Transcript Document

Alternative Certification:
A National Perspective
SELECT COMMITTEE ON LATERAL
ENTRY
Raleigh, North Carolina
November 14, 2003
Charles R. Coble
Vice-President, Policy Studies & Programs
Education Commission of the States
What is a Highly Qualified Teacher?
(as defined by NCLB)
• Has full state certification
• Holds a minimum of a bachelor’s degree
• Has demonstrated subject matter
competency in each of the academic
subjects in which the teacher teaches - if the
subject is a core academic subject.
What is a Highly Qualified Teacher?
(as defined by NCTAF)
• Have thorough knowledge of their subjects
• Know how students learn
• Can assess and increase student learning
• Manage classrooms effectively
• Care about the academic, social, civic, and
personal success of all students
• Use technology effectively to promote learning
• Collaborate with colleagues, parents, & community
members to create positive learning environments
• Are active and reflective learners
Why the Concern for Highly
Qualified Teachers?
The NCLB Imperative:
“Closing the achievement gap between highand low-performing children, especially the
achievement gaps between minority and
non-minority students, and between
disadvantaged children and their more
advantaged peers.”
20 U.S.C. § 6301
Why the Concern for Highly
Qualified Teachers?
Workforce Skills and the Old Economy
 The premium was on a “strong back and a weak
mind.”
 Workers were expected to be docile and tolerant
of routine.
 There were low educational expectations and for
“thinking on the job.”
Why the Concern for Highly
Qualified Teachers?
Workforce Skills and the New Economy
 Employees are expected to think and solve
problems on the job.
 Employees are expected to be able to read,
write, speak, and have computational skills.
 Basic and advanced computer skills are
expected.
 Employees are expected to work effectively
individually and with others, often in teams.
Volk, K. & Peel, H. “A Projection of 21st Century Workforce Skills”, Rural Education Institute, East Carolina
University, 1993
Average Math Score 3 yrs later in Percentiles
Teachers Matter: Math Gain
Scores in Dallas
90
76
Beginning
3rd Grade
Score
(Percentile)
Dallas Students
Assigned To 3
Highly Effective
Teachers In A
Row
Dallas Students
Assigned To 3
Ineffective
Teachers In A
Row
27
15
Source: Heather Jordan, Robert Mendro, & Dash Weerasinghe, “Teacher Effects On Longitudinal Student Achievement” 1997.
Teachers Matter: Math and Reading
Gain Scores in Boston
15
Least Effective Teachers
14.6%
Average 10
Student
Growth
5
Over
One
Year
0
(percent)
Most Effective Teachers
5.6%
-0.6%
MATH
-5
Source: Boston Public Schools, in “High School Restructuring,” March 9, 1998.
(courtesy of The Education Trust)
0.3%
READING
Teachers Matter: Math gain scores
Texas, grades 3-5
Home and
Family Factors
49%
Teacher
Qualifications
40%
Class Size
8%
Other School
Factors
3%
Teachers Matter for Low-Performing
Students
Sources of Teacher Supply
New
Graduates
6%
Re-entrants
4%
Teachers who
remain from
previous year
90%
Sources of Teacher Supply
Potential New Supply:
Newly prepared
graduates, 2000
160,000
Actual Supply, 19992000: Newly prepared
entrants
85,000
80,000
Re-entrants
Delayed entrants and
others
67,000
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000
Beginning Teacher Attrition
Is a Serious Problem
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
14%
24%
33%
40%
46%
1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year
4th Year
5th Year
0%
Source: Richard Ingersoll, adapted for NCTAF from “The Teacher Shortage: A Case of
Wrong Diagnosis and Wrong Prescription.” NASSP Bulletin 86 (June 2002): pp. 16-31.
