Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process

Advantages for Wisconsin Teachers

Teachers and pupil services professionals who successfully complete a WMEAP process can obtain a Lifetime Master Educator license . In addition, the WMEAP Master Educators can:

• Obtain reimbursement of up to $2,000 for the costs associated with working on the WMEAP process.
• Receive annual grants for 9 years of $2,500 or $5,000.

The WMEAP process is available only for the following licensure areas

• Administration
  • Superintendent
  • School Business Administrator
  • Director of Instruction
  • Principal
  • Career and Technology Education Coordinator
  • Director of Special Education and Pupil Services
  • Library Media Supervisor
  • Instructional Technology Coordinator
  • Reading Specialist
• Pupil Services
  • School Social Worker
  • School Psychologist
  • School Nurse
• Teaching/Supplemental
  • Theatre
  • Computer Science
  • Dance
  • Psychology
  • Speech and Language Pathology
  • Assistive Technology
  • Adaptive Education
  • Adaptive Physical Education

Eligibility

In order to apply for the WMEAP, candidates must meet all eligibility requirements by submitting all of the following as part of the application:

• Documentation of a related master's degree.
• Verification (from school/district) of at least 5 years of successful professional experience in the licensure area at the lifetime license level.
  • Candidates must have held a Lifetime license for at least 5 years.
• Evidence of contributions to the profession.
• Evidence of improved pupil learning.

Related documents:

• WMEAP Tip Sheet
• PI-1613-WMEAP Employment Verification form
• PI-1610 WMEAP Appendix

Portfolio Development

After receiving approval of the application, candidates will have up to 2 years to develop and submit their portfolios.

The WMEAP portfolio is comprised of specific entries that describe, analyze, and reflect; including samples, artifacts, a video, and demonstrations of the applicant's mastery of Wisconsin Educator Standards. The artifacts and entries in the portfolio must have been obtained within five years of the date of application.

If a candidate is unsuccessful in obtaining Master Educator status upon assessment of the portfolio, the candidate will have one school year to resubmit a portfolio that addresses the portfolio entries that were assessed to be not adequate for mastery. It is recommended that candidates submit their portfolios for assessment in year one so that year two may be used for entries that did not demonstrate mastery and will be resubmitted (a maximum of two entries). If the candidates have three of four entries to submit they must reapply through the WMEAP.

Interested candidates for the WMEAP process must:

1. Meet eligibility requirements.
2. Apply for the license using the Educator Licensing Online system by April 30th.
3. After application approval, develop and complete 4 portfolio entries over 1-2 years during the WMEAP process.
4. Submit portfolio for assessments.
5. For details of the initial application process, please refer to the WMEAP Tip Sheet.

All timelines for WMEAP application are strictly enforced. Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will be disqualified.

Only approved applicants will be eligible to complete the WMEAP Portfolio to obtain the Master Educator license. A DPI-trained team of assessors review all WMEAP portfolios for approval or denial. Closely follow the guidelines and examples in the relevant guidebook to help ensure a complete and strong application.

Related documents:

• WMEAP Tip Sheet
• PI-1613-WMEAP Employment Verification form
• PI-1610 WMEAP Appendix
• WMEAP Administrator Handbook
• WMEAP Teacher Handbook
• WMEAP Pupil Services Handbook

Reimbursement

After receiving the Wisconsin master educator license and within the first year of the effective date of the license, Wisconsin master educators can apply for reimbursement of up to $2,000 for personal expenses incurred for the WMEAP.

In order to qualify for the reimbursement the master educator must be:

• Employed as a teacher in a public, private, or tribal school in Wisconsin. Teachers must be delivering direct instruction to pupils. School psychologists, school counselors, or school social workers are also eligible. Applicants must be working for a minimum of 40 percent full-time equivalency for at least 180 days in a school year as defined in Wis. Admin. Code Ch. PI 37.02). If an applicant is reported in WISEstaff as a Program Coordinator, Academic Support, or Teacher Mentor, etc., they must also be employed and reported as a teacher delivering instruction to pupils for at least 40% FTE in order to be eligible for the grant.
• Have a rating of effective or highly effective in the applicable Educator Effectiveness System if employed as a teacher in a public school.

