructor and a single learner cannot equal more than half of the total hours required by the Instructor Qualifications System for that level of instructor.

Instructional Support/Supporting Instructors: Instructors at the Affiliate I, II and Specialist I levels are required to work with a Supporting Instructor at the Master or Certified Level. See Special Guidance for Selected Levels (below) for details.

Related Fields: Affiliate II, Certified and Master level instructors require degrees or education in a related field; Specialists may have degrees in un-related fields. Degrees with a major or concentration in one of the following areas, are considered related:

Related Credits: When the individual’s field of study is not one of the four areas above, then credit-bearing coursework in one or more of the following areas will be accepted.

Related fields and credits will be reviewed and approved by the Approval Panel on a case-by-case basis. Degrees and coursework must be from a higher education institution approved according to criteria set forth by the Northern Lights Career Development Center.

Years of Experience: In the Instructor Registry years of experience may include direct work with children and/or administrative experience in programs for children and families. Applicant experience should correspond to the afterschool or early childhood fields in which they want to instruct.

Completing your application electronically is the easiest way to apply to the Instructor Registry. Follow all of the directions on the application and click Submit when you are done. A hard copy of the application is also available. Supporting documents such as resume and transcripts are also required. All applications must be complete in order to be considered by the Approval Panel.

The three criteria considered by the Approval Panel, as detailed in the Instructor Levels, include applicant’s

Applications are reviewed every other month. (See Application Deadlines)
Your approved application becomes your Instructor Profile, which can be searched through the public registry if you choose. Therefore, consider carefully what you include in your application and allow enough time to complete it thoroughly. Applicants may also choose not to have their Instructor Profile viewed publically, in which case you will not be contacted by sponsors of professional development.

Applicants are asked to create a user name and a unique password when they apply. This will allow you to log-in and return to your application to complete it or update it at any time. Contact Northern Lights if you forget your password or need help with your application.

Near the end of the application you will need to list the Core Knowledge areas in which you are proficient to teach. This helps the sponsors of professional development search for instructors. It is important that instructors are familiar with the Northern Lights Early Childhood and Afterschool Core Competency documents and the Core Knowledge areas, as they are the basis of Vermont’s professional development system. Complete Competency Documents are available on the Northern Lights website http://northernlights.vsc.edu/comps_intro.html
Abbreviated documents that include a description of Core Knowledge Areas and related subheadings can also be accessed below:

SPECIALIST LEVEL APPLICANTS by definition have specific or technical knowledge in fields other than early childhood or afterschool fields. They may select up to TWO core knowledge areas that relate to their identified specialty area.

MASTER LEVEL APPLICANTS who have taught college courses with an institution of higher education within the past 3 years do not need to submit a transcript or diploma and do not have to identify taking an orientation to adult learning. This is because the qualifications of higher education institutions supersede this document when applicants teach college level courses. Applicants must still have the appropriate degrees or related credit hours to be Master instructors.

CERTIFIED AND MASTER LEVEL INSTRUCTORS may be requested to act as Supporting Instructors to Affiliate, and Specialist I instructors. The minimum requirement to be a supporting instructor includes the completion of 25 hours of adult instruction. See details below.

AFFILIATE I, II AND SPECIALIST I INSTRUCTORS are required to work with a Supporting Instructor who is at the Master or Certified Level. The supporting instructor needs to have familiarity with the content being taught, but does not have to be an expert. Their role is to support instructors and help them to gain skills in instructing adults. Applicants search and identify potential supporting instructors within the Instructor Registry. They contact that person to ask for their support, and confirm their interest in acting as a supporting instructor. Applicants should list their supporting instructor on the application. When the applicant accumulates sufficient experience instructing adults they can move to an independent level of instruction on the Instructor Registry.

