Approval Process for Endorsement Revision

In Nebraska, endorsements are reviewed every 7 years.  The revision process is as follows:
  • Ad hoc committees, made up of educators who are experts in their field, meet to review and change the current endorsements, in necessary.  If national standards for reviewed endorsements exist, they are used as the foundation for revisions.
  • After ad hoc committees make revisions, endorsements move to either the Graduate or Undergraduate committees within the Nebraska Council on Teacher Education (NCTE) for further review.  Endorsements under review do not move out of the NCTE until the full council approves revisions.
  • The revised endorsements then progress to the Nebraska Department of Education's State Board of Education (SBOE) for approval as part of the Rule 24 revision.  Board approval gives NDE the right to hold a public hearing on Rule 24 revisions.
  • NDE then schedules a public hearing for the Rule 24 draft.  If objections to the Rule are not heard, the draft Rule once again goes before the SBOE for approval, and then moves to the Attorney General's office for approval.
  • If objections to the Rule are heard at the public hearing, the draft goes back to the NCTE for revisions, the Board for approval, and another public hearing.
  • Once the Rule 24 draft is approved and signed by the Attorney General and Governor, it becomes effective (usually on August 1 of the next year) and teacher education programs at Institutions of Higher Education must revise their program to meet the newly effective Rule 24 document.

Approved Endorsements in Rule 24, effective June 9, 2004
Assessment Leadership
Curriculum Supervisor
Special Education-Deaf or Hard of Hearing/Field
Information Technology (formerly Computer Science)
Physical Science

Approved Endorsements in Rule 24 (hearing draft approved as of 8-13-04/public hearing scheduled for 9-16-04)
Principal
Special Education Learning Disabilities
School Psychologist

Endorsements currently under review but not approved by NCTE (as of 8-12-04)
High Ability Learner
Social Science
Anthropology
Economics
Geography
History
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Cooperative Education
Elementary Education