Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 2 of The Illinois Commitment
Alternative Certification Program
Governors State University
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
The mission of the program is to provide quality teachers to high need schools in our region. The goals are:
• to recruit mid-life career changers with a commitment to urban teacher education,
• to provide quality, standards-based teacher preparation in an abbreviated design, blending theory to practice and
meeting all the objectives of our traditional elementary program,
• to improve teacher retention in high need schools in our region, and
• to train candidates to develop as teacher leaders in their districts.
Description of the effective practice:
Teacher turnover is a critical problem in public school districts in south suburban Chicago and northern Will County.
In some, 50% departure rates for new teachers after approximately two years of teaching are not uncommon. In
response to this problem, Governors State University and eight high-turnover school districts partnered to develop a
program of alternative teacher certification, the first of its kind in Illinois authorized by legislation adopted by the
General Assembly in 1998. In this program, individuals with a sincere desire to teach, five years prior professional
experience and baccalaureate (or higher) degrees can complete an accelerated course of study in education, including
practice teaching, and join the ranks of the region’s certified elementary or secondary teachers. The students
complete a 16th month program, beginning with 9 hours of professional education coursework before they begin their
internship, followed by a year of internship in a local district mentored by a veteran teacher. During each semester of
that year, the student-teachers take an additional seminar in education at GSU. During the summer after the teaching
year, they conclude the program with a final seminar that allows them to reflect on their experience, identify strengths
and weaknesses in their pedagogical styles, focus on research-based pedagogy to improve their practice, and pursue
further general education coursework as required.
In the years since the Alternative Certification Program’s inception, the number of partnering districts has grown
from eight to twelve. The current school districts partnering with GSU in this program are: Patton #133, Posen-
Robbins District 143½, Prairie Hills District 144, Dolton District 148, Harvey District 152, Lincoln Elementary
#156, Matteson #162, Sauk Village District #168, Ford Heights District 169, Chicago Heights # 170, Crete-Monee
District 201U and Chicago Public Schools #299.
The Governors State Alternative Certification Partnership was recently named as one of six national finalists for the
2006 Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State Colleges
and Universities. The GSU program is also one of 30 programs selected for a Mathematical Policy Research study
“Identifying Alternative Certification Programs for an Impact Evaluation of Teacher Preparation” funded by the U.S.
Department of Education. One research question of this study is to “determine specific features of alternative
certification programs related to effectiveness.” Our program was one of the programs recommended for the high end
of preparation requirements.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
By virtue of high demand for the program among prospective students and the financial commitments of the partner
school districts made at the program’s inception, this venture is both sustainable and cost-effective. The best
testimony to the sustainability of the program is the assessments offered by principals of their interns’ abilities. The
following is a sampling of principals’ comments from Administrator Assessments during candidates’ internship year:
- “An asset to the educational community”; -“Uses creative and original materials in the classroom”; -“Truly an asset
to our school”; -“Plans are a model for us all”; -“Outstandingly engaging”; - “Constructs an extraordinary atmosphere
for learning”; -“Best plans in the building”; -“Magnificent organization”; -“Very well prepared.”
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
From the first six cohorts of program participants, 115 elementary education teachers have been recommended for
certification and 95% are still teaching or have gone on to administrative positions. More than 50% of candidates
have been minority group members and approximately 25% have been male.
In a survey of Partnership school and central office administrators regarding satisfaction with candidate performance
and with the relationship with Governors State, average satisfaction levels of 3.56 on a 4 point scale were recorded
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