Re-certification of temporary certified teachers.

Abstract

Effective February 2002, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that teachers be recertified every five years with the completion of professional development plan. Teachers are required to develop a five-year plan that includes a series of professional development activities. The author surveyed a group of temporary certified teachers, who are pursuing teacher certification for grades K-9, regarding their perceptions toward the re-certification process. The majority of teachers expressed a positive attitude toward the ISBE recertification initiative but it seems necessary to provide with a wide range of assistance from school principals and district office staff on what entails in the recertification process.

Introduction

A colleague and I meet frequently at state and national conferences. Both of us coordinate graduate-level programs leading to regular teacher certification for teachers that currently hold a temporary teacher certificate (Type 29) in bilingual classrooms. As coordinators and also as advisors to our program participants, one of the most challenging questions from our students has been, "Why do I have to do student teaching, if I have been teaching for the past five years or more?" My colleague responds, "Just like a doctor who needs to do medical internship and a lawyer who needs to pass the bar exam, you need to do student teaching."

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that teachers with temporary certificates secure student teaching supervised by university faculty and 16-week teacher-supervised in-classroom training. These two requirements must be met before they can successfully obtain an Initial Teacher Certificate. This situation has raised some questions regarding these teachers' perceptions about the recently enacted Illinois policy on teacher recertification. For these temporary certified teachers, this recertification policy implies that after receiving their master's degree with the required courses for regular teacher certification, these "newly certified" teachers are entitled to an Initial Teaching Certificate before obtaining a Standard Teaching Certificate. Effective February 15, 2000, the ISBE will require that teachers be recertified every five years upon proof of continuing professional development.

Teachers holding an Initial or Standard Teaching Certificate are required to develop a five-year Certificate Renewal Plan (CRP) that includes a series of professional development sessions and/or college courses that address state requirements, school improvement plan needs, and classroom teaching effectiveness. This plan is to be monitored at the school district level by a Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC).

Issues and Practices on Teacher Recertification

Are classroom teachers, like doctors, tax accountants, and lawyers, required to stay-up-to date on the latest research and practice in their professions? The Improving America's School Act of 1994 fundamentally raised academic standards for all of the country's children and ensured that disadvantaged students were held to the same standards as their more affluent peers. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 40 percent of America's 4th graders are reading below the basic level-not nearly as well as they need to be in order to keep up with the complexities of today's employment or labor market and society (U.S. Department of Education, 1997). There is no doubt that a complex mix of socio-economic and educational factors plays a major role in the schooling process of our students in the classroom. Consequently, research findings that the quality of teaching in our classrooms is the most important factor in improving student academic achievement should not be undermined or ignored.

The quality of teaching preparation programs and the continued need for quality teachers have prompted state legislatures to look closely at their teaching licensure requirements. In recent years state-level attention has focused on policies aimed at improving the quality of teachers and teaching in our nation's schools (Plecki, 2000). In 1999, researchers at the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy have noted the following components (cited in Plecki, 2000):

* Recruit and retain high-quality teachers

* Develop teachers' professional norms, knowledge, and skills

* Create incentives and organizational conditions that support high-quality teaching

* Realize improvement efforts on a sufficient, and do so equitably

* Ensure that teacher development relates to improved student learning.

These components became part of a U.S. Department of Education Initiative on Teaching entitled "Eliminating the Barriers to Improving Teaching" (U.S. Department of Education, October 2000).

Illinois Recertification Program

The State of Illinois long had one of the simplest routes to recertification but has recently moved to addressing the recertification issue aimed at improving teaching quality. Effective on February 15, 2000, Public Act 19-102 of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) stipulates the process of how teachers renew and maintain their certificates to teach. Teachers must draw up a continuing education plan delineating how they will complete 120 hours of professional development in a five-year period before qualifying for another renewal. The plan, named the Certificate Renewal Plan (CRP), must be reviewed and approved, and its progress monitored at the school district level by a Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC). The CRP must include at least three personal goals for improvement, a statement of the knowledge and skills relevant to teaching or content area to be enhanced, standards for each goal, the professional development activities to meet those goals, and projected timelines for completing the activities. Since the initial recertification process was built through a collaborative effort between business, school and union representatives, the LPDC representatives need to include at least one community or business member along with three unionized teachers and one administrator.

The ISBE moved from its traditional one-level certification process to three certificate levels. Beginning teachers or those that hold a teaching certificate from another state and have taught with such certificates less than four years in Illinois will receive an Initial Teaching Certificate. This certificate is valid for four years, and holders with a satisfactory rating in their teaching can apply for the Standard Teaching Certificate. A Standard Teaching Certificate will be issued to a holder with valid teacher certificate from the state of Illinois or one who has a teaching certificate from another state and has four or more years of teaching at the time of application. This certificate is valid for five years and renewable with completion of continuing professional development. Illinois also accepts the National Board Certification in lieu of the state recertification program. The holders will have a Master Teaching Certificate, subject to renewal every ten years.

