Springfield
– The Illinois State Board of Education today
approved a proposed alternative certification program designed to
produce more elementary teachers for Chicago public schools.
The
program, created by the University of Illinois at Chicago working
with the Golden Apple Foundation and Chicago Public Schools is
intended to help meet a projected shortage of elementary teachers
for Chicago schools. Chicago officials expect to need about 2,000
elementary teachers this school year.
The
projected shortage will be exacerbated when an estimated 80
percent of Chicago’s experienced teachers become eligible for
retirement over the next 10 years.
“It
is important that we pursue all of our options to attract good
people into the teaching profession and support them, to give our
children every opportunity for success after school,” said State
Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee. Illinois has 10
alternative certification programs in place. Five other programs
have similar features but do not fall under state statutes
governing such programs.
The
State Teacher Certification Board recommended denying approval for
the program in part because of questions about the amount of
reading instruction the program would provide. UIC and Golden
Apple amended the proposal to answer those concerns.
However,
state law requires the State Board to approve all alternative
certification programs within 30 days if they meet requirements of
the law.
The
program, to begin this summer, will admit up to 15 prospective
teachers all with non-teaching backgrounds. State law allows
colleges and universities to partner with one or more non-profit
organizations that support excellence in teaching to create
alternative certification programs.
The
goal is to get people into the classrooms that have real-life
experience. Typically teachers with alternative certification will
teach in their area of expertise – a CPA, for example, would
teach math.
Following
a strict screening process, the prospective teachers will undergo
an eight-week summer training session including coursework and
intensive clinical work in Chicago elementary schools.
Candidates
successfully completing the first phase of training in education
theory, instructional methods and practice teaching; pass the
Illinois Test of Basic Skills and the Illinois Elementary
certification test; and meet performance assessment expectations
will get a one-year provisional alternative teaching certificate.
Those
candidates will work full time in Chicago elementary classrooms
under the direct supervision of mentor teachers and supervisors
from UIC, Chicago schools and Golden Apple.
Finally,
candidates successfully completing the second phase, including a
rigorous performance assessment, will earn standard teaching
certificates and will be able to teach full time.
Illinois
Alternative Certification Programs