The Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators defines minimum standards of ethical conduct for all licensed educators. The State Board of Education approved the standards on September 1, 2008. The ADE Rules Governing the Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators further define these standards and provide a process for investigating alleged violations.

Standard 1: An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom.

Standard 2: An educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice inclusive of skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position.

Standard 3: An educator honestly fulfills reporting obligations associated with professional practices.

Standard 4: An educator entrusted with public funds and property, including school sponsored activity funds, honors that trust with honest, responsible stewardship.

Standard 5: An educator maintains integrity regarding the acceptance of any gratuity, gift, compensation or favor that might impair or appear to influence professional decisions or actions and shall refrain from using the educator’s position for personal gain.

Standard 6: An educator keeps in confidence secure standardized test materials and results, and maintains integrity regarding test administration procedures.

Standard 7: An educator maintains the confidentiality of information about students and colleagues obtained in the course of the educator’s professional services that is protected under state law or regulations, federal law or regulations, or the written policies of the educator’s school district, unless disclosure serves a professional purpose as allowed or required by law or regulations.

Standard 8: An educator refrains from using, possessing and/or being under the influence of alcohol or unauthorized drugs/substances and/or possessing items prohibited by law, or possessing or using tobacco or tobacco-related products while on school premises or at school-sponsored activities involving students.

For more information about the Arkansas Educator Code of Ethics, click here. 

STEP 1: ASP and FBI Payment and Transaction ID

Complete your payment of $38.25 for the Arkansas State Police/FBI background check here: https://www.ark.org/ade/licensure_cbc/index.php

1. Under the “Choose a School District/Location” select “Crowley’s Ridge College”
2. Enter the following Verification Code for Crowley’s Ridge College: 8800006
3. Under the “Reason Fingerprinted” select “Teacher (Pre-Service)” or “Teacher (Licensure, Lifetime, Renewal)”
4. Upon completion of payment, you will be issued a transaction number and a printable receipt via email. Have the email handy when you come to your fingerprinting appointment.

It is essential that you keep your transaction number and printable receipt from Step 1.  You can not complete your fingerprinting if you lose this. 

STEP 2: Fingerprinting Consent Form (this must be submitted to ADE and brought to appointment)

Complete and submit the online “Background Check Consent Form/Fingerprinting Request” to ADE here: https://aels.ade.arkansas.gov/AELS/Consent/Consent1.aspx

1. Under the “Reason for Background Check” select “Teacher (Pre-Service)” or “Teacher (Licensure, Lifetime, Renewal)”
2. Under “Employer” select “IHE – EPP “Crowley’s Ridge College”
3. Upon completion of the form, you will be given the option to print the consent form in a .pdf format.
4. Print and bring with you to your fingerprinting appointment 

It is essential that you keep a copy of your consent form from Step 2.  You can not complete your fingerprinting if you lose this. 

STEP 3 – Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry Check 

1. For the Arkansas Child Maltreatment form click here.  
2. Select You are a teacher, a pre-service teacher, … (the first choice)

• Complete the Applicant Information section.
• Make sure that you put in the correct email address. This form will be emailed to your immediately following submission
• Submit Form.

This form will be emailed to you immediately. Print this document (ALL PAGES) and then have this notarized.  Sign this form in the presence of the notary.   Mrs. Sonia Johnson here at CRC is a notary.  Once your form is signed and notarized, scan the form as a .pdf so that you have a file to upload in the next step. If you do not have access to a scanner, you can use your mobile device. 

Step 4: Arkansas (AR) Child Maltreatment Central Registry Form Upload Process ($11.00 fee)

You can NOT start this process unless you have your Arkansas Child Maltreatment form notarized and saved. This should have happened in Step 3

1. 1. You can upload a single request here.
   2. You are a teacher, a pre-service teacher

•  Applicant Type-select Licensed Teacher

1. Results should be released to;
   1. Company – Dept. of Education [Do not alter this information.]
   2. Contact Name – Arkansas Department of Education
   3. Contact Email Address – ADE.DCFS.RESULTS@arkansas.gov
2. Complete Application Information
3. Upload All Pages (this should be at least 2 pages) of the Signed/Notarized form created in Step 3.  If you have trouble uploading, you can call (501) 682-0405.
4. Click ‘Submit and Pay. You will then be automatically redirected to the payment webpage (Ark Gov Pay) if a payment is required. This will be an $11.00 fee.

