National Certification Process Planned for Vocational Ed. Teachers

By Mary Ann Zehr

At a time when schools are increasingly hiring uncertified vocational education teachers from business and industry, experienced vocational teachers with formal certification will soon have a new way of proving they're worth their salt.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a privately organized group in Southfield, Mich., plans to launch a national certification process for vocational education teachers at the end of this year. It will accept only applicants who have earned at least a bachelor's degree and have held a state teacher's license and taught for at least three years.

"This test is going to give vocational teachers the ability to show how diverse we are. We not only teach the vocational trade, but we also teach academics," said Mark Pardovich, the teacher-in-residence for vocational education at the Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Service, which is designing the assessment...