ERIC EJ1053441: Assessment Benchmarks for an Alternative Certification Program

2008·0.1 MB·English

by  ERIC

ASSESSMENT BENCHMARKS FOR AN
ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Jon Denton
Professor and Project Director TTT Program
Texas A&M University

Trina Davis
Assistant Professor and co-developer eEmpowerment Zone
Texas A&M University, USA

Ben Smith
TTT Program Recruitment Coordinator
Texas A&M University, USA

Lynn Beason
TTT Program Admissions Coordinator
Texas A&M University, USA

Diane Graham
TTT Program Placement Coordinator
Texas A&M University, USA

Arlen Strader
Director, College Information Services and co-developer eEmpowerment Zone
Texas A&M University, USA

The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program
provides those possessing a degree an option leading to certification that
can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online
curriculum, an early field experience, and a year-long paid internship. To
determine program effectiveness across five years, five benchmark ratios
were established and calculated each year as formative assessment markers.
These ratios are: Applications/Inquiries; Candidates/Applications; Field
Placements/Candidates; Teachers Certified/Candidates; and Teachers
Retained/Teachers Certified. These benchmarks have provided informative
quantitative markers for annually assessing protocols that were developed
and applied in implementing this program. Funding for the program was
provided by the Transition To Teaching Program, U.S. Department of
Education Project (S350A020027), the Houston Endowment Foundation,
Inc and participant fees.

JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  28
Perspectives continuing shortages of experienced teachers
in high-turnover schools (Hull, 2004).
Accounts of local school districts Teacher turnover can be grouped
and state departments of education under two categories, migration and attrition
experiencing teacher shortages have long with about equal numbers of exiting teachers
appeared (Stoddart & Floden,1995) and grouped under each category. Ingersoll
continue to appear in professional journals (2003) reports that teachers usually offer
(Budig, 2006; Guarino, Santibanez, & personal reasons for exiting their teaching
Daley, 2006), daily newspapers (Chaker, position, but some (about one-fourth of
2006), and the evening news offered by those leaving) add that job dissatisfaction
broadcast networks. To illustrate, a due to low salaries, lack of instructional and
university news service report and a emotional support, feelings of isolation, and
Houston Chronicle article have noted that little influence on how they do their work
approximately 37,000 Texas teachers leave are reasons for their departure from
the classroom each year and an additional classrooms.
5,000 teachers are needed annually to meet One view holds that teacher shortages
increasing student enrollments through 2015 force school districts to lower standards to
(University of North Texas, 2005; “Teacher fill teacher vacancies, which inevitably
Recruitment,” 2007). Yet others note the results in high levels of under qualified
United States does not have a shortage of teachers and lower student performance.
teachers because more teachers are prepared Policy responses have included increasing
than are needed each year, although the supply of teachers through recruiting
shortages in specific subject areas (i.e. new candidates to teaching with career-
mathematics, science, and special education) change programs, (i.e., troops-to-teachers),
and geographic locations (i.e., urban and Peace Corps-like programs (i.e., Teach for
rural school districts) are common America), alternative certification programs
occurrences (Follo, Hoerr, & Vorheis- (Birkeland & Peske, 2004; United States
Sargent, 2002; Hill & Hirshberg, 2006; Department of Education [USDE], 2004),
Zhao, 2005). The following phrase and financial incentives (signing bonuses,
illustrates a common message in these student loan forgiveness, housing assistance,
accounts. Approximately half of our tuition reimbursement). The “No Child Left
nation’s promising young educators as well Behind Act” has provided federal funding
as their more experienced colleagues choose for many of these initiatives (Ingersoll,
to leave their schools during their first five 2003), including alternative certification
years in the profession (Levin, 2006; programs supported by the Transition to
Weaver & O’Brien, 2004). Of those who Teaching (TTT) program. This program is
stay, especially teachers in high need described in Chapter B of the No Child Left
settings, some remain to gain the seniority Behind Act. Its purpose is to recruit and
needed to transfer to schools whose needs retain highly qualified mid-career
are not as pronounced. While not affecting professionals (including highly qualified
the overall teacher supply in a state, transfer paraprofessionals), and recent graduates of
from high need settings can and do lead to an institution of higher education as teachers
in high-need schools. These teachers should
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  29
exhibit “soft attributes” of high achievement Through these cultural resources, the
orientation, accepting responsibility, aspiring teacher candidate achieves
demonstrating critical thinking, being membership in the social group (Vasquez,
organized, being motivated, being respectful 2006). Briefly stated, the situative
of others, and supporting the goals of the perspective has evolved from investigating
organization (Allen, 2003; National Council community context issues such as cultural
on Teacher Quality [NCTQ], n.d.). A second artifacts and language examined in
purpose is to encourage the development anthropology and sociology (Pellegrino,
and expansion of alternative routes to Chudowsky, & Glaser, 2001). The
certification under State-approved programs implication for learning to become a teacher
that enable individuals to be eligible for is that the teacher’s role is socially
teacher certification within a reduced period constructed rather than determined primarily
of time. This approach relies on the by ideographic variables such as age, race,
experience, expertise, and academic gender, class, and educational attainment
qualifications of an individual with less rigid (Zhao, 2005).
admission requirements (National Research The situative perspective harkens
Council [NRC], 2000; United States back to John Dewey’s view of ‘learn by
Department of Education, 2002) in lieu of doing’ and Lev Vegotsky’s ‘Zone of
traditional course work in the field of Proximal Development’ that emphasize the
education (Ludwig, Bacevich, Wayne, Hale, importance of communication in the
& Uekawa, 2007; United States Department learning process (Vasquez, 2006). Applying
of Education, 2006). the situative perspective as the theoretical
Accelerate Online/OPTIONS is an underpinning for preparing a teacher
alternative certification program developed supports the important role that early field
to address the purposes of the Transition to experiences, student teaching, and
Teaching program. This paper begins with a internships play in preparing teachers.
brief theoretical framework for alternative These components occur in viable teacher
certification programs and then provides a preparation programs, whether offered as
description of our online alternative alternative certification programs or college-
certification program. The paper continues based programs, and provide support to our
