Rules Regarding Registering as a Group Capable of Recommending Instructors for Licensing
A. Outline of Licensing Methods
(1) Objectives and Philosophy of Certification
English instruction for elementary school students is being introduced as part of education for international understanding in conjunction with the introduction of the new curriculum which began in 2002. However, the problem of providing classrooms with the skilled instructors needed to promote English education in Japanese elementary schools has yet to be resolved. One method of solving this problem is certifying persons who currently have the minimum abilities needed by instructors and providing them to classrooms as staff who will support elementary English. Improving and promoting Japanese English education by doing this is the objective of the certification activities of the Elementary English Instructors' Certification Committee (J-Shine).
In Japan, this type of license is usually provided using written tests, but what elementary English requires is not so much knowledge as skills. It is difficult to evaluate these skills using a written test.
It was from this viewpoint that J-Shine decided to base its licensing upon the following:
1. The educational activities of universities, private educational groups, educational businesses and other educational organizations planning (or carrying out) instructor development are evaluated and investigated, and those groups which are judged to be satisfactory are called "registered groups certified by the committee".
* Registered groups are not required to join J-Shine.
2. Registered groups which have been certified by the committee recommend the instructors that they have trained to the committee, thus taking responsibility for them, and request the issuance of elementary English instructor licenses.
* Persons who have received recommendations can be removed from a group's records if their classrooms evaluations are very poor or their licenses are violated.
3. The Committee carries out investigations based on the requests for the issuance of licenses, and elementary English instructor licenses are issued to persons who pass.
Our certification activities will be carried out according to the principles above.
(2) Methods of the Evaluation and Investigation of Groups
At present, various forms of evaluations of schools and other educational enterprises are being attempted and researched, such as the university evaluations that are now in progress. All of these methods are based on self-evaluations.
The methods used for the evaluation and investigation of the educational activities of each group carried out as part of our certification activities will also be based on self-evaluation by groups. For this purpose, J-Shine will give groups standards for their self-evaluations of the principles, curriculum and educational materials of the instructor development courses that they provide, and investigations will be carried out based on report forms completed by the groups.
B. Applications for Groups Registration and Methods of Examination
(1) Applying for Group Registration
Examination by the committee and certification are needed in order to become a registered group. Groups wishing to be registered must obtain the documents below (application for registration, curriculum form, etc.) from J-Shine's office and submit them along with instructor development course pamphlets, educational materials for instructor development, other materials, and a certification fee.
Documents to be Submitted:
(1) Application for Group Registration
Application for Certification of Group Registration (Cover)
Application for Group Registration
Instructor Licensing (Educational Contents Questionnaire)
Questionnaire Regarding Involvement with Public Elementary Schools
Elementary English Instructor Trainer Questionnaire
(2) Instructor Development Course Pamphlet or other materials providing an understanding of course management
(3) Educational Materials for Instructor Training
(2) Group Certification Examination Fee
The costs of the evaluation and examination for certification as a registered group are as follows:
Fees for Examination for Group Registration: 50,000 yen (full member groups: 25,000 yen)
Renewal Examination Fees: 40,000 yen (full member groups: 20,000 yen)
Please understand that these fees are charged even when registration of a group is impossible because of failure to pass the examination process.
(3) Methods of Certifying Registered Groups
Groups wishing to be certified as registered groups must first submit all of the required documents above to J-Shine for examination by J-Shine's certification committee.
(1) When necessary, the certification committee can ask that additional materials be submitted after the process of examination has begun.
(2) Each member of the committee will evaluate the group using a 10-point scale. (Standards are shown below)
9-10 Points: Very Good 7-8 Points: Good
5-6 Points: Acceptable 3-4 Points: Poor
1-2 Points: Poor. Registration of the group cannot be approved.
(3) The highest and lowest scores given by members of the committee are discarded, and groups with a total of 60% or more of all points pass the initial certification and are certified as registered groups.
(4) Groups which have not passed the initial certification and are unanimously determined as a result of the examination of the members of the committee not to be qualified for registration are determined to have failed this stage.
(5) If any member of the committee feels that reconsideration is necessary after obtaining the results of the initial certification that member is to notify the other members of their opinion and the case is to be reconsidered. If, as a result, a majority of the committee members determine that the group should be registered, the group will have passed the secondary certification and will become a registered group.
C. Group Registration and Renewal of Registration
(1) Reporting of Course Management by Registered Groups
Certified registered groups are to hold instructor development courses based on the information provided by the group at the time of application. If changes are necessary for reasons of time and place, the instructor development courses held must be managed so as to cover the shared curriculum. Because of this, registered groups holding instructor development courses must submit course plans to J-Shine, and plans must be approved as "Instructor Licensing Courses".
Registered groups are listed on J-Shine's homepage, and schedules for instructor training courses and seminars as well as information for persons wishing to attend them are to be released.
(2) Renewal by Registered Groups
Registration of groups is valid for four years. Registration must be renewed at the end of this period. Re-examination is to be carried out at the time of renewal, and groups which pass can renew.
(1) Any changes to be made at the time of renewal are to be submitted at that time.
(2) Any records of the activities of instructors recommended by the group and evaluation sheets from schools or school boards are to be submitted at this time.
(3) If J-Shine has obtained any information regarding instructors recommended by a group which is contrary to what would be expected from an elementary school instructor, that group will be ineligible to renew its registration.
(4) If the committee judges that it is inappropriate for a group to be registered, its registration may be revoked even before it has expired.
D. Recommendation of Instructors for Licensing
(1) Method of Recommending Instructors for Licensing
When recommending to J-Shine that an instructor who has completed an instructor development course held by a registered group in accordance with the shared curriculum be licensed, the request is to be made according to the rules of the system for the licensing of elementary English instructors established by J-Shine.
(2) The Special System for Licensing at the Time of Initial Registration
As a special rule for groups which have just been registered, recommendations for the licensing of persons who have not undergone instructor development courses approved by J-Shine may be approved for persons who fulfill the conditions below. However, this special rule is only applicable to the initial recommendations made by newly registered groups. There are no limits to the number of persons concerned.
(1) Persons who have been determined to have already been licensed as instructors by the group at the time that it was registered.
(2) Persons who have been judged by that group to have abilities identical to those of a person as described above.
(3) Standards for Recommending Instructors for Licensing
All registered groups are to make recommendations of instructors in consideration of the following standards:
(1) Completion of a development course held by that group and approved by J-Shine. (Special rules apply to the certification system for the initial period)
(2) More than 50 hours of experience with the instruction of elementary school students, including student teaching.
(3) The determination that the instructor has learned the contents of the shared curriculum.
(4) Comprehension of the elementary English activities to be carried out in schools during integrated study.
(5) Sufficient ability in English to hold classes in English if necessary.
→ Click here for an application for group certification.
