The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, often referred to as the American Board, was launched with a $5 million federal grant from the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet, cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States, United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, havin ...

in 2001. The non-partisan,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

's mission is to certify subject experts, experienced professionals, career changers, and military veterans as teachers and was endorsed by U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige. Shawn Arévalo McCollough serves as the President and chief executive officer. The online,

alternative teaching certification Alternative teacher certification is a process by which a person is awarded a teaching license even though that person has not completed a traditional teacher certification program. In the US, traditional teacher certification is earned through co ...

program is approved in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, and was launched in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

as the Arizona Center for Teacher Preparation in 2013. Former Arizona Governor

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015, as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Prior to this, Brewer ...

endorsed the program, which addresses the shortage of math and science teachers in the state.

Mission

The American Board is dedicated to preparing, certifying, and supporting individuals who want to improve their communities by becoming a teacher. The training and certification program is designed to inspire career changers to become a teacher and give them a rigorous and efficient process to achieve their goals.

How it works

The program is entirely online and self-paced. Candidates have 12 months to complete the program, though the average amount of time it takes most candidates is between 7 and 10 months. A bachelor's degree is required for acceptance into the American Board teaching certification program, and participants must pass a background check. Candidates enrolled in the program study for and take two certification exams- one that covers Professional Teaching Knowledge (PTK) and one that covers subject area knowledge. The program is online, giving candidates the flexibility to work towards earning their certification on their own time. Once candidates earned their certification, they will receive their Passport to Teaching.

Acceptance of certifications

American Board certification is recognized in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Utah. Many

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

and

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

s nationwide also recognize the certification. Certification areas are

elementary education Primary education is the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle schools, de ...

, English, mathematics, general science, biology, physics, chemistry, U.S. history, world history and

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

. Availability of certification areas and requirements vary by state.

History

The American Board was founded in 2001 with a grant from the

. Developed on the foundation that highly trained and skilled professionals should have the opportunity to pursue a career in teaching, the American Board was created with a mission to give enable qualified individuals a flexible and affordable path to teacher certification in their state. The first state to accept the American Board certification for its public schools was Pennsylvania, when the State Board of Education adopted it in November 2002. An early study of the American Board teacher certification by

Mathematica Policy Research Mathematica, Inc., formerly Mathematica Policy Research, is an American research organization and consulting company headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. The company provides data science, social science, and technological services for social ...

found the program to be enrolling and screening increasing numbers of candidates with the average age of nearly 40, suggesting candidates are primarily career changers with more work experience than other entry-level teachers. Most candidates were able to find teaching positions soon after finishing the program. In October 2003, U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige announced the American Board would receive a $35 million grant from the

for its continued development of a fast-track route into the teaching profession. The Idaho State Board of Education approved the American Board program as a route to a full teacher license in November 2003. Idaho Governor

Dirk Kempthorne Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...

said should he decide to become a teacher after politics, he would use the American Board program to become a certified teacher. The Florida State Board of Education approved the American Board program in June 2004. Florida Governor

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Bush family, Bush political family, he was an unsuccessful candidate for pre ...

was a supporter, and President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

received his teacher certification through an alternative program. The Utah House Standing Committee introduced HB0110 and, although it did not pass, the American Board program was approved in November 2004 by the Utah State Board of Education. In December 2004, the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education approved the American Board program. The Mississippi Professional Standards Board approved the program in July 2006. Governor

Haley Barbour Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously ser ...

said, "In the wake of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, Mississippi faces years of recovery and rebuilding. To ensure that we accomplish our goals, Mississippi communities are working together to improve our schools so that every child in Mississippi has an opportunity to succeed. First and foremost, we must recruit the very best teachers for our students." In 2006, the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted alternative certification as a pathway to teaching and cited the American Board. South Carolina House Bill 3476 was signed into law on June 13, 2007, accepting American Board certification. Governor

Mark Sanford Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019, and as the 115th govern ...

said the program would "make a real impact in getting more qualified teachers in our classrooms, and we're pleased to welcome this program to our state." Missouri Governor

Matt Blunt Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American politician, lobbyist, and former naval officer who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 54th governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. He previously served ten years in the United St ...

signed Senate Bill 1066 on May 1, 2008, allowing American Board certificate holders to practice there. The Governor said, "Under the old system, Bill Gates couldn’t teach a class in computer software in a Missouri high school. This bill allows experienced professionals to become certified teachers.""A Victory for Certification"
Show Me Daily (May 5, 2008) The Oklahoma House passed Senate Bill 582 with a unanimous vote of 99 to zero in April 2009, and it was soon signed into law, making Oklahoma the ninth American Board state. In July 2009, the American Board announced that the organization's initial grant had drawn to a close and it had reached a financial position that will allow the organization to continue to operate without requesting an extension of these government funds. The Arizona Center for Teacher Preparation was launched in 2013. Then Arizona Governor

endorsed the program, which addresses the shortage of math and science teachers in the state.Gonzales, Angela
"Center for teacher preparation offering $1000 scholarships for wannabe teachers"
" ''Phoenix Business Journal'' (June 27, 2013)

Financial aid

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence provides reduced enrollment pricing for those who fall within the parameters of the Federal Reduced Lunch Rate Act, which is based on household size, and combined income.

References

External links

American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE)
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Board For Certification Of Teacher Excellence Educational organizations established in 2001 Teacher training United States Department of Education Educational organizations based in the United States