Alternative Licensure Pathways

Alternative Licensure Pathways
Recruit – Prepare Working Groups
September 26, 2014
Executive Summary
‘‘Alternative Licensure Pathways’’ is used in many ways. All definitions refer to alternatives to
the traditional four-year baccalaureate program or ‘‘fifth year’’ post-baccalaureate program
designed for individuals who are simultaneously earning a degree and initial licensure.
‘‘Alternative Licensure Pathways’’ is used broadly to refer to any pathway designed to help an
individual achieve licensure through something other than the traditional baccalaureate
programs historically available from a university. They generally follow one of the following
models:

Expedited Programs - evening, week-end, and/or summer courses that allow an individual
to pursue licensure while employed full-time in a field other than teaching;

Online Delivery or Blended (hybrid) Programs - face-to-face (optional) and distance learning
sessions that allow an individual to access courses from any location;

On-the-Job Programs - individuals complete preparation and earn initial licensure while
they are teaching in a Minnesota classroom;

Individualized Programs - shaped after an assessment of the prospective teacher’s
education and experiences; and

Two-Plus-Two Programs - pathways from two-year colleges, where students complete the
first two years of a licensure program, to four-year institutions where students complete a
baccalaureate degree and licensure requirements.
http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/2005/pdf/teacherlicensure.pdf
Since their introduction in the 1980s, alternative route to licensure (ARL) programs have
continued to expand, and most states now offer nontraditional licensure programs (Haselkorn
& Hammerness, 2008; McConney, Price, & Woods-McConney, 2012; Stephens, 2007).
In 2011, the Minnesota Legislature passed an alternative teacher certification law, and the
Board of Teaching established guidelines for the alternative pathways to licensure. Under the
law, candidates can obtain training through an organization other than a college or university,
including a school district or nonprofit, provided the training program is approved by the Board
of Teaching. Alternative pathways to teacher licensure allow those who already have an
undergraduate degree and have been in the work force to switch gears and pursue a teaching
degree while working as a teacher in a Minnesota school district. Although the Board of
Teaching has not approved any alternative teacher preparation programs in the state, policies
and rules are in place for enactment once a program is approved. Included in these rules and
policies are minimum requirements that will be applicable as these programs are developed.
See Appendix A.
ARL programs are designed to attract a more diverse population of participants than traditional
pathways. A profile of ARL teachers found that 37% of ARL participants were male compared to
25% of the teaching force, and 32% were non-white compared to 11% of the teaching force
(Feistritzer, 2005). Alternative licensure pathways minimize barriers to the profession that have
discouraged minority participation. Regardless of program type, participants are typically older
than traditional college age, male, ethnically diverse, likely to make more money teaching than
in previous jobs, and express intent to remain in the field. Additionally, paraprofessional stepup programs hold a lot of promise (Sindelar, et al., 2012). In some programs, career changers,
paraprofessionals, and military veterans are specifically targeted (AIR, 2005).
ARL programs are designed to provide a non-traditional path to licensure. Requirements vary
across programs; however, most programs are notably different from traditional pathways in
the areas of structure, presentation, and participant population (Rosenberg & Sindelar, 2005).
Our proposal includes multi-faceted instruction, robust hands-on experiences, supportive
mentoring, and effective partnerships.
Need/Purpose/Fit to TPI Mission
The Alternative Licensure Pathways would be focused on meeting several needs for future
teachers in Central Minnesota: more teachers in high needs licensure areas; more experienced
teachers in high needs schools; and teachers of color in all our schools.
The first need in P-12 schools continues to be for ELL, SPED and STEM teachers with licenses in
these respective areas. Surveys of principals continue to report that they have difficulty hiring
licensed teachers in these areas.
Second, we also need teachers who want to work in high needs schools and who continue to do
so for their careers. New teachers are leaving the field in greater and greater numbers with the
attrition rate for years of teaching being lowered to the first year of teaching. Too often,
experienced teachers move to more affluent, low needs schools from high needs schools, and
too often high needs schools are hiring ELL, SPED, and STEM teachers on emergency licenses,
and more of these teachers are teaching outside their licensure areas in these high needs
schools.
Third, we need more teachers of color, as our teacher corps continues to be mostly white, the
student population has become more diverse culturally, ethnically, and linguistically. The
teacher corps today is 85% white while more and more school districts no longer have student
populations that are dominated by one racial, cultural, ethnic, or linguistic group. Minnesota
now has students from 100 different languages in our P-12 school system, but the majority of
our teachers are monolingual and from the same cultural, ethnic, and racial group within our
society.
Fourth, in teacher preparation, the teacher educators in the higher education institution needs
to collaborate more with master teachers, coaches, and curriculum specialists in the P-12
system to keep teacher education relevant in our changing world.
Objectives:
This proposal would have three basic objectives:
First, the proposal would focus on providing our P-12 partners with highly prepared teachers in
high needs areas.
Second, the proposal would design alternative licensure pathways using a partnership model
between St. Cloud State University and its P-12 partners by Fall 2015. This program would be
for a specific set of students:
1) For the partnership, the P-12 partners would apply for Alternative Licensure through the
current Minnesota laws for such a program and would do so in collaboration with SCSU;
2) For participants, the program would be designed for:
high achieving BA graduates in high needs content areas with a 3.0 GPA;
high achieving general BA graduates in all areas with a 3.0 GPA;
working adults seeking undergraduate and graduate licensure;
students who need flexible courses offerings in a two year cycle with courses offered
online, in the evening or on weekends and/or summer
e. paraprofessionals and similar school employees: Cultural Navigators, Bilingaul Aides,
etc.
Participants would follow a residency or half-residency model where each participant
spends half the week in schools teaching and tutoring and half the week in classes
preparing.
All field experiences would be completed within the residency program;
The program could be completed in two years with all courses and experiences
completed within this time frame;
The P-12 partners would provide activities that would cover Standards of Effective
Practice;
SCSU would provide content courses related to the specific license.
a.
b.
c.
d.
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Third, the resulting alternative licensure program would double the following high need
licensure completers by 2020:
a. For SPED, ELL, and STEM;
b. For underrepresented groups
i. Men in the early grades; and
ii. Minority teacher candidates.
c. For paraprofessionals and others currently working or volunteering in school and
who seek licensure, and
d. For Veterans seeking licensure.
Methods:
This method would marry the residency model with content courses for the high needs areas of
ELL, SPED, and STEM.
1) Possibilities/considerations
a. Flexible scheduling: online, evening, weekends, and/or summer
b. On P-12 site course and workshop offerings
c. Residency (medical model): stipend with field experience
1) Summer courses
2) With full-time job on emergency license
3) With half-time job with para, bilingual aide or cultural navigator or similar
funding
d. In a cohort
2) Supports
a. MTLE Basic Skills support
b. Writing support from Write Place at SCSU,
c. Tutoring support in content areas.
d. Other
3) Partnerships
a. Funded residency program where students receive para-like funding for teaching
and tutoring in the schools with SCSU GA-like support;
b. Academic support from both SCSU in courses and from P-12 partners from coaches
and program directors;
c. For future hiring, P-12 partners are able to get to know prospective hires in great
detail before hire.
4) Models
Group
Special Education
Paraprofessional
(for ABS)
Non-Degree
Not Licensed
Special Education
Non teacher with
Bachelor Degree
(for ABS)
Bachelor’s Degree
Not Licensed
Liberal Ed