Initial Grant Reimbursement

The reimbursement application is administered online. Before beginning the application, applicants must ensure all receipts substantiating expenses that will be listed on the application are in an electronic format (JPEG, PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.).  Receipts are required to be uploaded as part of the application process. If applying for mileage reimbursement, list as an expense within the online application and attach a document outlining the dates of travel, addresses traveled to and from, and total number of miles for each trip. The current mileage reimbursement rate is $0.51 per mile.

Online reimbursement application steps for applicant:

• Applicant enters general information (name and email address)
• Applicant enters name and email of appropriate person within school/district to complete the employer verification form
• Applicant completes the state and federal tax forms. These forms will automatically appear within application
• Applicant enters their personal l information (name, DPI educator file number, address, date of birth, WMEAP Certificate title/area, and email)
• Applicant lists personally incurred expenses.
• Applicant uploads receipts substantiating expenses
• Applicant completes certification, signature and date section
• Applicant clicks ‘finish.’

At this point, the employer verification form is sent to the person the applicant identified at the beginning of the application process. The applicant will receive an automated email that the form has been sent to the employer.  The application is not complete at this point and any notice received does not constitute confirmation of a completed application.

Employer Application Steps (Online)

The employer will have to complete the remainder of the application.  Employers will receive notification the application to complete via DocuSign. The following will need to be completed by the employer:

• Employer enters number of days applicant is employed as a teacher
• Employer enters school(s) in which applicant is employed and percentage of employment as a teacher (FTE)
• Employer indicates if applicant is working under contract as an administrator, and, if yes, percentage of employment/FTE
• Employer enters school year
• Employer indicates if the teacher has been rated as effective, highly effective or is in process of being evaluated for Educator Effectiveness.
• Employer completes verification by entering name of school district, school district address, their name, signature, date, title, email and phone number.
• Employer clicks ‘finish.’

DPI Review

The application is then sent to DPI for review. Once DPI’s review is complete, all parties (applicant, employer, DPI) will receive an automated email indicating application has been completed.  This email does not mean the application has been approved.  To determine if application was approved or disapproved, applicants must click on the document within the email and reference the bottom of first page of the application.

If the application is approved, please allow 6-8 weeks for payment processing.  Payment will be in the form of a paper check mailed to the applicant’s home address.

If the application is disapproved, the reason for denial will be included.

COMING SOON: WMEAP Initial Reimbursement Application

Completed applications are due annually by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. To be considered ‘complete,’ the applicant AND employer sections must be fully completed AND the necessary receipts substantiating expenses outlined for reimbursement must be included.

Annual Grant

After receiving the initial reimbursement for WMEAP expenses (above), Wisconsin master educators (teachers and pupil services professionals) are eligible to apply for an annual grant in each of the subsequent nine years of the effective date of the master educator license.

To qualify for the annual grant the master educator must:

• Received initial reimbursement in a previous school year.
• Maintain the Wisconsin master educator license.
• Remain employed as a teacher in Wisconsin (i.e., delivering direct instruction to pupils; or school psychologists, school counselors, or school social workers). Applicants must be working for a minimum of 40 percent full-time equivalency for at least 180 days in a school year as defined in Wis. Admin. Code Ch. PI 37.02). If an applicant is reported in WISEstaff as a Program Coordinator, Academic Support, or Teacher Mentor, etc., they must also be employed and reported as a teacher delivering instruction to pupils for at least 40% FTE in order to be eligible for the grant.
• Have a rating of effective or highly effective in the applicable Educator Effectiveness System if employed as a teacher in a public school.

Annual $2,500 grants are awarded in each of the subsequent school years for the duration of the Wisconsin master educator license. Master educators (teachers and pupil services professionals) who are employed in a high poverty school are eligible for a $5,000 annual grant.