It is essential that you keep a copy of this form and receipt. Please print and keep with your files.   

Step 5: Make an appointment for your fingerprinting. 

1.  Northeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative Donna Harris, Director 211 West Hickory Service Walnut Ridge, AR 72476 Phone: 870-886-7717 

Crowley’s Ridge Education Service Cooperative Pamela Castor, Director 1606 Pine Grove Lane Harrisburg, AR 72432 Phone: 870-578-5426 

1. All fingerprinting locations are by appointment only.  Contact the site for available appointment times.
   • YOU HAVE TO BRING ALL OF THE ITEMS FROM STEPS 1-4. AND YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE TO THE FINGERPRINTING.  IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ALL OF YOUR ITEMS WHEN YOU GET THERE THE FINGERPRINTING WILL BE CANCELED

For more information on how to view the status of your background check, please click here. 

Praxis Test Waiver Form

Praxis Test Information: Elementary Education

Praxis Test Information: Physical Education and Health (K-12)

Health and Physical Education: Content Knowledge (5857)

Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects

Foundations of Reading

Specific Praxis

Act 1063 of 2017, the Right to Read Act, states: “Beginning no later than the 2022-2023 school year, each state-approved educator preparation program shall post on its website information describing its program to prepare teachers to teach reading using scientific reading instruction aligned with but not limited to the content measured by the stand-alone reading assessment adopted by the State Board of Education under § 6-17-402.”

Candidates enrolled in Elementary Education K-6 and Special Education K-12 programs must complete coursework and pass the Foundations of Reading test to be considered proficient in scientific reading instruction to obtain a license.

Candidates enrolled in all other licensure area programs must complete the coursework to be considered awareness level in scientific reading instruction to obtain a license.

In 2019, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education approved (EPP Name) pathways to meet this requirement. The pathways are aligned to the appropriate Foundations of Reading Competencies – Proficiency Level or Foundations of Reading Competencies – Awareness Level.

DESE – Approved Course/Modules lists approved courses/modules for all approved licensure programs in Arkansas.

Crowley’s Ridge College addresses these competencies for Elementary Education K-6 and Physical Education K-12 in the following courses.

RDG413 Fondation of Reading
EFD423 Effective Teaching Strategies
Professional Development on IDEAS for Awareness

Foundations of Reading 

Foundations of Reading Study Material

Arkansas Foundations of Reading Exam Tutoring

Crowley’s Ridge Annual CAEP Measures

Initial Programs Accreditation

Arkansas Department of Higher Education

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education administers the following programs.  Email finaid@adhe.edu or call (501) 371-2000 if you have questions or need more assistance.

State Teacher Education Program (STEP)

STEP is a loan repayment program that offers yearly loan repayment grants to current educators teaching in a subject or geographic shortage area in an Arkansas public school. Teachers must reapply each year and are eligible for up to three years.

Teacher Opportunity Program (TOP)

TOP offers reimbursement grants to current Arkansas teachers and administrators seeking to further their education. Teachers and administrators may apply for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses paid for up to six (6) college credit hours completed for an academic year, not to exceed $3,000.

Click HERE for more information about these two programs.

U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education administers the following programs.  Contact information for these programs is available on the website.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness

The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue in the teaching profession. Under this program, if you teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in certain elementary and secondary schools and educational service agencies that serve low-income families, and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible.

Cancellation for Federal Perkins Loans

Teachers with loans from the Federal Perkins Loan Program could be eligible for loan cancellation for full-time teaching at a low-income school or for teaching in certain subject areas.

Click HERE for more information about these two programs.

Teach.org Financial Aid & Scholarships List

This comprehensive website provides information about the teaching profession and opportunities for teachers, including financial aid and scholarship resources.

Click HERE to visit the teach.org website’s list of financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

ArkansasIDEAS Account Access and Criteria