MN Transfer
Curriculum
CLEP Testing
Credit for Prior
Learning
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Content











Credit for Prior Learning
Cohort Model
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Alternative host site
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Alternative host site
Cohort Model
Methods











Credit for Prior Learning
Cohort Model
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Alternative host site
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Alternative host site
Cohort Model
Already in place, consider enhancing alt delivery
Special Education
Licensed (non-SPED)
Teachers with at least
1 year teaching
experience
(for LD, EBD, ASD,
DCD)
Bachelor’s Degree
Licensed





Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Alternative host site
Cohort Model
SPED Methods Only
 Evenings/Weekends
 Summer
 Online/Blended
 Alternative host site
 Cohort Model
Already in place, consider enhancing alt delivery




Field Experiences (FE)
&
Student Teaching (ST)
On site, through job
Summer Programming
2 summers (ST) +
academic year (FE)
District Stipend TC/CT (for
high need areas)
Possible Funding Support
 Grant Support
 Center for Partnership
 Summer Options (FE
and/or ST)
 FE & ST Residency Model
 District Stipend TC/CT (for
high need areas)
Possible Funding Support
 Potential GA
Opportunities
 Grant Support
 Center for Partnership
 FE waived
 Summer (ST)
 FE & ST Residency Model
 District Stipend TC/CT (for
high need areas)
Possible Funding Support
 Potential GA
Opportunities
 Grant Support
MTLE
edTPA
All
All
MTLE SPED
Content
Only
No
edTPA

Group
Liberal Ed




STEM Related Careers
Career Changers
Degree in Content
Bachelor’s Degree
Not-Licensed
 3.0 GPA Minimum
 TOEFL
 Writing Sample
 Interview
 Written Plan to
Pass MTLE
Group
TESL Graduate
Content

