Classification of Alternative Routes

The National Center for Education Information, for the sake of consistency in reporting and analyzing what is going on in the field of alternative teacher certification, developed the following classification system for categorizing the "alternative routes" to the approved college teacher education program route for certifying teachers submitted by the states.

CLASS A is the category reserved for those programs that meet the following criteria:

• The alternative teacher certification route has been designed for the explicit purpose of attracting talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor's degree in a field other than education into elementary and secondary school teaching. 
• The alternate route is not restricted to shortages, secondary grade levels or subject areas.
• These alternative teacher certification routes involve teaching with a trained mentor, and formal instruction that deals with the theory and practice of teaching during the school year -- and sometimes in the summer before and/or after.

CLASS B:  Teacher certification routes that have been designed specifically to bring talented individuals who already have at least a bachelor's degree into teaching.  These routes involve specially designed mentoring and formal instruction.  However, these states either restrict the program to shortages and/or secondary grade levels and/or subject areas.

CLASS C:  These routes entail review of academic and professional background, and transcript analysis.  They involve specially (individually) designed inservice and course-taking necessary to reach competencies required for certification, if applicable.  The state and/or local school district have major responsibility for program design.

CLASS D:  These routes entail review of academic and professional background, and transcript analysis.  They involve specially (individually) designed inservice and course-taking necessary to reach competencies required for certification, if applicable.  An institution of higher education has major responsibility for program design.

CLASS E:  These post-baccalaureate programs are based at an institution of higher education.

CLASS F:  These programs are basically emergency routes.  The prospective teacher is issued some type of emergency certificate or waiver which allows the individual to teach, usually without any on-site support or supervision, while taking the traditional teacher education courses requisite for full certification.

CLASS G:  Programs in this class are for persons who have few requirements left to fulfill before becoming certified through the traditional approved college teacher education program route, e. g.,  persons certified in one state moving to another;  persons certified in one endorsement area seeking to become certified in another.

CLASS H:  This class includes those routes that enable a person who has some "special" qualifications, such as a well-known author or Nobel prize winner, to teach certain subjects.

CLASS I:  These states reported that they were not implementing alternatives to the approved college teacher education program route for licensing teachers.

CLASS J:   These programs are designed to eliminate emergency routes.  They prepare individuals who do not meet basic requirements to become qualified to enter an alternate route or a traditional route for teacher licensing.

CLASS K:  These avenues to certification accommodate specific populations for teaching, e.g., Teach for America, Troops to Teachers and college professors who want to teach in K-12 schools.