by providing research questions and the notion that the single most important
methods used to obtain data to address these component of a teacher’s development is the
questions, and concludes with our results final field experience, whether that is
and conclusions drawn from the analysis of student teaching or an internship. This
these data. assertion is based on our over 35 years of
experiences and observations in preparing
Theoretical Framework teachers and perception data gathered from
teachers who completed teacher preparation
The underlying theory of teacher during this time (Denton, 1979; Denton,
learning is the situative or socio-cultural Tsai, & Chevrette, 1987).
perspective of learning (Zhao, 2005).
Becoming teachers from this perspective of Program Description
learning involves interacting with others in
their social environment where they acquire This program was established
new knowledge, skills, language, values, initially to provide a flexible alternative
and dispositions of the social group. certification program for life science,
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  29
physical science, mathematics and expanded undergraduate teacher preparation programs
to include social studies and English to provide quality assurance to our teacher
language arts (grades 8-12); it has three education colleagues that entry requirements
features setting it apart from other into this program had not been
alternative certification programs offered in compromised. The following paragraphs
Texas. First, it is offered through a College briefly describe the processes of: recruiting
of Education and Human Development as a candidates, monitoring candidate
continuing education program that does performances across the modules, and
NOT yield student credit hours to the placing interns in classrooms and then
University, thus reducing costs (no tuition supporting the interns.
expenses) for candidates. Second, because
the pedagogy content associated with state Candidate Recruitment
licensure is accessible 24/7 as an on-line
experience, certification can be completed Over the past five years, the
by a baccalaureate graduate, graduate following recruitment activities were
student, or science/engineering professional implemented with some approaches being
in 12-18 months from any location in Texas. effective while others were not effective in
Third, the program has been developed from attracting applicants to our program.
a partnership between a College of
Education and Human Development and a 1. A Jumbotron ad was placed on the
College of Medicine that has provided a scoreboard screen during a home
talent pool of candidates with strong football game with over 80,000 in
academic backgrounds. attendance.
2. Radio commercials were aired during
The curricular elements of each football game.
Accelerate Online/OPTIONS consist of an 3. Ads were placed in the alumni
on-line curriculum, an early field association quarterly magazine, and a
experience, and a year-long internship. The school administrator state journal.
development of these program components 4. Recruitment information was presented
have been influenced by the situative at local school district substitute teacher
learning perspective (Vasquez, 2006; Zhao, meetings held each month.
2005) in providing the candidate with 5. Newspaper ads were placed in the local
knowledge, skills, and dispositions newspaper and major city newspaper.
identified as necessary for a beginning 6. Poster placements were completed at
teacher. A detailed description of the online strategic locations on campus (close
curriculum and its development is provided proximity to college advising offices).
in Denton, et al. (2006). 7. Direct mailings were made to
certification offices of school districts.
Program Implementation 8. A program flyer was provided as a
screen saver on all student workstations
Extensive efforts were undertaken to located in university computer facilities.
launch this program because implementation 9. Ads were placed in the campus
protocols differed from established practices newspaper targeting particular times in
of the College. However, the admission the semester.
requirements for Accelerate
Online/OPTIONS were adopted from the
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10. Vis-à-vis interactions were held with monitoring system recorded each
potential applicants at career fairs and candidate’s visits to a module, the elapsed
booths at professional conferences. time spent examining the contents of the
11. Program announcements were provided module and whether items requiring a
on a University intranet bulletin board. response were, in fact, completed, as well as
12. Links to program descriptions were module pretest and posttest performances by
placed on the College’s homepage. the candidates. Given these data, candidate
13. Program announcements were emailed progress in completing the modules was
to all undergraduate students. reviewed to determine whether individual
14. Google search engine “Adwords” and candidates were progressing satisfactorily in
URL advertising were implemented. the program, as well as assessing whether
modules had potential design flaws given
Through direct experience, we the collective performance of the candidates
learned that our initial marketing efforts on particular activities and their overall
(items 1-7) were ineffective in drawing performance on the module. Iterative
applicant inquiries to our program while the adjustments across the modules occurred as
latter marketing efforts (items 8 – 14) did formative data were collected and
succeed in raising awareness to the extent interpreted regarding the instructional
that up to 250 inquiries per month were effectiveness of the program.
received following particular events (item
Early field experience postings to
13) in year 5.
ePortfolio

