Topic outline

  • Welcome to the Library of Micro-Credentials!

    ArkansasIDEAS and the offices of Educator Effectiveness and Licensure have partnered to offer micro-credentials! Enroll in this personalized, competency-based professional learning to improve a discrete skill over time. Upon successful completion, submission of all documentation, and approval from an assigned assessor, micro-credential earners receive digital badges to display as evidence of effective and consistent use of the target skill. 

    • GAINING ACCESS TO MICRO-CREDENTIALS

      To gain full access to micro-credentials, please log in. You will also need to enroll as a micro-credential earner if you haven't already done so. 

    •  ENROLLMENT INSTRUCTIONS

      A selection of micro-credentials will be offered each fall and spring term. Please read the descriptions below carefully before enrolling, as space is limited to 100 earners per micro-credential each term.

    • Current Term: Spring 2026

    • Enrollment 

      Opens: January 20, 2026
      Closes: May 8, 2026 at 11:30 p.m.

      Limit:       100 earners per micro-credential

      Submission Deadline

      Date Recommended: May 20, 2026
      Final Deadline: June 1, 2026 at 11:30 p.m.

    • We recommend submitting all work by the recommended submission date above so that there is time to make any changes requested by your assessor and resubmit prior to the final submission deadline.

  • Image of micro-credential badge that will be earned upon completion

    Educator Self-Assessment and Professional Growth

    Issuing Organization: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator engages in self-assessment and uses self-assessment data to improve professional practice.

    Key Method: The educator engages in self-assessment and reflection of professional practice and uses evidence to design a personalized professional growth plan (PGP) that will advance professional practice and student outcomes.

  • Providing Feedback to Promote Professional Growth

    Issuing Organization: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator provides actionable, constructive feedback to a colleague that encourages self-directed professional growth.

    Key Method: The educator provides actionable, constructive feedback following an observation of a colleague or mentee that is data driven and demonstrates the use of thoughtful, reflective questions to encourage self-directed professional growth.

  • Supporting Positive Behavior Through Conversation with Students

    Issuing Organization: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator engages in daily conversation with students to build relationships and improve behavior.

    Key Method: The educator engages in daily two-minute conversations for ten consecutive school days with a student who routinely demonstrates problem behaviors to build a relationship and improve behavior.

  • Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom

    Issuing Organization: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 12 hours

    Competency: Earners demonstrate an understanding of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and cultivate a classroom climate that fosters resilient learners.

    Key Method: Earners demonstrate an awareness of the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on learning and implement trauma-sensitive strategies that help students regulate their learning environment.

  • Using Explicit Instruction to Teach Vocabulary

    Issuing Organization: Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Earners demonstrate explicit vocabulary instruction to increase students' reading comprehension. 

    Key Method: Earners select tier-two or tier-three vocabulary from a text, demonstrate explicit vocabulary instruction, and provide students with multiple exposures to the words to increase reading comprehension.

  • Establishing a Consistent, Organized, and Respectful Learning Environment

    Issuing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Educator establishes a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment.

    Key Method: The educator collaborates with learners to establish classroom rules, models and practices a classroom procedure, and creates a menu of behavior management strategies to support a positive classroom climate.

  • Scaffolding Instruction to Elevate Rigor

    Issuing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Earner implements scaffolding strategies to support more rigorous learning for all students.

    Key Method: The earner demonstrates the use of scaffolds to provide students with access to rigorous content and incorporates varying levels of support to engage all students in learning.

  • Universal Design for Learning: Multiple Means of Representation

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Educator presents new learning to students through multiple types of medium by applying the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Principle of Multiple Means of Representation.

    Key Method: The educator delivers new learning through multiple types of medium to enable learners to perceive new information, understand various representations, and transfer new information into usable knowledge.

  • Universal Design for Learning: Multiple Means of Action and Expression

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Educator provides students with multiple ways to express their learning of academic content by applying the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Principle of Multiple Means of Action and Expression.

    Key Method: The educator strategically designs learning that offers students three different options for demonstrating and monitoring their learning of the same content.

  • Universal Design for Learning: Multiple Means of Engagement

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Earner enhances student engagement by applying the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Principle of Multiple Means of Engagement.

    Key Method: The earner enhances student engagement by providing options to sustain effort and persistence, for recruiting interest, and for self-regulation to create purpose and motivation for learning.

  • Collaborate with Professionals to Increase Student Success

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator demonstrates behaviors for effective collaboration with other professionals to positively impact student outcomes.

    Key Method: The educator demonstrates collaborative behaviors through effective communication with teachers, paraprofessionals, supervisors, and/or other related service providers while implementing the steps of shared problem solving to improve instructional outcomes for students. 

  • Engaging Families in Reciprocal Partnerships

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The earner utilizes effective partnership strategies to build reciprocal relationships with families. 

    Key Method: The earner collaborates with families to create a shared vision for their student's success and to establish protocols for two-way communication to support families and students in achieving that vision.

  • Applying Universal Design for Learning Principles and Guidelines to Lesson Design

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator applies the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines to design instruction to optimize teaching and learning during lesson implementation for improved student outcomes.

    Key Method: The educator develops learner profiles using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, analyzes methods, materials, and data sources for learning barriers, and evaluates and revises current learning design for the critical elements of UDL.

  • Image of micro-credential badge that will be earned upon completion

    Implementing Flexible Grouping

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: Earners implement flexible, small-group instruction to create a more inclusive classroom environment and improve academic outcomes for students.

    Key Method: Earners use data to create heterogeneous, small groups to participate in a cooperative learning strategy and a homogeneous small group to receive explicit instructions in order to improve academic outcomes and create a more inclusive classroom.

  • Creating Comprehensive Learner Profiles

    Providing Organization: Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Estimated Time to Complete: 6 hours

    Competency: The educator works with students to co-create comprehensive learner profiles, using multiple sources of information to gain a thorough understanding of a student's strengths and needs.

    Key Method: The educator collaborates with students to create comprehensive learner profiles to share with stakeholders that promote personalized learning paths and student-centered learning environments.