A top State Department of Education official is leaving her post to help prepare Idaho’s next generation of teachers for the classroom.

Christina Linder, director of certification and professional standards, announced Monday that she has accepted a position as associate dean of Idaho State University’s College of Education.

Linder’s last day at the department will be Dec. 9.

“I am very excited to be able to get back into the field, and work toward implementing a vision of excellence in the preparation of Idaho educators,” Linder said in a written statement. “I am pleased that my new responsibilities will allow for an ongoing relationship with the Department of Education, and I will look forward to supporting the mission and work of the SDE in any way that I can from my new position.”

Linder has held her current position since January 2007. Her responsibilities include overseeing teacher and administrator certification, Idaho’s teacher effectiveness programs and the Professional Standards Commission.

In recent weeks, Linder has taken an active and visible role in assisting the new Tiered Licensure Technical Advisory Committee as it implements recommendations from Gov. Butch Otter’s Task Force for Improving Education.

In August, task force members unanimously called for a state teacher licensure system. Additionally, the task force also unanimously proposed overhauling the teacher pay model, creating a career ladder pay system that would be tied to licensure.

In her state role, Linder helped lead the Teacher Performance Evaluation Task Force. That work led to Idaho’s statewide evaluation framework, based on the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching.

Department officials said Linder will be a valuable resource in preparing teachers, one goal of the tiered licensure committee.

“We at the department believe this is a great opportunity for Christina Linder to take her skills and expertise in teacher education to a college of education where she can work closely with individuals who are interested in becoming teachers in Idaho,” department spokeswoman Melissa McGrath said in an email to Idaho Education News.

Linder previously worked as a director of the master of arts teaching program at George Fox University. She has spent more than 20 years as a teacher and federal programs director in public schools.