Instructor Support
The process of Instructor Support is tailored to the needs of the individual instructor. The process of support has three phases:

Supporting Instructors accept responsibility for the quality of all three phases of support. Both the Instructor and Supporting Instructor should complete the Instructor Support Documentation form to summarize how they planned, reviewed and assessed instruction. This form and other resources for instructor support are available on the Northern Lights Website.
When an instructor has accumulated enough hours of instruction experience to move to Affiliate II, Certified, Master, or Specialist II levels, s/he should send documentation of instruction hours (dates/time/topic) and a copy of the Instructor Support Documentation form to Northern Lights. This document must be signed by both the instructor and the supporting instructor.
Application Deadlines:
Submitted applications and supporting documents must be received by the following deadlines for Approval Panel Review. Incomplete applications will be put on hold until the next review date pending receipt of supporting documents.

UPDATES:
Approved instructors can update their instructor profile at any time. It is important to keep your profile contact information and related experiences current so that Northern Lights staff and sponsors can continue to contact you. To make updates, go to the Instructors page on the Northern Lights web site. http://northernlights.vsc.edu/instructor.html. Click on Instructor Registry Application. Log-in as an existing user with your email address and the password that you created at the time of your initial application. Contact Northern Lights if you forget your password or need assistance.
Once you log-in, you will be able to view and update the following sections of your instructor profile:

Updating your instructor profile will temporarily remove it from public view until changes have been viewed and confirmed by a system administrator. Updates that could result in a change in Instructor Level (hours of instruction given, education) will require supporting documentation prior to approval. A Northern Lights Administrator will review updates when they are submitted and the Approval Panel may review them during the regular review schedule.

INSTRUCTOR RENEWAL:
To be maintained in the Registry, instructors at all levels need to renew their application every three years. Instructors will be notified of their upcoming renewal in advance. Renewal of instructors in Vermont’s Instructor Registry is needed to:

The 3 criteria for Instructor Renewal include instructor professional development, adult instruction given, and instructor profile update. Instructor profiles will be temporarily removed from public view while they are being updated and renewed. Renewal can be done in two easy steps.

Step 1:
Update your Instructor Profile.
Go to the Instructors page on the Northern Lights web site. http://northernlights.vsc.edu/instructor.html. Click on Instructor Registry Application. Log-in as an existing user with your email address and the password that you created at the time of your initial application. Contact Northern Lights if you forget your password or need assistance. You will now be able to update your Instructor Profile. Your profile will be temporarily removed from public view until it has been reviewed by a system administrator. Updates that could result in a change in Instructor Level such as hours of instruction given or education will require supporting documentation prior to approval.

Step 2:
Complete and submit the Instructor Renewal Questionnaire. This is a word-friendly document. Send to the Northern Lights Career Development Center
CCV - 307 South St. Springfield, VT 05056 Attention: Instructor Renewal

The Instructor Approval Panel has 6-7 volunteer members with representatives from the Vermont Northern Lights Career Development Center and others from the professional development field in early childhood and afterschool. There must be a quorum to approve applications. Members who are not staff of the Northern Lights Career Development Center can choose to continue or discontinue their membership on the panel annually. New members receive an Approval Panel Orientation prior to application review.

Appeals Process
Applicants may submit additional information to the Approval Panel if they disagree with the Panel's initial decision. To do so, please submit a brief letter stating the request, along with supporting documentation, to: Vermont Northern Lights Career Development Center - CCV Springfield, 307 South St. Springfield, VT 05156, Attention: Instructor Qualifications.
The Approval Panel will issue its final determination after reviewing the request. If the applicant does not agree with the Approval Panel's second and final determination, a formal appeal to an impartial Appeals Panel may be made. Please submit a letter specifically stating the nature of the appeal to the same address above. A three-person Appeals Panel comprised of knowledgeable but independent participants will review the entire file to determine the applicant's status. Applicants have the opportunity to appear before the panel if desired. The Appeals Panel's decision will be made within 30 days of receiving the appeal request. The Appeal Panel's decision shall be final.