Teacher Preparation Reduces
Attrition of First-Year Teachers
% of teachers leaving after one year
No Training
Training
25
Practice Teaching
11.6
25.7
Feedback on
Teaching
13
27.3
Observation of Other
Classes
12.8
Training in Child
Psych./Learning
Theory
28.1
12
Training in
Selection/Use of
Materials
20.7
12.6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Average Retention Rates For Different
Pathways Into Teaching
100
100
100
90
100
84
80
% Who
Complete
Program
80
70
60
% Who
Enter
Teaching
% Who
Remain
After 3
Years
53
40
34
0
20
0
Five-year program (B.A.
in subject field and M.A.
education)
Four-year program
(B.A. in subject field
or education)
Short-term
alternative
certification
program (B.A. and
summer training)
Source: No Dream Denied A Pledge to America's Children. National Commission on Teaching and America's Future,
January, 2003.
The Relationship between California Elementary
School API Scores, Student Socioeconomic Status,
and Teacher Qualifications, 2000
30
% Emergency
Credentialed
Teachers
100
90
25
80
70
20
60
% Low SES
Students
15
50
40
10
30
20
5
10
ec
ile
9
D
ec
ile
10
8
D
ec
ile
7
D
ec
ile
6
D
ec
ile
5
D
ec
ile
4
D
ec
ile
3
D
ec
ile
D
ec
ile
D
ec
ile
D
2
0
1
0
API Score
Source: No Dream Denied A Pledge to America's Children. National Commission on Teaching and America's Future,
January, 2003.
Trends in Starting Salaries
Across Professions
United States, 1994-1999
$50,000
Engineering
$45,000
$44,362
Computer Science
Math/Statistics
$40,000
$35,000
Economics/Finance
Business
$35,736
Marketing
Chemistry
$30,000
$26,639
$25,000
Accounting
Liberal Arts
$23,231
Teaching
$20,000
1994
1999
The Teachers We Want
Do we find them or prepare them and do we
focus on…
•
•
•
•
Individual talent or Preparation ?
Content knowledge or Pedagogy ?
Focus on outcomes or Focus on inputs ?
Alternative or Traditional programs ?
The Teachers We Want
The choices are not a real choices, but:
• Higher education must build more developmentally
appropriate and accessible entry routes into teaching
• States must develop better policies and programs
that support the success of teachers regardless of
entry route
Significant Growth in Alternative
Licensure
 Approximately 200,000 alternative
certifications granted since 1985
 A significant increase in alternative
certifications began in the mid-1990s
 Since 1998, approximately 25,000 people
per year were certified through alternative
routes
Source: The National Center for Education Information, http://www.ncei.com/2003/executive_summary.htm
Which States Offer Alternative
Licensure/Certification Programs?
Yes (45 states* and DC)
No (5 states)
*West Virginia ---allows institutions of higher education to offer alternative
certification programs, however, no institutions have currently implemented a
program.
Source: ECS State Teacher Preparation Policy Database, http://www.tqsource.org/prep/policy
Types of Alternative Programs
University Based: Southeastern Louisiana University
Master of Arts in Teaching program; Project ACT,
East Carolina University
University System: CalTeach (CSU) and NC TEACH
(UNC) primarily recruit mid-career professionals
Community Colleges: BS degree-completion
programs (Miami-Dade & St. Petersburg CC) ; 2+2
degree completion programs (NCCC-UNC)
Types of Alternative Programs
State Sponsored: New Jersey enacted legislation to
create alternative certification in 1984.
District Based: the Alternative Certification Program
by the Houston Independent School District
Federal: Troops To Teachers
Independent: Teach for America; the American Board
for Certification of Teacher Excellence
Who Enrolls in Alternative Programs?
California: 53 alternative programs have certified over
10,000 teachers; 48% ethnic, 29% male; retention for
the first 5 years was 86%
New Jersey: 20-25% of all new teachers hired are from
its alternative programs; they are older & more
ethnically diverse
Texas: 27 alternative teacher certification programs
produce over 14% of new teachers hired; 41% are
minority
C. Emily Feistritzer, President,National Center for Education Information, 1999
How Should "Alternative
Licensure" be Defined?
“There is – or ought to be – a distinction made
between alternative licensure and alternative routes
to licensure.
The latter concerns the preparation program path a
candidate takes to become licensed, but there is no
difference between the license this person receives
as a beginning teacher and that of a more
traditionally prepared teacher.
