All students are required to secure and maintain a program-aligned instructional position throughout the duration of their enrollment at Relay. Additional details may be found on the Support Center. 

 

Additionally, students enrolled in an educator preparation program at Relay must secure and maintain an instructional position that matches the certificate/endorsement area sought and complies with state- and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experiences prior to beginning their qualifying clinical experience. For details, follow the link for your program in Appendix F: Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Handbooks which contains Relay program information and state licensure exam information and resources. Some roles within schools or childcare facilities are not permitted, such as volunteer and administrative roles. Any change to a student’s employment status, job description, and/or physical teaching location must be reported to Relay within one week of the change.

 

Reporting a Change 

All changes to employment situations (e.g., loss of position and/or membership, loss of employment, change in subject/grade level, etc.) must be submitted through the Student Record Update Form via the Relay Portal within 7 days of the change. Reporting changes within 7 days enables Relay to provide real-time support to students and ensures accurate and timely data. Not reporting changes within this time frame may result in loss of clinical credit, issues with financial aid, or an administrative withdrawal.

 

Within 10 business days, students who submit a Student Record Update Form will receive a confirmation email that the update was processed and approved, or that it was rejected, which will include further guidance on making their requested update.

 

Changes to employment may also require additional next steps. Students may need to: 

• Update their Area of Study (AoS)
• Adjust course registrations for the current term
• Submit a new School Authorization and Instructional Role (SAIR) Form
• Work with their Manager of Student Success to set a new program completion timeline or licensure timeline

 

Details are below for each step. 

 

Update their Area of Study: Changes to employment may require a student to update their area of study. Requests to change one’s area of study can be made at any time using the Area of Study Update Form from the Relay Support tab of their Portal.

 

• If the request is made before the term’s census date and is approved, the change including any associated course changes will go into effect for the current term.

 

• If the request is made after the term’s census date and is approved, the area of study change will be processed for the current term, but course changes related to the area of study change will go into effect for the next term. This may impact program completion or timeline toward licensure.

 

Adjust Course Registrations: Changes to AoS may require a change in course registration. Students will work with their Manager of Student Success to update registration. 

 

Submit a new School Authorization and Instructional Role Form: In some cases, a student may be required to submit a new School Authorization and Instructional Role Form and work with their school leader to submit their portion. If this is required, students have two (2) weeks for both portions to be completed. Additional details can be found in the School Authorization and Instructional Role policy. 

 

Update Program Completion Timeline or Licensure Timeline: Changes to a student’s employment may result in a change in program or area of study. These changes may require additional coursework, delay program completion, and/or result in additional fees. For more information about the implications of a change in instructional position for educator preparation program completion and certification/licensure, students can refer to their program’s EPP Handbook.

 

Below, please see students’ responsibilities for when changes to employment occur. 

 

 Update to Current Employment (e.g., same location with a different grade,  
subject area)

 

When a student’s grade- and/or subject-level area they are teaching changes, it must match their Relay program and area of study (AoS). For students enrolled in a Relay educator preparation program, instructional positions must also match the certificate or endorsement sought and comply with state- and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experience. A change to a student’s instructional position may necessitate a change to their program, AoS, educator preparation program pathway, and/or endorsement. This change may also necessitate a new SAIR form and/or mentor update. Students are encouraged to meet with their Manager of Student Success before requesting an AoS change or program transfer following a change in their current employment.

 

Graduate students must make every reasonable effort to work with a consistent group of students that matches their Relay program throughout the academic year, and when appropriate, their Relay concentration and/or endorsement. If significant changes to their group of students occur during the year, but the graduate student’s subject and/or grade level remain the same, it is the graduate student’s responsibility to inform Relay within one week by sending an email to their Manager of Student Success. 

 

Loss of Employment 

Students who have lost their instructional position must secure a new position in a placement that aligns to their academic program within 30 consecutive calendar days of their final date of employment, with an extension for winter break. Please note, students who have lost employment within 30 calendar days of the end of the spring term may have until their due date for the School Authorization and Instructional Role Form for the upcoming year to secure employment. This extension may have certification implications if your school year starts before that due date; please speak with your certification officer to determine if this is applicable. 

 

Students will be subject to administrative withdrawal if they fail to notify Relay of their loss of employment and/or membership within one week and/or fail to secure new positions within 30 consecutive calendar days, with an extension for winter break. Relay is required by most states to remove or expire provisional-level teaching certificates/licenses if a student is withdrawn from their educator preparation program.

 

Once students secure new positions, they must notify Relay as soon as possible by submitting a Student Record Update Form from the Relay Support tab of their Portal. Students enrolled in an educator preparation program who obtain a new position that does not align with the certificate/endorsement sought and does not comply with state- and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experiences may be required to change endorsement areas, programs, and/or take additional coursework or exams in order to complete their program, which may delay program completion and/or result in additional fees.

Relay may immediately process administrative withdrawals for students who lose their positions and/or memberships due to sufficient evidence that they have physically, sexually, emotionally, or otherwise harmed a Birth–Grade 12 student and/or colleague, or committed a felony or misdemeanor. Relay will determine what is considered sufficient evidence of harm. Please see the Code of Conduct for further details.
 

