Three Florida alternative-certification programs attracted teacher-candidates who were more qualified on paper than traditionally certified teachers, but varied in how effective their graduates were in the classroom, concludes a study by the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.
Georgia State University researcher Tim R. Sass used a “value added” technique to study the test-score growth of students taught by teachers from three Florida certification routes: the Educator Preparation Institute certification option, run mainly by community colleges; district-run alternative certification; and credentialing by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, a national, online alternative-route program.
He found EPI completers were worse at spurring achievement gains than traditionally prepared teachers. The ABCTE teachers boosted math achievement more than traditional-route teachers and showed slightly better reading results.