Monitoring Candidate Progress Candidates were instructed to upload
completed lesson observations and interview
An extensive digital monitoring
forms to their ePortfolio across the multiple
system, the eEmpowerment Zone (eZone),
week experience to document their
was developed for this program; it includes
observations and reflections. As noted
an on-line registration system with password
earlier, these activities were included in the
protection for candidates to access the
curriculum to provide candidates a gradual
modules, and an underlying management
induction into the teaching environment
resource that tracks candidate performance
while thinking about classroom actions in
for each module. By organizing instructional
terms of the principles and concepts
web-based modules, electronic portfolios,
presented in the online modules.
resources, and tools into an integrated

system, teacher candidates were able to
Candidate Placement in Final Field
complete the online and field-components of
Experience
the program, while receiving extensive

support from university supervisors, mentor
Establishing effective strategies for
teachers, fellow students, and program staff.
placing candidates in paid teaching
For the candidates, the management assignments evolved quickly from denial
system has served to affirm their program (affirming among ourselves that job
status in terms of completed assignments placement was NOT our primary
and module deliverables and the system responsibility during year 1) to affirmation
returned candidates to the section of a (actively marketing all of our candidates to
module that was exited before the module school districts in years 2 - 5). Our goal is
was completed. As a management resource to place all of our candidates who have
for program administrators, this digital completed their online modules and early
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  31
field experiences in paid internships. As Unfortunately, some of our
placement protocols have evolved, we have candidates did not locate a teaching position
actively communicated the qualities of our they would accept. An option for these
candidates to school officials in assisting our candidates was to complete certification in a
candidates to obtain internships. non-paid, semester-long student teaching
Approaches employed included: experience. A second option was to delay
1. direct postal mailings and email program completion for a year while
messages to school district continuing to seek a teaching position.
officials about our available Candidates finding themselves in this
secondary teaching candidates; circumstance have generally elected to
2. personal visits with Human complete the program with a student
Resource directors at fall and teaching experience. During the past 5
spring Career Fairs regarding our years, 14.7% of our placed candidates have
available teaching candidates; selected the student teaching option.
3. booths at the Texas Association
of School Administrators/ Texas Candidate Support during Internship
Association of School Boards
annual meetings to inform school Guidelines and responsibilities for
administrators and board the intern, the university supervisor, and the
members about our available mentor teacher have been provided to each
candidates; intern and their support team members just
4. luncheons with superintendents prior to the final field experience. These
and Human Resource materials and activities reflect successful
professionals to promote practices gleaned over time by teacher
teaching candidates participating educators and university supervisors. To
in the program; and illustrate, interns have submitted their
5. on-going communications by our instructional plans weekly to their ePortfolio
Coordinator of Placement with to be reviewed by their supervisors and
human resource officials and mentor teachers in preparation for classroom
school administrators regarding visits by the supervisor. Although six
our candidates. classroom visits across the school year are
In addition, powerful supports in specified to meet certification expectations,
placing our candidates have been the supervisors generally have completed nine
ePortfolios the candidates have developed or more classroom visits. In addition, a
after beginning their programs. To facilitate digital learning community was established
reviewing our candidates, an online during the third year of implementation
ePortfolio Center was established for school among our supervisors for sharing ideas and
administrators to search ePortfolios of digital resources. This learning community
teaching candidates – by Last Name, or arose to address the need to discuss
Certification Area, or the candidate’s challenges supervisors face in supporting
preferred location or regional preference. their interns.
We have learned that providing secondary
school principals and human resource Continuing Support after Certification
officials access to the candidates’
ePortfolios has been a very effective way to Once candidates have completed the
market our candidates. program and received their teaching
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  32
certificates, maintaining contact with them 4. How does the annual benchmark
has been a continuing challenge. We have ratio [Teachers Certified/Candidates]
employed a variety of simple change?
communication techniques to determine the 5. How does the annual benchmark
teaching status of former candidates (i.e., ratio [Teachers Retained/Teachers
conducting web searches, calling the cell Certified] change?
phone number of the former candidate,
calling school district and school that last Methods
employed the candidate, contacting former
university supervisor, and calling relatives). Sample
Applying these techniques enabled us to
maintain contact with 75 of 98 teachers The sample consists of 241
certified through our program after five individuals who have provided applications
years. In a further effort to maintain contact, to Accelerate Online/OPTIONS across five
we have provided our former candidates years. The number of applications/year
with continued access to the eEmpowerment range from 22 to 94, with the following
Zone, their ePortfolios and continuing values recorded: year 1 – 26; year 2 – 22;
online professional development year 3 – 94; year 4 – 45; and year 5 – 54.
programming for three years following Given the nature of the research questions
program completion. posed, we did not examine gender, age,
teaching fields, and level of academic
Benchmarks to assess the preparation of the applicants in this study,
implementation of our program began to but these have been addressed elsewhere
evolve as we continually assessed our efforts (Denton, et al., 2007).
in recruiting candidates, monitoring their
performances, placing them in internships, Data Collection and Data Analysis
and supporting them in completing
certification requirements. The remainder of Extensive biographic data on
this paper examines benchmarks associated applicants were compiled into the eZone
with recruitment, internship placement, database beginning with the submission of
program completion, and teacher retention an application. Assuming all admission
across five years. criteria were met, the applicant was accepted
into the program as a candidate. The eZone
Research Questions database was developed to include extensive
performance data on all candidates related to
Across five years of program online instructional module assessments,
implementation: classroom observations, and ePortfolio
1. How does the annual benchmark assessments. Scores from state-required
ratio [Applications/Inquiries] teacher certification tests, certification
change? notification, and teacher retention data were
2. How does the annual benchmark added to the record of each candidate as the
ratio [Candidates/Applications] information was received, resulting in an
change? eZone record containing more than 300
3. How does the annual benchmark variables on each candidate who
ratio [Field Placements/Candidates] successfully completed the program and
change? continued to teach.
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  33
The Statistical Package for the Social efforts were largely unsuccessful in
Sciences (SPSS, 2004) was used in attracting applicants. In addition, when
determining the program implementation individuals requested information about our
benchmarks. The following tabular program, we asked how they learned about
summaries present data associated with us and rarely were any of these marketing
recruitment, successful program entry, techniques mentioned. Unfortunately, we
program completion, and continuing did not systematically record the number of
practice as a classroom teacher, partitioned inquiries and applications received each
by the year the applicant joined the program. month during this period.

