Building a Better Alternate Route

Transcription

1 NTQ State Teacher Policy Yearbook Brief Area 2: Expanding the Pool of Teachers Building a Better Alternate Route Despite much hand-wringing about them on the part of traditional teacher preparation institutions, and numerous political and policy barriers erected to protect the teaching profession from them over the last thirty or so years, alternate routes are now ubiquitous across the United States. Every state but North Dakota can claim to have some program on the books that could be classified as an alternate route into teaching. The latest statistics on teacher preparation from the U.S. Department of Education report that more than 10 percent of students enrolled in teacher preparation programs are in alternate routes. The concept: Alternate routes are a teacher recruitment tool. Provide the opportunity for the career-changer or non-traditional candidate to have a fast-track into teaching through a streamlined process. Ensure that the candidate has strong subject-area knowledge and above average academic background. Provide accelerated support for transitioning the candidate into the classroom but flexibility on meeting coursework and major requirements. Key Yearbook indings on Alternate Routes With more and more states focusing on the importance of highly-effective teachers, alternate routes must ensure that prospective teachers enter the profession with the knowledge and skills needed to help students succeed. Recruitment for the sake of recruitment isn t good enough. NTQ s 2011 Yearbook findings suggest that the expectations states set for alternate routes are not high enough. onsider the following 2011 Yearbook findings: In most cases, states have set a low bar for the academic performance record of prospective alternate route teachers. Only 13 states set higher academic standards, such as a minimum grade point average, for entry to alternate route programs than for traditional programs, while 19 states do not specify any academic standards at all for alternate route candidates. Only about half the states require alternate route candidates to demonstrate subjectmatter knowledge as a condition of admission. Not quite half the states (24) require all alternate route candidates to pass a subject-matter test in order to enter such a program 26 states either don t test the content knowledge of prospective teaching candidates at all, exempt some candidates or put off requiring candidates to demonstrate mastery of content until the program has been completed. Half the states alternate route policies are inflexible. Only 25 states have admissions criteria that are flexible to the needs and backgrounds of nontraditional candidates, 1

2 Are states helping to expand the teacher pipeline? 2011 Grade Arkansas B Alabama B- lorida B- Georgia B- Ohio B- Rhode Island B- onnecticut + Delaware + Louisiana + Maryland + Massachusetts + Michigan + New York + Tennessee + Texas + District of olumbia Illinois Kentucky Minnesota Mississippi New Jersey Oklahoma Pennsylvania Virginia Washington alifornia - South arolina - South Dakota - West Virginia - Alaska D+ Arizona D+ olorado D+ Idaho D+ Indiana D+ Nevada D+ North arolina D+ Utah D+ Iowa D Kansas D New Hampshire D Missouri D- New Mexico D- Wyoming D- Hawaii Maine Montana Nebraska North Dakota Oregon Vermont Wisconsin Average State Grade - who may have deep subject-area knowledge in a content area other than the one in which they have an undergraduate major. The remaining states require candidates to have a subjectarea major but do not permit candidates to demonstrate that subject knowledge by passing a test. Only 13 states appropriately limit the amount of coursework required of alternate route teachers, and only 12 ensure that any required coursework meets the immediate needs of new classroom teachers. Very few states provide alternate route candidates with classroom experience before assigning them to their own classrooms. Ideally, alternate route teachers should have a practice teaching experience before becoming the teacher of record; this is required in 11 states. Recognizing that practice teaching may not be feasible for all alternate route candidates, the need for mentoring and induction is especially critical. Although many states require some sort of mentoring, the requirements are typically vague about the nature and duration of support to be provided. Only 13 states require that alternate route teachers receive high quality mentoring. There are still many states that restrict alternate route providers to the institutions that run traditional teacher preparation programs. Twenty-six states allow both broad usage and a diversity of providers, such as nonprofits and school districts. However, there are still 20 states that limit alternate route providers to colleges and universities only. 2 NTQ Yearbook Brief: Building a Better Alternate Route

3 Alternate Route Policy hecklist for States 1. Set high standards and provide flexibility for meeting them. Screen candidates based on academic ability Set a higher standard for entry than is set for traditional teacher preparation Require candidates to pass the state s subject-matter licensing test Don t require a major in the intended subject area; instead, allow candidates to demonstrate subjectmatter knowledge on a rigorous test 2. Provide streamlined preparation. Limit coursework (ideally to no more than 12 credits a year) Require that the alternate route is an accelerated course of study Ensure that all coursework requirements target the immediate needs of the new teacher Ensure that candidates have an opportunity to practice teach in a summer training program Provide intensive mentoring 3. Remove regulatory obstacles. Allow for a diversity of alternate route providers Don t limit the use of alternate routes to shortage areas or to certain grades or subjects Alternate routes have the potential to attract aspiring teachers good students with strong liberal arts backgrounds who didn t know they wanted to be teachers by the end of their freshman year in college. They provide opportunities to attract mid-career switchers individuals with deep subject knowledge that they now want to share with a classroom full of students. If the only option for these teaching candidates is a traditional route, few of them will end up in classrooms, and that would be a terrible loss for students. But to be a win for students and schools, alternate routes need to be done well. Just because all states can claim to have such pathways into teaching, in reality, there remains considerable variation in both the quality of states routes and how much of an alternative such routes actually are. The landscape is diverse. An increasing number of states now allow highly-selective programs like Teach for America and TNTP, which target highly-capable students to operate as alternate routes. Other states interpret alternate routes as little more than earn as you learn programs that place new teachers in classrooms but allow program providers (most often universities with traditional teacher preparation programs) to require of the candidates a program of study virtually identical to what is required of traditional route teachers. On the other end of the spectrum, coupled with substandard admissions criteria, the requirements for some states alternate routes resemble what used to be labeled emergency certification. 3

