Externships as State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs)

Information for the SCECH Coordinator

Professional learning hours can be recognized as SCECHs for educators who work in professional settings (e.g., industries, businesses, or organizations) outside of education, where the following requirements are met:

1. The nature of the work in the professional setting aligns with the grade level and/or area(s) of endorsement of the certification held by the educator.
2. The nature of the work in the professional setting provides the educator with planned or structured time in which to coordinate or conference with business professionals.
3. The experience from the time spent in the professional setting is translatable and relevant to the students with whom the educator will interact.

A local process must be established for reviewing and approving applications that meets the above requirements and includes, but is not limited to:

• quality control measures
• timelines for submission and approval process for collaboration with appropriate and relevant experts to approve opportunities
• retention of documentation
• establishing minimum/maximum hours
• determining evidence of successful completion

SCECH Program Approval Process:

1. Following this established process, educators wishing to earn SCECHs for externship activities must provide responses to the five questions found in the Information for the Educator section of this page prior to beginning the experience.
2. Once externship opportunities are approved using the established process, the SCECH Coordinator enters the application into the system at least 30 days prior to the start date of the work experience.
3. The educator’s application and responses to questions must be maintained locally in the program file for each externship program.
4. Following the externship, the Coordinator must receive evidence of completion from the educator with verification the experience met the established goals.
5. The Coordinator must review and award the SCECHs no later than 30 calendar days after the end date of the experience.
6. Educator must complete the program evaluation within the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS).
7. SCECHs are credited to the educator’s account.
8. Coordinator closes program file 30 days after program ends.

Note: SCECH hours cannot be awarded retroactively.

SCECH Coordinators should work to approve these opportunities and ensure they are properly submitted and approved in MOECS. The use of SCECHs for these opportunities provides an ease of processing and convenient use in the certification renewal process. 

Information for the Educator

To apply for SCECH hours utilizing the externship activities, information must be presented on how the proposed activity is related to both the educator’s and the school district’s professional development goals. The following five questions must be answered completely:

1. Describe this activity in general, with particular attention to those aspects that will enhance your Education-Related Professional Learning. Identify which aspects of the position will contribute to your educational knowledge-base or growth.
2. Explain how this new knowledge-base or activity is in accordance with the goals of the employing school district (e.g., contributes to school management, improves instructional skills).
3. Describe the unit of measurement and the method that will be used to evaluate the elements of the position that will help you grow professionally.
4. Specify how success will be attained utilizing the units of measurement listed previously.
5. Give specific dates for the activity and calculate the total number of contact hours this activity will require. Note: Preparatory time cannot be included in the calculation of contact hours.

The responses must be submitted to, and reviewed by, the SCECH Coordinator in accordance with the local established process and timelines.

Following the completion of the experience, the individual must submit required documentation for the experience and verify it was successful. This documentation must be submitted to the SCECH Coordinator in accordance with the local established process and timelines. Upon receipt and review of the verification, the SCECH Coordinator can award the SCECHs through MOECS.

Note: SCECH hours cannot be awarded retroactively.

Questions regarding the local established process and timelines should be directed to the local SCECH Coordinator.