Initial Educator/Traditional Add-On Application Instructions

General Information

We are excited that you are considering pursuing your licensure with the CESA 7 Teacher Development Center! The CESA 7 Initial Educator Program is a two-year accelerated, performance-based, intensive licensure teacher preparation program for emergency licensed teachers who have not yet been awarded a teaching license in any subject. The program is primarily designed for teachers hired in shortage areas. Teachers working in private programs can also apply. Applying to the program usually takes 1-2 weeks. There are several steps to the application process which we will review in sections below.

Acceptance Qualifications

To be considered for entrance to the Teacher Development Center Program, you must:

be hired by a school district in a high-need area with an emergency license or permit
submit a completed Personal Information Packet with a non-refundable Application Fee to CESA 7 with the following documents:
- Professional resume
- Three letters of reference
- A copy of an emergency teaching license or permit and copies of any other licenses held
- A completed background check authorization form
- Proof of a Bachelor’s Degree.
- An official copy of transcripts sent directly to CESA 7 from a degree-granting university with evidence of meeting the undergraduate GPA requirement of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
  - If you do not have a 2.75 GPA, we may still be able to help you. Ask us how.
- Validation of school district employment (letter from your school district or copy of your contract)

Step 1 - Submit your Application Documents

General Information

General

If you meet all the requirements above and submit the documentation below, you will likely be admitted to the program. Please pay attention to the instructions below, as they will help you navigate the application process.

Key Reminders

Transcripts and references should be submitted by the institution/person writing the reference. Official copies will be accepted.
Submit documents in PDF form via email to the Scholar Advisor, Jeremy Wildenberg, at jwildenberg@cesa7.org.
Be diligent in checking your email.
Once created, you will be able to see your status in your Complete Checklist (more below)

1a. Application Forms

Submit Your Form

General

Filling out the Google Form (button above), will result in the creation of your TDC Information Form that will be emailed to you. There are several questions and sections you will need to fill out in the Google Doc. Once done, please notify the Scholar Advisor.

Key Reminders

Check the form carefully from top to bottom to ensure that you have completed all parts of the form.

Notify the Scholar Advisor via email that you have completed the form.
If you make changes to this form, please notify the Scholar Advisor so they can update your information on file.

1b. Academic Performance

Transcripts / Proof of degree

Transcripts

Your transcript helps ensure you meet the program GPA requirement. We also use your transcript to give you credit for the required courses. The easiest way to submit your transcript is to have it emailed to jwildenberg@cesa7.org.

Proof of Degree

In order to enroll in the TDC, you must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited, degree-granting institution of higher education (IHE). If your official transcript does not show you have been awarded a degree, you will need to submit a PDF copy of your diploma.

Key Reminders

You must provide an official transcript in PDF form

You can order most transcripts online at your institution
International transcript evaluations must be done by a DPI- approved entity (more info)
If you are having trouble ordering your transcript or need to mail a copy, contact the Scholar Advisor.

1c. Background Check

General

State statute stipulates that all school staff members who work with children must pass a background check. This form gives us permission to run that background check to ensure that you don’t have a criminal history that would prevent you from working with children. As a part of your licensing process with the DPI, you may also have to have your fingerprints taken. Fingerprints are handled directly with the DPI.

Key Reminders

The accuracy of this form is important.

The Project Specialist will send this form to you in DocuSign once your application form is completed.
Your full middle name must be written out (if none, then write "No Middle Name"
Don't forget to list previous legal names. These include maiden names.

General

Your education and past experiences help us understand you as a candidate. This document doesn't have to be aimed at us, but a resumé tailored toward an education position gives us a good idea of your qualifications for teaching.

Key Reminders

The presentation of the resumé matters.

It should be in PDF format
It should present a professional appearance

1d. License & Proof of Employment

LWS1 Instructions

General

You will need to provide proof of employment at a school district as a teacher of record in the area of your desired licensure to be fully admitted to the program.

If you are not employed on a teacher contract, you can still join as a pre-scholar for one term, but you must have employment by the second term in the program.

Key Reminders

Please submit the following documents:

PI-1624 LWS1 License with Stipulations Form signed and sent by the district
A copy of your license (you will submit this later when received from DPI)

Step 2 - Program Document Review

2a. Personal Program Generation

General

After we receive all your documents, our admissions officer will review them and generate a personal program for you. This personal program will list all the requirements to successfully complete your program.

You will be given transfer credit for any previous coursework.

Key Reminders

We give transfer credit whenever possible. However, many of our courses are very specific based on DPI requirements, so we can't always give transfer credit.

If you have a CPI Blue Card, we can recognize that qualification to give you credit for the Conflict Resolution course.

2b. Completion Checklist Generation

General

The Scholar Advisor will use the Personal Program to generate the Scholar Success Plan tab in your completion checklist. The Success Plan allows you to see all program requirements by term, costs and progress made in the program.

Key Reminders

The Completion Checklist also has an Application tab that will allow you to see the status of your application documents in real-time.

2c. Plan Review & Acceptance

General

You will review your Personal Program and Success Plan and answer any questions you may have about them. If you agree to move forward with enrollment, we will send you your plan documents for signature and you will enter the final phase of enrollment

Key Reminders

None

Step 3 - Program Maintenance

3a. District Agreement

It is important that your district understand their responsibilities in supporting you in your program. For this reason, we send out a district agreement listing those responsibilities and asking the members of your support team (mentor, supervisor, district administrative staff member) to affirm that they understand and agree to support you.

3b. Licensing Support

We are here to support you throughout your licensing journey. In our program, we will provide you with:

In-person and online advisor support to ensure you stay on track in your program
In-person and online support from a coordinator throughout the licensing process
Classroom observations by the coordinator and/or TDC instructors/supervisors for evaluations of effective teaching based on the Danielson Framework
Periodic meetings to provide information and support for candidates in the program and enhance ongoing communication and collaboration
Portfolio creation appropriate to the Wisconsin PI 34 licensure process
Compliance in meeting all DPI requirements for Teacher Performance Assessment Initiatives

Page updated

Report abuse