Press Room

Online teaching certification program ABCTE announced today that CEO Dave Saba has resigned, effective February 24. Over the past five years, Saba has served as Vice President of Operations, President and, most recently, as CEO for the Washington, D.C. based non-profit.

"Dave has led the company’s development from a struggling teacher certification group supported by grants to a self-sustaining organization that helps thousands of people become teachers every year," said ABCTE Chairman Tony Colón. "The company expresses its warm thanks to Dave for leading ABCTE through most of our challenging formative years, growing the company’s revenues and establishing an organization that will help ensure that every child has a great teacher."

"It was time to move onto a fresh challenge, one that will provide me with another tremendous opportunity to develop new products and services to further education in this country," stated Saba. "It has been a wonderful privilege to lead an incredible team, at an organization that has become a trusted name in teacher preparation, and I sincerely thank all that have worked with us to make ABCTE what it is today. I move forward with great confidence that ABCTE is well-positioned for continued growth and success."

Saba will join the American College of Education, a fully accredited college which provides advanced degrees for educators nationally. The mission of American College of Education is to significantly improve P-12 student performance by enhancing the teaching effectiveness and leadership skills of public school educators

ABCTE has appointed COO Bonnie Zuckerman as Acting President. Zuckerman currently heads up teacher recruitment and scholarship programs at ABCTE and has been with the organization for three years. Prior to that, Zuckerman was with Kaplan Test Prep.

About ABCTE
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence is a non-profit organization, dedicated to recruiting, preparing, certifying and supporting dedicated professionals to improve student achievement through quality teaching. ABCTE is accepted in nine states and offers an innovative teacher preparation and certification program for highly knowledgeable individuals who want to change careers and become teachers.

Idaho Governor Butch Otter issued a proclamation making Monday, January 25, 2010 'ABCTE Become a Teacher Day' in the state, as ABCTE heads to Idaho for information sessions on its teaching certification program from January 26 through 30. Read more...

As they work to prepare career-changers for the classroom and make a push to recruit 900 new teachers this month, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) has begun recommending online distance learning program StraighterLine to candidates seeking to refine their skills.

StraighterLine offers online courses from accredited colleges and universities, which students can use to receive credit from StraighterLine's regionally accredited partner colleges or use via the ACE Credit process. In the case of ABCTE candidates, the StraightLine product offers them the opportunity to further master areas such as math and writing as they prepare for the ABCTE exams.

"We’re always looking for additional resources to recommend to our candidates as they prepare for a career in the classroom. But because we offer a very affordable program ourselves, any additional material we suggest to our candidates has to be both cost-effective and high-quality. StraighterLine is just that, giving people access to credit-bearing college courses at extremely reasonable prices," says ABCTE CEO Dave Saba.

"StraighterLine and ABCTE share a commitment to providing students with affordable alternatives to college credit and teacher certification. Together, we can dramatically reduce the cost of higher education," says Burck Smith, StraighterLine's CEO.

StraighterLine courses start at $399 per course or cost $99 per month plus $39 for every course started. The cost includes live, on-demand instruction. Students are required to obtain a textbook separately. ABCTE’s teaching certification program costs $975 for most standard certifications and a bachelor’s degree in any subject is required before enrolling.

ABCTE
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence is a non-profit organization, dedicated to recruiting, preparing, certifying and supporting dedicated professionals to improve student achievement through quality teaching. ABCTE is accepted in nine states and offers an innovative teacher preparation and certification program for highly knowledgeable individuals who want to change careers and become teachers. For more information, visit abcte.org or call 877-669-2228.

StraighterLine
StraighterLine provides students with a new online option for obtaining required college credits from accredited colleges and universities, allowing student to choose to receive credit from StraighterLine's regionally accredited partner colleges or to use the ACE Credit process. Student-earned credits may also be transferable to non-partner colleges. There are no set due dates for StraighterLine courses, students may move at their own pace and may start courses almost immediately after enrolling. For more information, visit straighterline.com or call 1-877-str8erline (1-877-787-8375).