SECTION 218:10-9-1. Education Leadership Oklahoma regulations

(a)   Selection of scholarship recipients.

(1)   Applicant can be funded for only one Education Leadership Oklahoma (ELO) scholarship to attain National Board Certification.

(2)   Applicant must currently be a, full-time, Oklahoma public school classroom teacher with special consideration given to teachers who work in inner city schools as defined by law.

(3)   OEQA shall develop the ELO application and any associated deadlines. The application will seek information in the form of short answer questions and essay.

(4)   OEQA shall designate the place and time for ELO applications to be read and scored by the Application Review Committee if necessary.

(5)   The Application Review Committee shall review and score applications to award scholarships

(A)   The Application Review Committee will consist of thirteen National Board Certified Teachers.

(B)   Each Application Review Committee member may choose National Board Certified Teachers, as needed, to assist in reading and scoring ELO applications.

(C)   Each Application Review Committee member including National Board Certified Teachers will be trained to read and score applications.

(D)   The Application Review Committee members shall serve a term of no more than five years.

(E)   If an Application Review Committee member resigns before the end of his/her term, the agency responsible for that nomination will submit a nomination of a person to replace that member.

(F)   The Application Review Committee may consider one or more of the following:

(i)   Knowledge of NBPTS process

(ii)   Inclusion of the five core propositions within the essay question

(iii)   Degree to which the applicant's essay conveys his/her application of the five core propositions

(iv)   Conveyance of commitment to rigorous process

(v)   Provision of quality writing which is clear and sufficiently elaborated

(vi)   Demonstration of knowledge, ability, and leadership

(vii)   Verification of percentage of free/reduced lunch

(G)   ELO candidates shall be selected based on scores determined within the application process.

(i)   Applicants will be ranked from highest to lowest based on the application scores.

(ii)   Special consideration will be given to teachers who work in inner-city schools (as defined by law).

(iii)   In case of a tie score, the locale (under-represented areas of the state) may be considered for candidate selection.

(iv)   Candidates must attend required Professional Development

(b)   Payment and reimbursement of assessment fees.

(1)   OEQA shall make assessment fee payments to NBPTS for each scholarship candidate, upon signing a contract.

(2)   Should a candidate be unable to complete the process by the National Board deadline, the following shall apply:

(A)   If the candidate withdraws by the National Board deadline and OEQA can recover partial amount of the application fee, the candidate may pay the amount not recovered and will then be considered in the next applicant pool.

(B)   If the candidate does not withdraw or submit by the National Board deadlines, he/she will be responsible to OEQA for the reimbursement of the assessment fee

(3)   OEQA shall reimburse candidates who pay the National Board assessment fee if they are a full-time public school classroom teacher in the year they certify.

(4)   OEQA will fund a maximum of two retakes to candidates that bank scores with the NBPTS provided funding is available.

[Source: Added at 32 Ok Reg 1709, eff 9-11-15]