Equivalencies
7.1 What is a Religious Education Credentialing Equivalency?Equivalencies are an important component of the Religious Education Credentialing program. This is because many religious educators already will have been deep into their careers when they enter this program and come to the Religious Education Credentialing Committee for evaluation. They may need to meet certain program requirements in non-traditional ways. In general, all equivalencies contain a careful documentation of work and activity being used to substantiate an equivalency request. It is possible to fulfill the following Religious Education Credentialing program requirements through an equivalency: professional religious education leadership experience at quarter-time or half-time; paid professional religious education leadership experience at those lengths of time; Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree; graduate credit in Unitarian Universalist (UU) History and Polity, History and Philosophy of UU Religious Education; Teaching Methods; and Learning Theories. Note that particular requirements differ by level of credentialing sought.
The work and activity required to substantiate an equivalency will depend on the particular Religious Education Credentialing requirement. For more information on equivalencies and specific equivalency guidelines, please see “Equivalency Guidelines for the Religious Education Credentialing Program.”
7.2 How do I get an Equivalency?
First consult with your mentor and with the Religious Education Credentialing
Director. If you are seeking an equivalency for an academic requirement
(Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or graduate credit in UU History and Polity,
History and Philosophy of UU Religious Education; Teaching Methods; and Learning
Theories) you must first submit an equivalency plan for approval by the
Religious Education Credentialing Committee through the Unitarian Universalist (UUA) Office of Religious
Education Credentialing. This must be submitted and approved before the
equivalency documentation is submitted. It need not be submitted in
correspondence to the meetings of the Committee. The Committee will evaluate
equivalency plans between meetings. Samples of accepted plans are contained in
“Equivalency
Guidelines for the Religious Education Credentialing Program.” More
plans will be added to this document as they are received and accepted.
Once a plan has been approved, or for other types of equivalencies that don’t need a plan submitted, the equivalency documentation is submitted to the Religious Education Credentialing Committee through the UUA Office of Religious Education Credentialing for evaluation approval at one of their regularly scheduled meetings. This meeting must be at least one meeting before the candidate plans on seeing the Religious Education Credentialing Committee, or the Candidate’s portfolio and completion materials are reviewed by the Religious Education Credentialing Director, in the case of candidates seeking Credentialed Religious Educator, Associate Level status. In general, equivalency documentation materials must be submitted to the Office of Religious Education Credentialing at least 1½ months before evaluation. Please note that the Religious Education Credentialing Committee receives and approves equivalency requests at its discretion, and an approval of an equivalency plan does not guaranty approval of the equivalency request itself.
For more information contact recredentialing @ uua.org.
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Last updated on Thursday, August 18, 2011.
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