Development of alternative certification of teachers in USA

Abstract

The urgent need to train additional special education teachers has resulted in a variety of initiatives by state agencies as well as the federal government to create additional training programs, to simplify certification requirements, and to devise alternative methods for the preparation of teaching personnel. Such alternative routes to certification have raised serious issues about the qualifications of teachers trained by short-cut methods, as well as the quality of services they are able to provide. Alternative certification programs allow individuals with college degrees in other fields to enter teaching without enrolling in traditional campus-based teacher education programs. These programs are designed to reduce the time and expense of obtaining teaching credentials through a streamlined curriculum coupled with intensive on-the-job supervision.