NEA micro-credentials can now be used for reclass credits

A​​​pproved micro-credential courses offered by the National Education Association will soon be accepted by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education for reclassification credit in a pilot project sought after years of advocacy by the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association.

HIDOE will issue a memorandum detailing the project. Updates are currently being completed for an HSTA micro-credential portal. Once that is available, this article will be updated with the portal link.

In 2020, the HSTA Instruction and Professional Development Department began exploring other ways for HSTA members to earn reclassification credits. Given the pandemic, many changes were occurring in professional development courses, making it a good time to work with HIDOE to approve more than 175 micro-credentials for reclassification credit.

HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr. said, “Our educators will benefit from learning new skills and the keiki they teach will be better served because of this pilot program.”

“We’d like to thank Senate Education Chair Donna Mercado Kim (D, ‘Ālewa, Kalihi, Moanalua, Red Hill) for introducing a resolution approved this legislative session requesting the HIDOE to implement the micro-credential pilot program,” Tui added. Read the resolution here.

What is a micro-credential?

NEA defines a micro-credential as a short, competency-based recognition that allows an educator to demonstrate mastery in a particular area. NEA micro-credentials are grounded in research and best practice and designed to be:

• Personalized: You can create your own learning journey, based on your interests and career goals; gaps in your skills; and the specific needs of your students, school, and district.
• Flexible: You can study when it’s convenient for you, alone or with your peers.
• Performance-based: Unlike “sit-and-get” certifications, NEA micro-credentials are awarded based on demonstrated mastery of the subject matter, not just for showing up.

Why micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials are designed to provide flexible, high-quality learning opportunities for teachers. Micro-credentials are designed to be asynchronous but will fit well within a professional learning community (PLC) structure. They are designed with the anytime, anyplace concept, allowing educators to work on them at times that fit their schedules.

Vocabulary of micro-credentials

The Micro-credentials offered by HSTA/NEA are organized into stacks, which are groups of micro-credentials on a specific topic. Each small learning section is a micro-credential. For example, one of the stacks approved for the pilot is the Assessment Literacy Stack. In that stack, there are six micro-credentials: Classroom Embedded Performance Assessment, Descriptive Feedback of Student Learning, Eliciting Accurate Evidence of Student Learning, Formative Assessment in the Teaching and Learning Cycle, Foundational Principles of Quality Assessment, and Learning Targets to Establish Success Criteria and Engage Students.

A teacher can complete an entire stack and earn a badge for that stack, or complete only the micro-credentials they want within the stack and earn a certificate for each micro-credential. See the table of micro-credential pilot courses, including the topic, stack, and target audiences, at the end of this article.

Micro-credential pilot for reclassification

HSTA and HIDOE have agreed to the following parameters for the pilot.

1. Only the approved micro-credentials can be used for reclassification.
2. Each micro-credential in a stack is worth one reclassification credit.
3. When the micro-credential is ready for submission, teachers will submit a completed HIDOE OTM 200-005 and a copy of their NEA certification of completion to the Teacher Reclassification Unit for evaluation.

For reclassification purposes, only the micro-credentials listed in the table below are eligible, provided they are completed between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2027. Prior approval is not needed for micro-credentials completed between July 1, 2023, and May 2026.

How to access micro-credentials

1. Go to nea.certificationbank.com.* (Updates are currently being completed for an HSTA micro-credential portal. Once that is available, this article will be updated with the portal link.)
   1. NEA micro-credential courses are FREE for HSTA members.
   2. Non-HSTA members must pay $75 per micro-credential.
2. Create an NEA Certification Bank account to proceed.
   1. Select a stack of micro-credentials or just a single micro-credential from the curated list below.
   2. You have the flexibility to choose a skill or set of skills that fit your professional needs.
   3. You are not required to complete an entire stack.
3. Collect the required evidence to demonstrate your competency/mastery in a specific skill or set of skills.
   1. You have six months from the time you click ‘Start’ to complete your micro-credential. Your micro-credential application will be reset after six months.
   2. The national first-time pass rate for NEA micro-credentials is about 40%.
   3. You will receive feedback from an NEA reviewer and be invited to address it and resubmit your evidence.
   4. You may resubmit your evidence as many times as you need in order to pass.
4. Follow the submission guidelines for each micro-credential. Submit all the required evidence directly to NEA.

*Updates are currently being completed for an HSTA micro-credential portal. Once that is available, this article will be updated with the portal link.

For more information, contact HIDOE’s Teacher Reclassification Unit of its Office of Talent Management via email: teacher.reclassification@k12.hi.us.

School-level leader teams at charter schools are encouraged to work with their administration and their HSTA UniServ Director to get the HSTA/NEA micro-credentials recognized for reclassification at their worksites.

Read more about NEA’s micro-credential program.