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 Bootcamp meets for two weeks of face-to-face instruction with highly qualified and skilled presenters. These sessions are from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Teachers in Year 1 will complete the required Professional Development topics needed for their Provisional Licenses (built into the Summer Bootcamp 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 Bootcamp schedule).
Year 1 teachers and Year 2 teachers will meet on one Saturday a month during the school year.
*All ArPEP teachers need to have their own laptop or device to access lessons and sessions.
The APPLICATION for the 2026-2027 Summer Academy will be available March 1, 2026.
Applications will be accpeted until May 30, 2026.
Applications accepted until May 31, 2026
For more information, please contact
Dr. Dawn Bessee,
Year 1 Site Facilitator
870.578.0303