State offers alternative methods to teacher certification

Terry RogersEducation, Headlines, Milford Headline Story

Delaware now offers Alternate Routes to Certification in order to address a growing teacher shortage

As public school districts continue to face teaching shortages, the State of Delaware has created an Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC) program. The program is a non-traditional method to become a licensed and certified teacher in Delaware.

“Simply put, participants are a full-time teacher of record while taking courses from an approved Delaware ARTC program,” Alison May, Public Information Officer for the Delaware Department of Education. “There continues to be a high demand in multiple areas, including substitutes.”

Although Milford School District is currently staffed fully for the school year, Dr. Jason Peel, Director of Human Resources and School Climate, explained that programs like ARTC make it easier for those who hold a bachelor’s degree to enter the teaching field.

“The traditional route to becoming a teacher is to graduate from a college or university with a degree in teaching and apply for teaching certification,” Dr. Peel said. “The applicant must be able to show that they have completed student teaching, passed the required exams and earned a degree. However, the ARTC program is aimed at helping a person with a bachelor’s degree become a teacher without all of these requirements. A person can start teaching by enrolling in one of the ARTC programs in the state which require a bachelor’s degree in any major and then take courses plus the required exams over the course of three years.”

Dr. Peel explained that this program allows someone to receive emergency certification in order to begin teaching immediately. If someone has a bachelor’s degree that is in a subject other than teaching, they are able to enroll in ARTC and become certified while working as a full-time teacher.

In order to obtain licensure and certification, anyone interested in becoming a teacher needs to submit an application to the ARTC program at University of Delaware, Delaware State College or Wilmington University. There are costs to the program although some districts cover those costs once the prospective teacher is hired, depending on the subject matter. Candidates must have a minimum of 24 credits in an area aligned to a PK to 12th grade content area or pass the Praxis II for the content area they wish to teach. Once they are accepted in the program and are hired by a district, they must complete the certification within three years.

Additional alternative pathways to becoming a certified teacher are also available. Information can be found at https://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/3495.

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