WMEAP Annual Grant online application steps for applicant:

• Applicant enters general information (name and email address)
• Applicant enters name and email of appropriate person within school/district to complete the employer verification form
• Applicant enters their personal l information (name, DPI educator file number, mailing address, date of birth, phone number, email, school district, and school name(s))
• Applicant completes certification, indicates if they are requesting annual grant of $2,500 or $5,000, signs and dates
• Applicant clicks ‘finish.’

At this point, the employer verification form is sent to the person the applicant identified at the beginning of the application process. The applicant will receive an automated email that the form has been sent to the employer.  The application is not complete at this point and any notice received does not constitute confirmation of a completed application.

Employer Application Steps (online)

The employer will have to complete the remainder of the application. Employers will receive notification the application to complete via DocuSign. The following will need to be completed by the employer:

• Employer enters number of days applicant is employed as a teacher
• Employer enters school(s) in which applicant is employed and percentage of employment as a teacher (FTE)
• Employer indicates if applicant is working under contract as an administrator, and, if yes, percentage of employment/FTE
• Employer enters school year
• Employer indicates if the teacher has been rated as effective, highly effective or is in process of being evaluated for Educator Effectiveness.
• Employer completes verification by entering name of school district, school district address, their name, signature, date, title, email and phone number.
• Employer clicks finish.

DPI Review

Application is then sent to DPI for review. Once DPI’s review is complete, all parties (applicant, employer, DPI) will receive an automated email indicating application has been completed.  This email does not mean the application has been approved.  To determine if the application was approved or disapproved. applicants must click on the document within the email and reference the bottom of first page of the application.

If the application is approved, please allow 6-8 weeks for payment processing.  Payment will be in the form of a paper check mailed to the applicant’s home address.

If the application is disapproved, the reason for denial will be included.

Completed applications are due annually by June 30. To be considered ‘complete,’ the applicant AND employer sections must be fully completed AND submitted by 11:59 p.m. on June 30th.

Pursuant to Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PI 37.03 (1) (c), applicants applying for the Annual WMEAP Grant are eligible for payment in the amount of $5,000 if employed as a teacher in a school in which at least 60% of the pupils enrolled satisfy the income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch under 42 USC 1758 (b) (1). To ensure the most accurate information available, the below lists are based off income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch from the previous school year. The lists of public and private high-poverty schools for the WMEAP Annual Grant are as follows:

Wisconsin statutes and administrative rules supporting national teacher certification or master educator license:

• Wis. Stat. 115.42 - Grants for national teacher certification or master educator licensure.
• Wis. Admin Code PI 37 - Criteria and procedures for awarding grants for national teacher certification or master educator licensure.
• Wis. Admin Code PI 34.042 - Master educator license.

WMEAP portfolios are formally assessed by a team of three educators who:

• Have the same or similar job responsibilities.
• Have been nominated by professional organizations, including school board organizations.
• Have been provided training by the Department of Public Instruction.
• Have been approved for appointment by the State Superintendent.

In addition, WMEAP assessors are educators who:

• Are not current or non-achieving candidates for the WMEAP.
• Hold a Wisconsin lifetime license in the assessment area.
• Have at least five years of successful professional experience in the assessment area.
• Hold a master's degree related to the assessment area.

School board members may be an additional member of the WMEAP assessment team. To be part of the team, the school board member must:

• Be nominated by professional organizations, including school board organizations.
• Have been provided training by the Department of Public Instruction.
• Not be a current or non-achieving candidate for the WMEAP.
• Be approved for appointment by the State Superintendent.

All assessors will sign a pledge of confidentiality and:

• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates from their own school/district.
• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates to whom they are/were related.
• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates for whom they could not remain impartial and objective.

WMEAP assessors are trained annually, during the summer, using a portfolio assessment guide developed by a national expert in the teacher portfolio assessment and Wisconsin educators who are involved in the development of the WMEAP.  Assessors use note-taking strategies, summary statements, rubrics, and a judgment of each entry's documentation of mastery.

Related Forms:

• PI-WMEAP-0002: WMEAP Assessor Nomination Form
• PI WMEAP-0003:  WMEAP Employment Verification Form