alabama teacher certification application

Alabama Teacher Certification Application - Cordova third-grade teacher Stacia Chappell leads her math class in Cordova, Alabama, in May 2022. Trisha Powell Crain/

The Alabama State Board of Education today approved a series of changes to teacher testing requirements in an effort to put more teachers in classrooms this spring.

Alabama Teacher Certification Application

The changes are effective immediately and will go into effect in the 2023-24 school year. The short-term fix is ​​the latest move officials have used to attract and keep more teachers in classrooms. Other changes include big raises for experienced teachers, increases in extra pay and pay for teachers in some high-demand areas such as math and science.

What To Know About The Changes To Teacher Certifications In Alabama

Currently, teachers must pass the Praxis Teacher Exam in their subject area, have a subject area GPA of 2.5, and pass the edTPA assessment, which measures teaching skills, to receive a teaching certificate.

At Tuesday's meeting in Montgomery, board members approved additional options for struggling teachers to pass Praxis. Board members voted yes, except for Stephanie Bell, who voted no.

If a teacher receives a lower grade, he or she must have a higher grade point average in the teacher's subject area or 100 hours of advanced professional development.

If a teacher scores within the standard margin of error of the cut scores, they can receive their certificate if they have at least a 2.75 GPA in their subject area and pass the edTPA.

Satisfaction Of Completers

If a teacher scores within one standard error of the required passing score, passes the edTPA, graduates from an Alabama college or university, but does not have at least a 2.75, the teacher may be granted a temporary non-professional certificate for up to three years while they are working to obtain a passing score on Praxis or to complete 100 hours of vocational training approved by a state department.

In school districts with "critical need," the district superintendent can request a waiver to hire a teacher who has scored up to two standard deviations below the required Praxis score in their content area and still be hired if he or she meets more. requirements. The teacher will still need to pass the edTPA and will need to have at least a 2.5 in their subject area.

If this waiver is approved, the teacher may be awarded up to three one-year non-academic certificates. Districts must provide a teacher with an "excellent mentor" during short-term certification and must ultimately either pass Praxis or complete one of the new options — a combination of Praxis scores and GPA — approved at the conference to earn a professional certification.

Here is the new resolution of #BOE member, Dr. Tonya Chestnut, wanted for difficult places for workers. It is consistent with regard to SEM 2. The Board will vote on it today. pic.twitter.com/n32qwme1iG — Trisha Powell Crain (@Trish_Crain) July 12, 2022

Why Consider Becoming A Teacher?

Under option 1, if the teacher teaches a class that requires the Praxis Reading Foundations test, the teacher must meet the required passing score.

So the board approved options for teachers to get their teaching certificate through a second pathway, meaning they've earned a four-year degree in the subject area they're trying to get certified.

Differences in Praxis test scores and possible new cutoffs by one standard deviation, according to a handout released by the Obama State Department of Education in early 2022. Trisha Powell Crain/

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The change has raised concerns that teaching standards will drop, but Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said that would not be the case.

Teachers, Superintendents Excited About Opportunity For Streamlined Process

At the very least, prospective teachers who fail the Praxis test within one standard deviation can still receive their teaching license, as long as their area teaching GPA is higher than the standard requirement: 2.75 instead of 2.5.

Several hundred teachers failed Praxis within one standard error of measurement between 2019 and 2021.

Another big change is that superintendents in districts with "critical need" can hire a prospective teacher with a Praxis score within two standard errors of the measurement, or about 10 points, according to Mackey.

"We'll look at the waiver," Mackey said. "If a supervisor tells us, 'I can't get someone else, but I have this person who has a college degree in social studies, they've shown that they know the material, and I trust this person.'

Alternative And Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification

This exemption - the emergency certificate - can only be renewed twice, meaning it can only be valid for three years. After that, the emergency teacher will need to obtain a teaching license or the administrator will need to find a new teacher.

The Praxis score is more difficult. Mackey said it would have to come from the current version of Praxis, but did not give a specific year.

It brought about the increased GPA needed for teachers to get their certification. He also said that school principals are the guardians and will be able to prevent serious problems for teachers, whether they obtained licenses through the new methods or the old standards.

"There's always a safety measure, and that's the main one," Mackey said. "And, so, even now we know, we have teachers regularly pass Praxis with flying colors. They pass all their coursework, pass EdTPA and enter the classroom, they can't hack. And the principal says, "You know what, that's not someone, a top class teacher, that I want in my building."

Requirements For Certification Of Teachers, Counselors, Librarians, Administrators For Elementary And Secondary Schools, Eighty Fourth Edition, 2019 2020, Frankhart

Mackey said the changes also shouldn't affect Alabama's complete parity with other states when it comes to teacher certification.

The whole country has a shortage of teachers at the moment. Alabama is included in it, and, as Mackey told the Herald earlier, Alabama has had more of a learning curve than it has had a global pandemic.

Earlier in the year, changes made emergency certificates available for special education. Also, the Alabama Legislature passed a major overhaul of the teaching salary schedule, meaning many teachers saw a big raise.

"For the first time in a long time, I'm getting more calls from administrators saying, 'Hey, we don't have a teacher shortage anymore,'" he said. "These steps are working. We are receiving job applicants. Now that being said, we still have parts of the state, especially the Black Belt in the villages, where there is still a shortage, I can say there is still a crisis because they only have economic challenges."

Alternate Teacher Certification Programs From Teachers Of Tomorrow

Mackey said if you think you've graduated, you should contact the university or college where you earned your degree for next steps.

Jemma Stephenson is a children's and education reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached at jstephenson@gannett.com or 334-261-1569. FILE - In this Thursday, March 11, 2021, file photo, desks are arranged in a classroom at an elementary school in Nesquehoning, Pa. In 2021, vaccinated teachers and students should no longer wear masks inside school buildings, and no one should bother with them outside, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, July 9, 2021, in easing guidelines. his for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)AP

Many Alabama schools have sent students home in recent weeks because they don't have enough adults to staff the buildings safely. It is a problem affecting schools across the country.

How to help? Apply to be a substitute teacher. School officials say they need help, and that it's harder than ever to find qualified adults to fill the gaps.

Alabama Considers More Certification Changes To Combat Teacher Shortage

"When the economy is good and unemployment is low, we have different ways to deal with the replacement shortage. But the pandemic made it worse," said Ron Dodson, assistant superintendent at Hoover City Schools, who said that before the pandemic With this, employees can fill 90% of the vacancies on a given day with substitutes. Now the district is trying to fill 50%.

Day rates vary widely between districts, from about $50 a day to $150; people with teaching certificates can earn up to $220 per day to be a long-term substitute.

Here's how to navigate the substitute teacher process (as we'll say a few times, it can vary by district).

"It depends on the position you are applying for; "Maybe you're a parent who wants to help make sure your child's school system is open and the school is open and you're interested in becoming a substitute teacher," said Chris Zuber, a spokesman for Kelly Services, an employment agency that handles substitute employment for about 50 districts. in that state.

Illinois Teaching License

During the application process, the Local Board of Education, superintendent or principal will require the candidate to complete an Alternative License Application (example here). Local officials will then submit the request to the State Department of Education. The certificate is required to teach.

The license has an application fee of $30 (some districts, such as Cullman City, currently charge this fee to applicants).

For example, in Athens.

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