The former implies a different set of criteria applied to
grant licensure to an alternative candidate.”
Michael Allen, Project Director, ECS Teaching Quality Policy Center
NCLB & Alternative Route Programs
Teachers not fully certified, but participating in
alternative route licensure shall be considered
“highly-qualified” if they:
(1) receive high-quality professional development that
is sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused in
order to have a positive and lasting impact on
classroom instruction before and while teaching;
(2) participate in a program of intensive supervision
that consists of structured guidance and regular
ongoing support for teachers, or a teacher
mentoring program;
NCLB & Alternative Route Programs
Teachers not fully certified, but participating in
alternative route licensure shall be considered
“highly-qualified” continued:
(3) assume functions as a teacher for a specified
period of time not to exceed three years; and
(4) demonstrate satisfactory progress toward full
certification as prescribed by the State.
USDE, Improving Teaching Quality, Non-Regulatory Guidance, Revised Draft, September 12, 2003
Why the Increase in AlternativelyLicensed Teachers?
While there may not be an overall shortage
of teachers generally - nationally there is a
shortage of math, science, bilingual
education, and special education teachers.
A number of alternative route programs have
been set up specifically to recruit and
prepare people to teach in these fields.
Why the Increase in AlternativelyLicensed Teachers?
"The simultaneous occurrence of the bad
economy and the Sept. 11 attacks which
made people sit up and rethink their lives,
has certainly contributed to this trend."
Emily Feistritzer, President of the National Center for Education Information
How Effective are Alternative
Licensure Teachers?
Alternatively PREPARED teachers from good
programs can perform as well as traditionally
prepared teachers – eventually - if (1) given good
induction and mentoring and (2) solid collateral
coursework while they are in the first year or two of
teaching.
Michael Allen, Project Director,ECS Teaching Quality Policy Center
How Effective are Alternative
Licensure Teachers?
Alternatively LICENSED teachers, on the other hand,
may not be as effective as licensed teachers teaching
in their field of certification.
Michael Allen, Project Director,ECS Teaching Quality Policy Center
How Effective are Alternative
Licensure Teachers?
Research comparing the effectiveness of traditional and alternative
certification teachers has mixed results. For example:
Lutz and Hutton (1989) evaluated the Dallas Independent School
District's alternative certification program and found that,of the
54% who completed the intern year, that supervisors’
perceptions were positive.
The Texas Education Agency evaluation reported (traditionally
trained) beginning teachers as more knowledgeable than
alternative teachers.
Schram, Feiman-Nemser, and Ball (1990) did not find any
significant difference between the two groups.
Source: Alternative Teacher Certification--An Update (1991),
Teachers Matter: Polar Opposites Agree
Linda Darling-Hammond and Checker Finn agree on
two things:
That smart, caring teachers can help students
overcome background problems like poverty and
limited English proficiency.
That the sun will likely rise tomorrow!
ECS Fall Steering Committee Meeting, Cheyenne, WY, November 1999.
State Data Collection on
Teachers is Inadequate
• State Data Collection on Teachers is Inadequate
• Current state data collection efforts tend to be
disjointed
• State databases often fail to provide a
comprehensive, longitudinal view of teacher career
paths.
• Few states collect data on individuals who complete
an alternative teacher training program
• Data often is not available on a teacher's
undergraduate major or minor or on undergraduate
performance.
Source: SHEEO, Data Systems to Enhance Teacher Quality, 2003
ECS Recommendations on
Alternative Licensure
• States with alternative route programs should:
 Provide solid induction and mentoring
 Require collateral coursework
 Give new teachers manageable placements
 Use incentives to get more experienced teachers
to take the tough assignments
 Require rigorous data collection to aid in program
evaluation for all alternative route programs
ECS Recommendations on
Alternative Licensure
• States should not:
 Regard alternative route programs as
suppliers of teachers for tough schools
 Give new, alternatively prepared teachers
the toughest job assignments
 Make alternative license program completion
requirements less rigorous than traditional
licensing routes