ALSDE Update: New Options for Teacher Testing Requirements

Dr. Eric Mackey, Alabama State Superintendent of Education

Nationally, we are experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in some of the most vulnerable school systems, and in some of the most needed areas of education. In Alabama, we are adjusting to help meet the needs of our school systems, without diluting the quality of the professionals charged with the most noble task of educating our children.

Recently, the Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) approved an expansion of current testing requirement options, that allows aspiring classroom teachers to begin their careers as educators if all certification requirements have been met, except the required score on the Praxis subject area test(s).

These additional options, which began on July 12, 2022, are for newcomers into the teaching profession and they do not apply unilaterally for anyone seeking a teaching certificate. The options apply to teachers who are completing initial certification programs at an Alabama college or university and for non-traditional teachers who did not complete an Educator Preparation Program and are seeking certification through an alternate route. The options cannot be used to add additional teaching fields to an existing certificate. Additionally, these options do not modify the required scores for the Foundations of Reading test or the edTPA. These modifications only apply to Praxis subject area tests.

INITIAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS AT AN ALABAMA COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

One new option allows individuals who are within one standard error of measure of the required Praxis score to receive their teaching certificate if all other requirements have been met. One may ask, “how is one standard error of measure determined?” Well, it is not a number that the casual observer can calculate. And it is different for every teaching field. It’s based on the number of people who have taken a particular test, and that number is applied to a statistical formula to determine what equals one standard error of measure.

The adjustment allows those who score within one standard error of measure of the required Praxis score to obtain a teaching certificate, without diminishing the quality of educators going into Alabama classrooms. Those taking advantage of this modification must achieve a higher teaching field grade point average (GPA) to demonstrate adequate content knowledge and offset the lower Praxis score. This option requires a 2.75 teaching field GPA, as opposed to the 2.5 teaching field GPA required with the current Praxis score. If the 2.75 teaching field GPA is not attained, the individual may be employed on a Non-Professional Temporary Certificate while working towards attaining a passing Praxis score or completing 100 hours of high-quality professional development in the content area.

NON-TRADITIONAL TEACHERS AND CERTIFICATION THROUGH AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

There is also an option for non-traditional teachers who did not complete an Educator Preparation Program and are seeking certification through an alternate route. These individuals may score within one standard error of measure on the required Praxis subject area test if their overall bachelor’s degree GPA is 2.5 or higher and they have at least 15 semester hours of college coursework with a grade of B or above in the content area they will teach.

EXTRAORDINARY CRITICAL NEED STAFFING WAIVER

Lastly, in an effort to assist school systems in Alabama that are experiencing critical shortages in the number of teacher applicants, the SBOE approved an Extraordinary Critical Need Staffing Waiver specifically for individuals who have completed an initial certification program at an Alabama college or university. If all additional certification requirements are met and the waiver is approved by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), an individual who scores within two standard errors of measure of the required Praxis score may be granted a Non- Professional Temporary Certificate. With the support of the employing LEA and a high-quality mentor, to transition to a Professional Educator Certificate, the individual must earn the required Praxis score(s) for the specific content area OR score within one standard error of measure of the required Praxis score AND complete 100 hours of high-quality professional development in the content area.

These additional options are available for the next two school years. Although Alabama is beginning to see improvements in some school systems, much of the state is still struggling to find educators. Education is still reeling from the impact of the COVID -19 crisis and the current teacher shortage is not unique to Alabama. These new options represent the efforts of the ALSDE and the SBOE to fill vacancies with qualified individuals who are close to completing current certification requirements. They provide options to place individuals who are committed to the field of education and desire a professional career as an educator in vacant classrooms and/or classrooms that are currently experiencing a revolving door of substitute teachers.

As we continue moving toward normalcy, we must recruit dedicated, hard-working professionals into the field of education to meet the challenge of preparing every child, every chance, every day, for life after high school. Our hope is that these additional options, along with several other undertakings by the ALSDE, will help ensure Alabama students have high quality educators in their classes every day.