Ensuring Quality Teachers Through Alternative Certification Programs

To address concerns over teacher shortages, many states have begun to turn to alternative certification programs. Today, 115 programs exist in over 40 states, and more than 250 colleges and universities are currently involved in some type of alternative preparation. This policy brief examines what alternative certification is, discusses different approaches taken by different states to ensure quality, and looks at the types of candidates who apply to alternative certification programs (e.g., second career seekers, recent college graduates who decide they want to become teachers, and groups that are underrepresented in the classroom such as minorities and male elementary teachers). It also presents guidelines for school districts (program design and delivery, teacher recruitment and selection, assessing teacher qualifications and knowledge, quality assurance through the trial period, and responsibility for teacher preparation and evaluation standards). The final two sections focus on issues relevant to state policymakers and public accountability. A sidebar presents guidelines for alternative teacher certification programs. (Contains 16 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document