Budget Brief: Alternative Certification of Teachers
The governor signed the budget adjustment bill on June
2, and did not veto language expanding alternative teacher permits.
The governor did partially veto language requiring DPI to give people
permanent licenses.
Background:
Under current law, all teachers must be licensed by the Department
of Public Instruction (DPI). In order to receive a regular license,
a person must have a bachelor's degree, complete an approved professional
education program with a specified number of credits in certain subjects
and complete a semester of student teaching.
Current law allows DPI to issue an alternative teacher permit to a
person who: (1) holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics,
biology, chemistry, or physics; (2) has at least five years of experience
working on one of those fields; and (3) passes the national teacher
examination.
Motion #1157 - Amendment to Budget Adjustment Bill:
The Joint Finance Committee approved a budget amendment offered by
Senator Farrow (R-Elm Grove) expanding alternative teacher permits by
a vote of 10-6. The amendment is identical to 1997 Senate Bill 221.
Motion #1157 expands alternative teaching permits to allow people with
five years of work experience, but no teacher or child development training,
to teach music, art, foreign languages and computer science.
The amendment deletes the requirement for applicants to take the national
teaching exam, and instead, requires an applicant to demonstrate competency
in that subject area to the DPI before applying. The amendment also
changes the permit from a two-year renewable to a five-year renewable
permit and no longer requires permit holders to be supervised by a licensed
teacher. Finally, the DPI would be required to issue regular teaching
licenses to a permit holder if the school board certifies to DPI that
the person is a successful teacher.
WEAC/WFT Position:
The Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Wisconsin Federation
of Teachers are strongly opposed to the addition of Motion #1157 to
the budget adjustment bill. WEAC and the WFT support removal of the
alternative certification language from the bill.
Talking Points:
- At a time when higher standards for teachers are called for, the
Joint Finance Committee has adopted a budget amendment that undermines
the integrity of teacher licensing.
- It is ironic that the Legislature would consider an erosion of teacher
preparation standards as we press for higher levels of student achievement
through statewide standards and testing.
- There is no evidence that eroding the integrity of teacher preparation
is the way to achieve higher student achievement.
- In the January 1998 issue of Education Week, Wisconsin teachers
received very low grades because of a lack of high quality standards
supported by state-level policy. This proposal is counter to what
most states are doing to improve teacher preparation and quality.
- The children in Wisconsin's public schools should not be treated
as experiments. Educational standards policy should not be created
with potential career-changers in mind, but with the purpose of maintaining
or elevating teacher preparation standards.
- Alternative certification policies are an insult to teachers who
have spent time and money earning credited pedagogical degrees. Typical
general education degrees require the successful completion of courses
in areas such as reading and language arts, mainstreaming, human relations,
math methods, language arts, literacy, education psychology, oral
communications skills, human development and human learning just to
name a few. These degrees also require extensive student teaching
field studies.
Posted May 5, 1998