Results During the second year of
implementation, we began to log all
As previously noted, benchmarks to inquiries about our program and compare
assess the implementation of our program these inquiries with the applications
began to evolve as we monitored efforts in received each month. Then, at the
recruiting candidates and continued through beginning of year 4, we began using Google
supporting them in completing certification Adwords to market the program. While
requirements. Available data from the inquiries did increase during year 4, other
beginning and conclusion of the five-year marketing techniques as well as Google
implementation period are truncated for Adwords were thought to be contributing to
different reasons. Data from inquiries and the increased inquiries about our program.
program applications were not To refine our data gathering processes, an
systematically collected during the initial 1.5 interest form was added to the program
years of the program implementation website and anyone requesting information
because a sufficient number of applicants about the program was directed to complete
applied when the program was launched. the interest form as the first step in the
Incomplete data are also evident for teachers application process. Employing these
certified and teachers retained at the end of processes, we learned that 46% of the
this period, because year 5 candidates were inquiries resulted from web-searches, 14%
currently “in-progress” in their yearlong from email messages sent to all
internships when these analyses were undergraduate students, 10% from word-of-
conducted. mouth referrals, 5% from career fair
presentations, and 4% from academic
Research Question 1 advisor referrals. The remaining 20% did
not indicate the source that led to the
Fourteen different marketing efforts inquiry.
have been used to attract candidates to our
program since the program began. During These actions have provided data to
the initial 1.5 years of implementation, we compute the annual benchmark
placed ads in newspapers, an alumni Applications/Inquiries (A/I) ratios. Table 1
magazine, and a school administrator state presents a summary of data associated with
journal; purchased radio advertisement spots Research Question 1.
during football games; and projected a
program brochure on the video–screen
scoreboard (Jumbotron) during a football
game with over 80,000 in attendance. These

JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  34
Table 1. Benchmark Ratio: (TExES) content examination. Personal
Application/Inquiries qualities considered for admission include
Frequencies conveying a genuine interest for teaching
Year Applications Inquiries (I) Ratio youth during a personal interview with
(A) (A/I)
program staff, submitting two letters of
1 26 - -
support, and posting a clear record of no
2 22 327* -
criminal activity from a national background
3 94 794 .12
check.
4 45 1063 .04

5 54 1363 .04
Data associated with the preceding

academic and personal admission
After we began to systematically
requirements were gleaned from submitted
record program inquiries, we were able to
applications and added to the eZone data
observe that adjustments in marketing
base. Determining whether the individual’s
techniques did increase the number of
academic and personal profile data were
inquiries. And, in general, applications to
sufficient to become a candidate was based
the program increased with a noticeable
on this information. The resulting
spike occurring in year 3. The resulting A/I
admission decisions have provided data for
benchmark ratio became a constant value
determining the annual benchmark
during years 4 and 5. A chi-square statistic
Candidates/Application (C/A) ratios
applied to the frequency values for years 3,
presented in Table 2.
4 and 5 yielded the result, [X2 (4, N=3) = 6.00,

p = .199] indicating that the frequencies and
Table 2. Benchmark Ratio:
resulting ratios were not statistically
Candidates/Applicants
different. These A/I ratios support the
Frequencies
observation that in order to recruit sufficient Year Candidates Applications Ratio
teaching candidates to reduce noted teacher (C) (A) (C/A)
shortages (Budig, 2006; Guarino, 1 10 26 .38
Santibanez, & Daley, 2006, Hull, 2004; 2 20 22 .91
Levin, 2006) a large number of individuals 3 57 94 .61
“interested” in becoming teachers is needed 4 27 45 .60
to yield sufficient teaching applicants to 5 38 54 .70
allay the well-publicized shortages.

