ArPEP

The Arkansas Professional Educator Pathway (ArPEP) is an affordable two-year, work-based,  alternative certification program that the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education administers. Enrollment in this program allows a candidate with a bachelor’s degree or higher to be licensed and employed as a classroom teacher while completing the necessary requirements for a Standard Arkansas Teaching License. ArPEP’s goal is to prepare day-one-ready teachers to meet the growing demand of the teacher pipeline in Arkansas.  The primary objective of ArPEP is to train future educators on how to:

• build classroom communities

• design effective lesson plans

• implement evidence-based instructional strategies, and

• use assessments to facilitate student learning

What to Expect

Summer Academy meets for two weeks of face-to-face instruction with highly qualified and skilled presenters. These sessions are scheduled from 8:30-3:30, with an hour break for lunch.

Teachers in Year 1 will complete the required Professional Development topics needed for their Provisional Licenses (built into the Summer Academy schedule), as well as the Science of Reading PD for their Awareness Credential OR Phase 1 needed for their Proficiency Credential (these dates are in addition to the Summer Academy schedule).

A Late Cohort option is available for Year 1 teachers who meet the criteria after the Summer Academy dates. This involves 4-hour virtual sessions every other week (usually Tuesday) during the first semester to learn the content from the Summer Academy. 

Year 1 teachers and Year 2 teachers will meet one Saturday a month during the school year.

*All ArPEP teachers need to have their own laptop or device to access lessons and sessions.