Program might quicken teacher certification

A program proposed in April, which would give certain state residents the opportunity to become teachers with 15 credit hours, has students feeling skeptical of the program’s legitimacy.

State residents who hold bachelor’s degrees or higher in specific areas could earn teaching certificates in fewer credit hours under the Michigan Nontraditional Route to Teacher Certification program.

The program was proposed by the Michigan Department of Education and would give students and other state residents a chance to teach in classrooms across the state to make up for teacher shortages.

“There are a lot of talented people who are losing their jobs,” said John Austin, vice president of the Michigan State Board of Education. “Given the auto and the economic crises, some of them may be able to apply themselves to teaching.”

Only those with degrees in mathematics, computer science, world languages, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics or robotics could apply for the program, or those who have at least 30 credit hours in one of the key areas.

Although the program is aimed to increase the number of teachers in the state, students are worried this program would limit job options for education students in university programs.

“It takes jobs away from highly qualified teachers who would do these jobs if they could,” said Scott Wozniak, a history, political science and secondary education senior. “You’ve given them to people who just can’t get a job in something else.”

The difficulty in finding any job because of the state’s economy might prevent students from finding teaching positions, communication senior Tim Wardle said.

“It would probably help a lot of students who can’t find a job in their field,” he said. “I don’t see how it would help the situation if there’s not a lot of jobs available in teaching.”

Goals of the program include increasing the pool of high quality teachers in the state and adding skilled professionals to that group, Austin said.

The program might encourage students to change their plans after graduating, said Suzanne Wilson, chair of the MSU Department of Teacher Education.

“People could graduate as seniors and then decide with 15 credits they could get into classrooms,” Wilson said.

In addition to the 15 credit hours, students would need to complete six credit hours of directed student teaching. The program would help students complete the necessary requirements for teacher certification in about 18 months, Austin said.

Some question the quality of teachers the program would produce, but Austin said these teachers would be held to the same standards as any other.

“It really matters how these programs are conceptualized,” Wilson said. “If a program really thought hard about what you would do in 15 credits to get someone launched (into) their first year of teaching, maybe they would be sufficiently prepared to get started.”

In its first three years, the program providers will include 32 approved teacher preparation institutions, potentially including MSU if the university agrees to participate in the program, with more institutions to follow.

“We’re basically looking to our existing institutions now,” Austin said. “We would like to see more people involved.”

The program could be approved by the Michigan State Board of Education in September, he said.