4 State Policies that Support Genuine Alternate Routes Prerequisite of strong academic performance Verification of subject matter knowledge Availability of test out options Streamlined coursework Relevant coursework Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas alifornia olorado onnecticut Delaware District of olumbia lorida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North arolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South arolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming TOTAL NTQ Yearbook Brief: Building a Better Alternate Route

5 Reasonable program length Practice teaching and/or intensive mentoring Broad usage Diversity of providers Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas alifornia olorado onnecticut Delaware District of olumbia lorida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North arolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South arolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming TOTAL 5

6 NTQ s recipe for improving both traditional and alternate routes is similar be selective, make sure candidates know their subjects, make sure required coursework is relevant, give teachers the opportunity to practice their trade, and provide them support as new teachers. NTQ Recommendations for States on Alternate Routes Our findings on alternate routes aren t an argument against them just as our findings on the quality of traditional teacher preparation aren t an argument against those programs, per se. Alternate route programs, when done well, are important and necessary options. However, almost 30 years after the first alternate routes were adopted, concerns about the quality of both traditional teacher preparation programs and their socalled alternatives remain. Whatever route taken, teachers must be student-ready before they enter the classroom. NTQ recommends that: 1. States should require alternate route programs to set higher admission requirements than traditional preparation programs while also being flexible to the needs of nontraditional candidates. Screen candidates based on academic ability. With some accommodation for work experience, alternate route programs should screen candidates for academic ability, such as requiring a minimum 2.75 overall college grade point average. Assess candidates content knowledge. All alternate route candidates, including elementary candidates and those having a major in their intended subject area, should be required to pass the state s subject-matter licensing test. Provide flexibility for demonstrating knowledge. Alternate route candidates lacking a major in the intended subject area should be able to demonstrate subject-matter knowledge by passing a test of sufficient rigor. 2. States should ensure that alternate routes provide streamlined preparation that is relevant to the immediate needs of new teachers. Limit coursework. States should ensure that the amount of coursework it either requires or allows is manageable for a novice teacher. Anything exceeding 12 credit hours of coursework in the first year may be counterproductive, placing too great a burden on the teacher. This calculation is premised on no more than six credit hours in the summer, three in the fall and three in the spring. 6 NTQ Yearbook Brief: Building a Better Alternate Route

7 Make alternate routes a fast track. States should ensure that alternate route programs offer accelerated study not to exceed six (three credit) courses for secondary teachers and eight (three credit) courses for elementary teachers (exclusive of any credit for practice teaching or mentoring) over the duration of the program. Programs should be limited to two years, at which time the new teacher should be eligible for a standard certificate. Keep coursework relevant. All coursework requirements should target the immediate needs of the new teacher (e.g., seminars with other grade-level teachers, training in a particular curriculum, reading instruction and classroom management techniques). Give candidates a chance to hone classroom skills. States should ensure that candidates have an opportunity to practice teach in a summer training program. Alternatively, states can require an intensive mentoring experience, beginning with a trained mentor assigned full time to the new teacher for the first critical weeks of school and then gradually reduced. States should support only induction strategies that can be effective even in a poorly managed school: intensive mentoring, seminars appropriate to grade level or subject area, a reduced teaching load and frequent release time to observe effective teachers. 3. States should provide alternate routes that are free from regulatory obstacles. With high standards for programs, don t limit their use. States should not treat the alternate route as a program of last resort or restrict the availability of alternate routes to certain subjects, grades or geographic areas. States should allow districts and nonprofit organizations other than institutions of higher education to operate alternate route programs. inally, states should ensure that their alternate routes have no requirements that would be difficult to meet for a provider that is not an institution of higher education (e.g., an approval process based on institutional accreditation). Just a few states have genuine alternate routes in place. NTQ identifies just seven states that offer genuine alternate routes -- programs that provide an accelerated, responsive and flexible pathway into the teaching profession for talented individuals. onnecticut, the District of olumbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island require candidates to demonstrate above-average academic performance as a condition of admission into alternate route programs. Arkansas, lorida and Virginia allow candidates to demonstrate subject-area knowledge by passing a test, rather than by having a content-specific major, which makes their alternate routes particularly flexible to non-traditional candidates. All seven states offer alternate route candidates with a practice teaching field placement or intensive mentoring experiences and are on the right track when it comes to offering streamlined and relevant alternate routes that are available for broad use in schools in their states. onclusion Ensuring that alternate routes into teaching are highquality and produce effective teachers is a systemic issue. In NTQ s 2011 State Teacher Policy Yearbook, we found only seven states guidelines offer a genuine alternate route an improvement of just one state since we started tracking such policies in While there are numerous ways that individual programs can improve, we believe that many of the programs are weak because the policies that govern them are weak and oversight is limited. These are issues that need to be addressed by states. 7

8 1420 New York Avenue, NW Washington, D Tel: ax: Web: Subscribe to NTQ s blog PDQ ollow NTQ on Twitter and acebook NTQ is available to work with individual states to improve teacher policies. or more information, please contact: Sandi Jacobs Vice President sjacobs@nctq.org