Overview of Alternative Routes to Certification / Licensure

1. Overview of Alternative Routes to Certification / Licensure by Colleen Finegan based on totally borrowed information

2. “Alternate Routes to Teaching are having a major impact on the teaching profession in the United States, affecting not only the number of individuals entering teaching, but who enters teaching, how and why”. Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

3. Alternate Routes to Teaching (ART) “state approved, non-traditional routes that permit teacher candidates who already have at least a bachelor’s degree to enter classrooms and obtain teaching certificates in an expedited manner” Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

4. 1983 - 8 states had an ART 2006 - every state has at least one In some states 30-40% of all new teachers come from ART Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

5. Since 1985, 250,000 teachers have entered teaching through alternate routes (most since 2000) In 2006, 124 alternate routes to teaching certificates were implemented in 500+ alternate route programs that produced about 50,000 new teachers Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

7. 1980s • Recruiting non-traditional candidates • Creating new pathways for certifying them • Renamed emergency or other forms of temporary certification as “alternate routes” Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

8. Early - mid 1990s • Re-defining alternate certification • No longer calling emergency or other forms of temporary certification “alternate routes” • Getting rid of emergency and temporary certification Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

9. Source:National Center for Alternative Certification, Washington D.C., Sept. 2005

10. late 1990s • states developed approved alternate routes • and common characteristics began to emerge

11. Common Characteristics of Alternate Certification Candidates • Have at least a bachelor’s degree. • Pass a screening process, such as passing tests, interviews, and demonstrated mastery of content to be taught. • Begin teaching – usually full-time – early. They engage in on-the-job training. • Complete any coursework or equivalent experiences in professional education studies while teaching. • Usually work with mentor teachers. • Meet high performance standards.

12. Source:National Center for Alternative Certification, Washington D.C., February 2004

13. Source:National Center for Alternative Certification, Washington D.C., February 2004

14. Feistritzer & Haar, 2006

17. Source: National Center for Education Information, 2005

18. Compare traditionally trained teachers to alternate certification teachers on: • Race/ethnicity • Gender • Age • Experience • Concentration • Perseverance

19. Overall teaching force is 15% non-white 33% of teachers entering through alternate routes are non-white 40% of those entering through alternate routes are 40+ years old 37% of alternate route teachers are men

20. 1/2 of the 50,000 who entered teaching in 2005 through alternates routes came into teaching from fields other than education Only 1/5 of alternate route teachers had prior experience in an educational field Alternate programs create content and curriculum targeted to mid-career changers, based on maturity and life experiences

21. High Demand Subjects 7 % of traditionally trained teachers - MATH 20% of alternate route teachers - MATH 38 % of traditionally trained teachers - SPECIAL EDUCATION 50%+ of alternate route teachers - SPECIAL EDUCTION

22. 50% of those traditionally trained are still teaching after 5 years 85-90% of alternate route teachers are teaching after 5 years 97 % of providers of alternate route programs say that their teachers serve students in high needs areas (low SES, high poverty level, high minority school)

23. Characteristics of Alternate Certification Programs • Market-driven • Driving factors – school requirements and teacher candidate requirements • Efficient models • Results in tailor-made programs designed to meet specific needs for specific teachers in specific areas • Multiplicity of program models

24. Source:National Center for Alternative Certification, Washington D.C., April 2005