Passing MTLE Content
Credit for Prior Learning
Portfolio Review
Assessment of Prior
Degree
Admissions Review
Liberal Ed
Content

TESL and
Foundations course
work integrated
Methods






Credit for Prior Learning
Evenings/Weekends
Summer
Online/Blended
Year Long Residency
Condensed Courses
o ED300
o CEEP262 & 361
o IM422
o HLTH301?
o SPED203
o ED/ENGL460
Foundations


Year long residency
District workshops
and coaching

Center for Partnership
Field Experiences (FE)
&
Student Teaching (ST)
Year Long Residency
MTLE
edTPA
All
Possible Funding Support
 Potential GA
Opportunities
 Grant Support
 Center for Partnership
Field Experiences (FE)
&
Student Teaching (ST)
 Year long residency
Possible funding sources: GAlike funding: stipend from
district/tuition waiver from
SCSU
MTLE
edTPA
All
Evaluation
Evaluation of Alternative Licensure Pathways could include the following:
 Do Alternative Licensure Pathways correlate with increases in highly qualified candidates
across high need areas?
 Do participants maintain a positive progression toward licensure?
 Do participants maintain the eligibility criteria?
 Do participants meet admission criteria to enter or continue in the major?
 Other
Timeline
The Recruit – Prepare Working Groups recommend implementation of Alternative Licensure
Pathways for the 2015-16 Academic Year to double the following high need licensure
completers by 2020:
a. For SPED, ELL, and STEM;
b. For underrepresented groups
i. Men in the early grades; and
ii. Minority teacher candidates.
c. For paraprofessionals and others currently working or volunteering in school and
who seek licensure, and
d. For Veterans seeking licensure.
References
American Institutes for Research. (2005). Transition to teaching grant program: 2002 cohort
case studies. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
Feistritzer, C. E. (2005). Profile of alternative route teachers. Washington, DC: National Center
for Education Information.
Haselkorn, D., & Hammerness, K. (2008). Encore performances: Tapping the potential of midcareer and second career teachers. Princeton, NJ: The Woodrow Wilson National
Fellowship Foundation.
McConney, A., Price, A., & Woods-McConney, A. (2012). Fast track teacher education: A review
of the research literature on Teach for All Schemes. Perth: Murdoch University, Centre
for Learning, Change and Development.
McGuire, K. (July 8, 2012). Minnesota’s alternative path for aspiring teachers still is untraveled.
Star Tribune.
Overview: Alternative Pathways to Teacher Licensure in the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities System. (2005).
http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/2005/pdf/teacherlicensure.pdf
Rosenberg, M. S., & Sindelar, P. T. (2005). The proliferation of alternative routes to certification
in special education: A critical review of the literature. The Journal of Special Education,
39, 117-127.
Sindelar, P. T., Dewey, J. F., Rosenberg, M. S., Corbett, N. L., Denslow, D., & Lotfinia, B. (2012).
Cost effectiveness of alternative route special education teacher preparation.
Exceptional Children, 79(1), 25 – 42.
Stephens, M. W. (2007). A comparison of student academic achievement between alternatively
and traditionally certified teachers. (Dissertation)
Appendix A
Minnesota Department of Education: Alternative Pathways to Teacher Licensing
Once a program is in place, candidates will work directly with the program provider to apply,
enroll and to complete the approved alternative program. The BOT has developed criteria in
accordance with the law for program providers who wish to seek approval. The Board of
Teaching welcomes applications from potential providers and encourages interested parties to
review the information on the Board’s website (Preparing Teachers in Minnesota). As programs
are approved, they will be listed on the Minnesota Department of Education and BOT websites.
The general program requirements of this law and what will candidates need to evidence once
a program is in place in order to be admitted and complete an approved program:

Bachelor's Degree with a 3.0 GPA

Basic Skills in math, reading, and writing

Content based Pedagogy exams

Content based performance assessments

Content/Subject specific rigorous exam

Minimum of 200 instructional hours

Student Teaching

Mentoring, Induction, and evaluation

Candidates will be members of the local collective bargaining unit and must abide by all
district requirements of new teachers and evaluation

After completing the program, candidates must be recommended by a school site team of
teachers, principal, and higher education faculty in order to obtain a standard license.

The BOT must evaluate programs and may revoke the approval of programs that are proven
ineffective.
http://mn.gov/elicense/licenses/licensedetail.jsp?URI=tcm:29-10252&CT_URI=tcm:27-117-32