Temporary Leave of Absence from Teaching
 

Students who take a leave of absence from their instructional role while enrolled in Relay coursework may need to retake courses or take a leave of absence from Relay, depending on a variety of factors such as the length of the leave of absence from a teaching position and the coursework requirements during the leave. Students who are enrolled in clinical practice coursework that aligns with their educator preparation program’s qualifying clinical experience must be able to meet the required number of teaching hours for the term in order to meet state requirements in the educator preparation program. Students who fall short of the minimum required hours will need to either retake the clinical practice course or enroll in a clinical practice extension course (e.g., CLIN-560, CLIN-562) in order to meet educator preparation program completion requirements and be eligible for Relay’s institutional recommendation for certification/licensure. Retaking or enrolling in clinical practice extension coursework also extends the amount of time required to complete a program. Students who will be on a leave of absence from their instructional role for a full term will be required to take a leave of absence from Relay. Students are advised to talk with their advisor as early as possible to learn more about the implications of a leave of absence from their instructional role.
 

Teacher Preparation Program Membership Change

In the Student Record Update Form, students who are no longer a member of a Teacher Preparation Program (e.g., Teach for America) must inform Relay within 7 days of the student’s last day with the partner organization. Students may continue their enrollment at Relay after leaving a partner organization but may need to make changes to their areas of study. If the previous partner organization made tuition payments to Relay on the student’s behalf, the student may also become responsible for the difference. Students are encouraged to meet with Student Financial Services after a change in their status with a partner organization to discuss their situation. 

 

Students will be subject to administrative withdrawal if they fail to notify Relay of their loss of membership within one week and/or fail to secure new positions within 30 consecutive calendar days, with an extension for winter break. Relay is required by most states to remove or expire provisional-level teaching certificates/licenses if a student is withdrawn from their educator preparation program.

 

Relay may immediately process administrative withdrawals for students who lose their memberships due to sufficient evidence that they have physically, sexually, emotionally, or otherwise harmed a Birth–Grade 12 student and/or colleague, or committed a felony or misdemeanor. Relay will determine what is considered sufficient evidence of harm. Please see the Code of Conduct for further details.

 

Change in Teaching Location

A change in teaching location can impact a student’s licensure/certification eligibility and/or pathway. 

 

Any student who changes employment while enrolled at Relay is responsible for formally updating their teaching-placement information via a Student Record Update Form from the Relay Support tab of their Portal within one week of the change. Within 10 business days, students who submit a Student Record Update Form will receive a confirmation email that the update was processed, or further guidance on making their requested update. 

 

Additionally, if Relay determines that the program does not meet the licensure/certification requirements in the student’s new location, the student will receive a direct disclosure in writing (via email) within 14 calendar days of the determination.

 

In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations [§ 668.43(a)(5)(v) and § 668.43(c)], Relay published determinations about whether its programs meet the educational requirements for educator certification/licensure in each state. These determinations are published on Relay’s Licensure Disclosures webpage. 

 

Professional organizations, societies, states, and licensing jurisdictions have specific requirements for membership, certification, or licensure. In the states in which Relay is an approved in-state educator preparation provider, Relay works to align Relay’s program(s) offered in the state to the state’s educational requirements for educator certification/licensure. Students should be aware that the professional organizations, societies, states, and licensing jurisdictions are responsible for defining, amending, and executing approval requirements and decisions for membership, certification, or licensure. Relay can provide the public-facing information for the professional organizations’, societies’, states’, and licensing jurisdictions’ requirements for membership, certification, or licensure. Relay can provide guidance regarding a state’s licensure requirements for states in which Relay is an approved in-state provider and to the students who seek licensure in the same state. Relay may not be able to provide assistance to a student regarding the interpretation or understanding of a state’s licensure requirements for states in which Relay is not an approved, in-state education preparation provider. Students intending to seek licensure of any type must take full responsibility for ensuring that their degree program at Relay meets the licensing requirements of their local states, school districts, professional associations, or agencies. See Relay’s Licensure Disclosures webpage for more information.

 

Students should be aware that if they change the state of their employment before completing the educator preparation program in which they are enrolled, they may have difficulty or be unable to complete their educator preparation program and/or seek certification/licensure in either state (e.g., a certification/licensure-seeking student who relocates from Colorado to New York before completing all Colorado certification/licensure requirements may not be eligible for certification/licensure in Colorado or New York). 

 

Students who are considering employment in a new state prior to completing their educator preparation program should first discuss the potential implications of this change with their Manager of Student Success. Once a change of location is submitted, if Relay determines that the program does not meet the licensure/certification requirements in the student’s new location, the student will receive a direct disclosure in writing (via email) within 10 calendar days of the determination.

 

States set requirements for certification/licensure and transfer and will make the final determination of eligibility for certification/licensure, and these requirements are subject to change. Students are encouraged to review current certification/licensure requirements and application processes of the states where they intend to be certified/licensed by contacting the agencies overseeing teacher preparation in that state. For further state-specific certification/licensure questions, students are encouraged to contact the agency overseeing teacher preparation in the state where they intend to be certified/licensed.