Private Academic School Board Meeting Details 1/17/25 9:00 AM
You are invited to the SBPAS Board meeting, which will be held virtually and in-person at PaTTAN (6340 Flank Dr, Harrisburg, PA).
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 238 185 079 241
Passcode: u8Ny2Tp7
Dial in by phone
+1 267-332-8737,,867876219# United States, Philadelphia
Phone conference ID: 867 876 219#
Pennsylvania Montessori Alliance – Recent Work
January 2025 Montessori Credential Update
After months of meetings with representatives from the Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI), Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) and others, PMA submitted a revised recommended draft policy to the Private Academic School Board (PASB) for reconsideration along with answers to questions they posed regarding implementation. The PASB discussed the proposal with Private Academic School certification staff and attorneys of the board and several questions were raised regarding how the department will oversee the new policy once it is implemented. The PASB now believes they have enough information to provide implementation of the policy and will vote on the policy at their January meeting this Friday 1/17/2025. Details regarding the meeting link and location will be forthcoming. The policy would allow Montessori credentialed teachers with 4-year college degrees (details regarding credential requirements will be shared after the vote) to teach in private Montessori schools in PA without obtaining an additional Private Academic School certification also. The Montessori credential will not allow these teachers to teach in non-Montessori schools.
This is a momentous occasion for the PA Montessori Alliance and the entire private Montessori school community in the Commonwealth of PA. The acceptance of this policy could also open doors to work toward further recognition to help Montessori educators in public and charter schools as well in the future. Please note: To be PA Private Academic certified, teachers would still need to meet the existing regulations.
See our Advocacy page for the timeline of our PASB Montessori Credential recognition work over the past year that led to this accomplishment. We thank Mary Ann Jackson who first presented and worked on this idea and agreed to help us speak with one unified voice as PA Montessorians. We also thank Denise Monnier and Vyju Kadambi from Montessori Public Policy Initiative for being by our side throughout the year of negotiations and discussions. We could not have accomplished this without their support and the work toward unity in the Montessori community.
Stay apprised of future work by visiting our website and if you are not a PMA member, please join to support our volunteer work advocating for Montessori schools.