Alternate routes to teacher certification are having a profound impact on the who, what, when, where and how of K-12 teaching. Every state in the nation is now taking seriously the challenge to create alternatives to the traditional undergraduate college teacher education program route for certifying teachers. What began in the early 1980s as a way to ward off projected shortages of teachers and replace emergency certification has evolved into a sophisticated model for recruiting, training and certifying people who already have at least a bachelor's degree and want to become teachers.

When the National Center for Education Information (NCEI) first began in 1983 asking state certification officials the question, “What is your state’s status regarding alternatives to the traditional college teacher education program route for certifying teachers?’’ eight states said they were implementing some type of alternative route to teacher certification.

Now, in 2007, all 50 states and the District of Columbia report they have at least some type of alternate route to teacher certification. All toll, 130 alternate routes to teacher certification now exist in these 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, these states report that approximately 485 alternate routes programs are implementing the alternative routes to teacher certification they established.

Based on data submitted by the states, NCEI estimates that approximately 59,000 individuals were issued teaching certificates through alternative routes in 2005-06, up from approximately 50,000 in 2004-05 and 39,000 in 2003-04. As shown in the figure below, the numbers of teachers obtaining certification through alternative routes have increased substantially since the late 1990s. Nationally, approximately one-third of new teachers being hired are coming through alternative routes to teacher certification.

What we have documented in this annual publication since 1990 are the alternative routes to the traditional, approved college teacher education program for certifying teachers. Since the states have sole authority for certifying teachers, we rely on the data and information submitted by certification offices in each state. The numbers have grown substantially in the last two decades.

In 1991, NCEI developed a classification system, A through I, and has since added J and K, to further distinguish among routes that states have identified as alternatives to traditional certification.

This publication provides information and analyses to prospective teachers, as well as policy and decision-makers, about alternative routes to teacher certification, in the United States. This current edition, ALTERNATIVE TEACHER CERTIFICATION: A State-by-State Analysis 2007, is organized into eight parts:

1. Introduction
2. Overview of Alternate Routes to Teacher Certification
3. How to Use This Manual
4. Reciprocity and Acceptance of Teaching Certificates Across States
5. State Contacts for Alternative Teacher Certification Routes
6. Tables Including Results of 2005-06 NCEI State Survey of Alternative Teacher Certification
7. Classification system developed by NCEI to characterize different programs states identify as “alternative routes.”
8. Profile and Classification of Each Alternative Teacher Certification Route in Each State
• A detailed description of each of the alternative teacher certification programs in each of the states.
• Lists of colleges and universities in each state that have developed alternative teacher preparation programs.
• Lists of colleges and universities in each state that have any type of teacher preparation program.
• Contact people within each state for alternative teacher certification and for finding a teaching job.

I wish to thank the many people who made this project possible -- the people in every state agency of education who answered our questions, who put up with our numerous telephone calls, e-mails, faxes and mailings and came through with the information that makes this manual so valuable. They have enabled us to tell this current and complete story of alternative routes to teacher certification in the United States.

Emily Feistritzer

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