Proposal allows teacher program
Opponents argue instructors would be underprepared
A provision in the proposed state budget is raising the ire of educators and leaders of Wisconsin’s schools of education who say it would lower the quality of new teachers in the classroom, most likely in schools with the neediest children.
At issue is a measure that would require the state Department of Public Instruction to issue teaching licenses to graduates of an alternative certification program.
The budget doesn’t explicitly name a particular provider; state law prohibits that. But members of the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education said it’s almost certainly aimed at the Atlanta-based American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, a controversial nonprofit that operates in 12 states and has been trying to get a foothold in Wisconsin for years.
American Board offers a lowcost, fast-track online program for individuals who already have a bachelor’s degree; it takes usually a year or less for under $3,000, according to its website.
Its graduates would be exempt from some of the more stringent quality-control requirements other teacher candidates must meet in Wisconsin: student teaching; a test measuring their understanding of the concepts of — and how to teach — reading and writing; and a rigorous assessment of overall knowledge and teaching ability.
“It’s shocking to me that anyone would think that our Wisconsin children deserve teachers prepared this way,” said Bill Henk, dean of Marquette University’s College of Education. “I’m curious about who put the provision in play in the first place and whether the (Joint Finance Committee) knew what they were really voting on with that particular provision.”
Reid Riggle, co-chair of the teacher education program at St. Norbert College and president of the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education,
called American Board “a much weaker program.”
“Consequently, what’s going to happen is people who are underprepared will get hired in schools specifically where there are shortages,” Riggle said. “Those are often the schools with the highest needs — MPS, Racine, Beloit, a lot of rural schools where they can’t hire anybody,” he said.
“And it’s going to take what is already a significant equity gap in our state (between poor and minority students and their white and affluent peers) and make it worse.”
Officials with American Board said its graduates must pass its own, inhouse tests of knowledge and teaching skills, and that they are better-prepared than long-term substitute teachers and those with emergency licenses who teach in Wisconsin schools without meeting DPI requirements for full licensure.
“As for the university push back, we’re really used to that; it happens in every state,” said Melanie Olmstead, director of government affairs for the nonprofit.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Burkhardt said traditional teacher preparation schools are concerned that American Board would siphon off students, but she said it targets a different demographic, mainly mid-career professionals.
“Wisconsin has a teacher shortage, and our priority is helping to widen the pool of qualified teachers schools can consider when filling positions.”
The measure is one piece of the 2017-’19 budget proposal that will be taken up by the Assembly, then the Senate, beginning Wednesday.
No names attached to measure
It was not clear initially how the measure made its way into the budget. There was no free-standing bill with sponsors’ names attached. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau, which drafts the budget document on behalf of lawmakers, considers the drafting documents confidential under state law.
The chairs of the Joint Finance Committee — Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) — did not respond to requests for comment.
But Olmstead said Friday that American Board has been working with Darling and Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) for the last year or two in an effort to get into Wisconsin.
Tony Evers, state Superintendent of Public Instruction and Democratic candidate for governor, said he was blindsided by the measure and called it an affront to collaborative efforts already underway “to develop legitimate solutions to our teacher shortage.”
He called on lawmakers to remove the provision, saying Wisconsin already has alternative pathways to teaching and recognizes out-of-state licenses.
“This is a backdoor
way to lower standards for an online licensing factory — one who refuses to meet the minimum standards set by the legislature and department,” Evers said.
“Slipping policy into the budget at this stage, without any public debate or review, is a dangerous and bad way to make policy,” he said.
The provision is one of a handful in the state budget that attempts to address the ongoing issue of teacher shortages, particularly in poorer urban and rural communities, and the dwindling number of teacher candidates coming out of schools of education, in Wisconsin and across the country.
According to a 2016 report by the nonpartisan Public Policy Forum, the number of teachers in the region has decreased by
nearly 5% since the 2009’10 school year, and enrollments in teacher preparation programs across the state have fallen nearly 28% since the 2008-’09 school year.
Other provisions, some of which were put forth by advisory boards that include educators, include streamlining the licensing process, the return of lifetime licenses, inschool internships for education students and ways to make it easier for already licensed teachers to teach in other subject areas.
But exempting some teacher candidates from the rigorous quality control measures required of others is not the way to go, Riggle said.
“You’re seeding failure, ”Riggle said. “We can’t afford as a state to do these kinds of things.”