Perceptions Towards the Recertification Process

A singular convenience sample of 40 students pursuing a regular teaching certificate at one of the Illinois state universities was asked to complete a survey regarding their perception toward the new recertification in Illinois. All the respondents hold a temporary teacher certificate (Type 29) that is valid for six years with an additional extension of two years. During this period, Type 29 holders need to complete an educational program leading to regular teaching certificate. All the participants in the survey are pursuing a Type 03 Certificate (K-9). The respondents were enrolled in a master's degree program leading to an elementary teaching certificate with bilingual endorsement. Two courses in the master's program with a total enrollment of 40 students were selected and a questionnaire was administered to the students enrolled in each course. Response to the questionnaire was entirely on a voluntary basis. Forty questionnaires were distributed in both courses and students were asked to answer three sets of questions within 15 minutes allocated immediately before the end of the class. Thirty-five questionnaires (88%) were returned.

Among those 35 students, 20 (57%) held a B.A. and 12 (34%) held a B.S. Three respondents (9%) had a master's degree. Twenty-three (66%) of the respondents use Spanish as their primary language; whereas twelve (34%) use English as their primary language. Eighteen (54%) teach at the primary school level and sixteen (46%) at the intermediate level. More than 56% of the respondents received their Type 29 certificate between 1995 and 1999, which means that they are still holders of temporary teaching certificate. Moreover, 91% of the respondents are currently pursuing a bilingual endorsement, and 55% of those will also pursue English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. The first set of questions asked about the perception of the 1998 Illinois Board of Education Teacher Recertification Process. One-third of the sample (33%) was undecided in supporting the Process and its significance in school reform. More than one third (39%) of the participants indicated strongly that they would participate in arty CRP workshops available in their school districts. Only one-third of the respondents are planning to pursue the Master Certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Another set of questions asked the respondents to identify a list of professional development activities that they would consider as part of their CRP. Encouraging enough, more than 50% of the respondents indicated that they would develop their professional plan within the areas and parameters stipulated by the CRP, i.e., Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Teachers seeking for recertification can accumulate CEUs by pursuing initiatives on student achievement and/or ISBE emphasis on enhancement of teaching skills in reading and/or math and professional development in technology and/or assessment. They can also accumulate CEUs by participating in the development and implementation of school improvement plans, and by attending state, regional or national conferences. More than 70% of the respondents indicated that they would not publish educational articles in their teaching area or expertise.

Two open-ended questions were also included in the questionnaire. The first question asked how strongly each respondent supported the Illinois State Board of Education recertification process that required all teachers be recertified every five years upon proof of continuing professional development. The following comments reflect a range of support or disapproval of the recertification process:

--I agree that any professional, especially a teacher, must continue to look at research and other components of education.

--I strongly believe that any discipline requires on-going education to remain current on the latest developments.

--I believe that teachers need to improve their knowledge and skills in education continuously. It is difficult to plan for 5 years in every area of professional development.

--I strongly disagree with the recertification process.

--I dislike it. It is confusing and unnecessary.

It is evident from these statements that some teachers have clear understanding of the purpose and intention of the recertification process; but others need clearer guidelines. The second question asked how much support each respondent received from his/her school principal and/or central office staff in his/her school district in the recertification process. As indicated in the following statements, the assistance they received ranged from little to enough.

--The principal invited personnel from the Board of Education for general information bout this topic.

--I have received a lot of support from my school and principal.

--I have received a lot of support from the principal, Central Office because I have attended many meetings regarding this process.

--We are given plenty of opportunities to participate in a lot of professional development activities.

--I received written material. We need orientation and more support to motivate us to finish this process.

--Little to none. We have staff members who were trained to assist teachers with their plans.

--Not much; principals are not very flexible in taking days off for conferences. They are not very supportive.

From these statements, it seems necessary to provide teachers with a wide range of assistance from school principals and district office staff on what entails in the recertification process.

Challenge in the Illinois Recertification Process

As mentioned before, Illinois is facing a new challenge in implementing the new recertification process. This recertification process needs to be viewed by state educational agencies, school districts, local school administrators, university faculty and administrators, and teachers themselves as a process conducive to professional growth. We need to post to these stakeholders questions that can bring cohesive efforts in making the recertification process sustainable within its merits. Stakeholders in this recertification process need to look at the following questions closely.

* How much technical support do school districts provide to their teachers in the design of their Certificate Renewal Plan?

* How effective is the role of the Local Professional Development Committee in reviewing, approving, and monitoring each teacher's Certificate Renewal Plan?

* What type of professional development programs do school districts advise and/or provide to their teachers for the completion of the required 120 Continuing Professional Development Units?

* What types of course work that expand their knowledge in the teaching field do higher education institutions and/or professional organizations provide to teachers?

* How teachers perceive the need for staying up-to-date on the latest research and practice in their professions just like doctors and lawyers?

We need to remember that effective and productive changes in the education of our children will rely on how the different stakeholders--policy makers, educational administrators, and teachers--strongly believe that every child has the right to learn from a highly qualified teacher.

References

Plecki, M. (2000, November). Improving the quality of teaching: an analysis of policies and investments in four states. Seattle, Washington: Center for Study of Teaching and Policy.

U.S. Department of Education. (1997). A call to action for American education in the 21st century. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Education. (2000, October). Eliminating barriers to improving teaching (Draft Format). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Joaquin Villegas, Northeastern Illinois University 

Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education. Coordinator of the undergraduate and graduate bilingual programs.