Alternative Teacher Certification Procedures and Professional Development Opportunities for Career and Technical Education Teachers

Alternative teacher certification refers to non-traditional routes into the teaching profession. A review of literature was conducted to give insight into the types of teacher certification practices in the United States. Some critics have argued that alternatively certified teachers are inferior to traditionally certified teachers; others claim alternative certification routes will attract more candidates to the teaching profession. Retention of alternatively certified teachers is also a matter of concern. The review of literature provides an overview of retention strategies for both traditional and alternatively certified teachers.

In addition to the review of literature pertinent to the need for alternative certification, data were collected to determine alternative teacher certification procedures and to identify professional development opportunities provided by states. Data were collected from state departments of education and CTE teachers through surveys. Telephone interviews were also conducted with CTE teachers. The comments from the telephone interviews provided additional insights into the varied teaching experiences and professional development needs of recently certified CTE teachers.

Thirty-six states provided data on alternative teacher certification procedures for academic and CTE teachers. The review of academic and professional development backgrounds and transcript analysis was the most common alternative teacher certification procedure reported by state departments of education for academic teachers and six of the eight CTE certification areas. No differences in alternative teacher certification procedures were reported between secondary academic and CTE teachers. Thirty-three states reported professional development activities available to recently certified secondary academic and CTE teachers. A mentor (67%) was the most common professional development activity provided, followed by professional development workshops (61%).

The survey population for this study consisted of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers hired between 1996 and 2000 from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty-eight states (55%) were able to provide the names and addresses of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers hired between 1996 and 2000. Surveys were sent to 2,091 CTE teachers, and completed surveys were received from 632.

The majority of respondents (59%) had completed all the teacher certification requirements when they began teaching. Of these respondents, 47% completed a baccalaureate degree in education, 28% completed an alternative certification program, and 18% completed a fifth-year or post-baccalaureate program. More than half of the agriculture (58%), health careers (65%), and trade and industrial (59%) teachers reported that at the time they began teaching, they had not completed all the teacher certification requirements.

CTE teachers with a baccalaureate degree in education, fifth-year or post-baccalaureate program, or alternative certification program reported significant differences in pre-service preparation in pedagogy and knowledge of subject matter. In pedagogy, teachers with a baccalaureate degree in education felt the most prepared, and alternatively certified teachers felt the least prepared. However, alternatively certified teachers felt most prepared in knowledge of subject matter. No differences were reported between types of certification program in the areas of classroom management skills and working with special populations. Teachers who reported using support services rated their teaching experience more positively than those who did not. Eight support services were listed and included use of curriculum and instructional resources, orientation to policies and procedures, paid curriculum development time prior to teaching, and peer support group.

The likelihood of remaining in the teaching profession was linked to positive ratings of teaching experience. Sixty-three percent of the CTE respondents rated their teaching experience as very positive or extremely positive. The type of teacher certification program did not influence the reported likelihood of remaining in the teaching profession, nor their decision to continue teaching. Fifty-three percent of the respondents reported they planned to continue teaching as a long-term career (eight or more years).

Fourteen survey respondents participated in telephone interviews. Depending on their pre-service preparation, some new teachers reported the need for ongoing help with curriculum, teaching methods, and classroom management. The need for personal support, whether in the form of a mentor or a peer support group, was clear in the comments of all new teachers. This support from other education professionals was seen as key to staying in the teaching profession, though there was no consensus on what would be most helpful. Beginning teachers also valued the availability of classroom observation opportunities and workshops on many topics, along with the release time available to take advantage of these.

Based upon the findings from this study, recommendations for further research are offered:

1. an examination of the relationship between traditional versus alternative teacher certification and student achievement,
2. an examination of the relationship between mentor and the quality of the mentor program with beginning teachers,
3. the identification of model CTE traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs,
4. the effectiveness of national programs offering alternative certification routes into the teaching profession,
5. the identification of pre-service and in-service needs of CTE teachers, and
6. a longitudinal study to compare the likelihood of success in terms of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers with varying levels of preparation.

Several appendixes are provided summarizing state departments of education reports of alternative teacher certification procedures, and professional development opportunities. Survey responses by overall CTE certification and individual CTE certification areas (agriculture, business, computer science, family and consumer science, health, marketing, technology, and trade and industrial) are also reported in appendixes IX through XVI.