More Race to the Top Points

For those state decision makers out there – please take a look. The Race to the Top guidelines are clear about the need for effective teachers in the classroom. As states prepare their applications, we invite them to partner with the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) to help increase your overall point total. ABCTE is a non-profit organization funded in 2001 by the US Department of Education and is already accepted in 9 states as an alternative route to certification. Please see the overview below on how ABCTE can positively impact Race to the Top applications and the education of your state’s children.

ABCTE meets the Race to the Top definition of alternative route to certification.

• Qualified provider that operates independently from institutions of higher education
• Highly selective – less than 40% complete the program and enter the classroom
• Mentoring requirement in the first year of teaching
• Innovative online workshop based program
• Provides over 250 hours of both subject matter and pedagogy instruction materials
• Awards the same level of certification as traditional programs upon completion
• 85% still in the classroom after three years-highest retention of all teacher preparation programs

Use ABCTE to increase RTTT scores on STEM and Equitable Distribution of teachers.

• ABCTE is an excellent workforce development tool to assist unemployed workers from math, science and engineering fields who want to become teachers
• States and LEAs can reimburse ABCTE teachers who are hired in STEM areas, increasing the quantity of math and science experts teaching in schools
• States and LEAs can partner with ABCTE to recruit and then provide scholarships for teachers agreeing to teach in high needs schools for three years

ABCTE enables three options to increase scores for Section (D)(1) = 21 points:

• Option 1: Full adoption of the ABCTE alternative route to teacher certification
• Option 2: Approve an ABCTE pilot program for STEM area teachers
• Option 3: Approve ABCTE for a pilot program with high needs school districts

ABCTE provides an opportunity to increase scores for Section (D)(3) = 25 points:

• Partner with ABCTE to recruit in high needs schools and high needs subjects
• Scholarship ABCTE teachers who will teach in high needs schools and/or teach high needs subjects

ABCTE can also increase (A)(2) points for section (E) dealing with school turnarounds:

• Initial recruitment costs covered by the grant can be sustained by ABCTE after the grant ends
• Low cost program and payment options will continue for teachers well after the grant concludes
• Demonstrated stakeholder partnerships

After meeting with state leaders to determine their specific needs by phone or in person, we will follow up with a specific, high quality, cost effective proposal that will demonstrate sustainability. Please feel free to call us and we will start building your point total as soon as possible.