The number of candidates accepted
Research Question 2
into the program increased across years of

implementation with a substantial increase
Changing from an applicant to a
occurring during year 3. One reason for the
candidate in this program occurred if the
increased number of applications and
applicant met both academic and personal
candidates accepted into the program during
profile requirements. Academic
year 3 was that a decision was made to
requirements include the candidate being at
discontinue the undergraduate secondary
least within one year of completing a
teacher certification program due to high
baccalaureate degree with a cumulative 2.50
costs and low enrollments. Undergraduate
GPR, presenting a transcript of 24 semester
students already committed to secondary
hours in a specific content specialization,
education were directed to our program to
and presenting a passing score on a Texas
complete certification.
Examination of Educator Standards
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  35
A chi-square statistic applied to the admitted because personal views and
frequency values in Table 2 yielded the expectations about teaching expressed
value, [X2 (16, N = 5) = 20.00, p =. 22) during their interviews were quite
indicating the frequencies and resulting incongruent with actual classroom
ratios were not statistically different. The environments. The soft attributes of
average C/A ratio across this period was .63. successful teachers cited previously (Allen,
This value corresponds to the percent of 2003; National Council on Teacher Quality,
total applicants reported nationally to be n.d.) have been integrated into the interview
eligible to participate in TTT programs process and assessed on each applicant.
(Ludwig, et al., 2007).
Research Question 3
The most common reason for non-

admission has been that individuals did not
As placement protocols evolved, we
complete the application process. Forty-nine
actively communicated the qualities of our
applicants failed to provide one or more
candidates to school officials. Most
required elements needed for a complete
persuasive in getting our candidates placed
application to the program and were not
has been the on-going communications by
admitted. Apparently, a “change of heart”
our Coordinator of Placement with human
about becoming a teacher occurred for the
resource officials and school administrators.
applicant during the process of submitting a
Placement data were systematically included
complete application packet. Possibly, the
in the eZone database and used to compute
tasks of obtaining transcripts to document
the annual benchmark Field
their GPA and course work in their
Placements/Candidates (FP/C) ratios
specialization, obtaining two support letters,
provided in Table 3.
the background check of criminal activity,

and the prospect of not successfully
Table 3. Benchmark Ratio: Field
completing the TExES content test caused
Placements/Candidates
some applicants to reconsider their career
Annual
decision about becoming a teacher. Perhaps,
Frequencies
these admission requirements were so rigid
Year Field Candidates Ratio
and time consuming that scientists and Placements (C) (FP/C)
engineers, and some recent graduates with (FP)
science majors, were discouraged from 1 10 10 1.0
transitioning into teaching as suggested by 2 19 20 .95
recent reports (National Research Council, 3 53 57 .93
2000; United States Department of 4 25 27 .93
Education, 2002). Yet these admission 5 35 38 .92
procedures have been retained to assure
employing school districts that the applicant
has at least been carefully screened to teach The annual FP/C ratios have
secondary students. remained consistently high across five years
Thirty-three applicants failed to be with an average FP/C ratio of .93. A chi-
admitted because they did not attain the square statistic applied to the frequency
criterion score on the TExES content test, values in Table 4 yielded the value, [X2 (16, N
and 5 applicants with low grade point ratios = 5) = 20.00, p = .22] indicating the
were not admitted. Less pronounced but frequencies and resulting ratios were not
meaningful is that 2 applicants were not statistically different.
JNAAC, Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2008     Page  36