The concern that prompted this study is the inadequacy of the present system of handling teacher certification information, especially as it involves the movement of information between Texas' teacher-certifying universities, local school districts, and the Texas Education Agency. Since it was found that no computerized certification system presently exists in any state, the primary purpose of this study was to develop a model for a computerized teacher certification information system; a secondary purpose was to determine the major factors involved in regard to the feasibility of such a model. The model is written from an education administration viewpoint and is limited to in-state elementary and secondary teacher certification, 1972 certification standards, and existing computer capabilities.

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The recent focus on transition from school to working life has created a growing concern in Oregon about teachers with elementary certification as their initial certification who earn a special education certificate and teach students with disabilities in secondary settings. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among initial certifications (elementary, secondary, and K-12), where Oregon high school special education teachers received the major part of their transition skills training, and their self-perceived needs for further transition skills training. The population for the study consisted of 213 secondary special education teachers of students with mild disabilities from throughout Oregon. The instrument was a survey-type questionnaire that included 14 transition skill competencies for teachers. Subjects were first asked where they received the major part of their training in each of the transition competency skills. Next, they were asked to rate their self-perceived needs for further training in each of the transition skills. The instrument design was validated through a Delphi procedure. Data were collected during the spring of 1987 and the fall of 1988. No significant statistical relationships were found between initial certification and where teachers received the major part of their transition skills training, or their self-perceived needs for further training. However, three major implications became apparent from the data. First, decisions regarding coursework could be examined at the preservice level. Next, opportunities for preservice teachers to participate in team decision-making activities should be examined. Lastly, personnel inservice preparation programs at the district level should be examined to ensure that transition skill competencies for teachers are included. Recommendations included follow-up studies to find out if the size of school, type and level of endorsement, major and minor fields of study and years of teaching may have an effect on transition skills training of secondary teachers. / Graduation date: 1992

This study is an interpretive one which investigates the value attached to teaching qualifications by educators and other stakeholders, viz. learners, management and council at a FET College. The research focuses on the value of teaching qualifications for Further Education and Training (FET) educators. It suggests the need for professional development of FET educators in light of the new FET Act 16 of 2006 and the implementation of the National Curriculum Vocational (NCV) introduced in 2007. The study is informed by Shulman’s (1986) principles of teacher knowledge and the hypotheses of Kennedy Ahn & Choi (2008) on the value added by teacher education. The data was gathered using a questionnaire comprising three parts; close-ended questions to capture background information, a rating scale to capture the values attached to teaching qualifications and open-ended questions to capture additional data. The study concludes that values are attached to teaching qualifications mainly for the teaching of NC(V) programs and that practical expertise is necessary for skills training programs. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The purpose of this research was to examine the records of all students who pursued a curriculum at Ball State University which could lead to provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana, covering retrospectively, all consecutive years for which complete records could be retrieved, to determine if such provisional certification to teach biology could be predicted by the examination of test scores made by students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board.A statistical comparison was made between the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of those persons achieving provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana and those persons not achieving such provisional certification, to determine whether Scholastic Aptitude Test scores in and of themselves could be used to predict provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana.The records of all students at Ball State University who at any time between September of 1965 and June of 1974 pursued a course of study which, if completed, would lead to provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana were examined, excluding all who had not been graduated by June of 1974 and those who did not have Scholastic Aptitude Test scores in their files at Ball State University.These students were divided into two groups, Group one was made up of those students who achieved provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana and consisted of 331 students, Group two was made up of those students who failed to achieve provisional certification to teach biology in the public schools of Indiana and consisted of 244 students,A statistical comparison was made of the two groups - those certified (group one) versus those who were not certified (group two) - by the use of discriminant analysis, using as variables within the two groups, the bivarients (1) verbal score made on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and (2) mathematical score made on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, The method of discriminant analysis combines variables within the two groups and then compares those groups on the basis of group differences without regard for their interrelations and partly overlapping information.The statistical analysis of the two groups indicated that there was no significant difference in the scores attained by the students in the two groups on the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board. The conclusion was made that scores made on the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board are not valid predictors of provisional certification of biology teachers at Ball State University during the period between September of 1965 and June of 1974.The study recommends that the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board be evaluated in all areas of advisement, including high school, junior college, and university advisement.The study further recommends that scores attained on the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board not be used in situations to which they are not applicable and for which they were not designed.The study further recommends that the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board be totally reexamined by qualified independent researchers to determine not only the value of this test as currently applied, but other possible ways in which this test can be used with validity.

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining whether the size of school districts (in terms of the number of teachers they employ) affects the employment of the instructional staff with regard to their academic preparation, experiences, and professional interest. In question form the problem may be stated: What is the relationship of the professional status of the teacher to the size of the district in the elementary schools of San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties?

This study examines the developmental history of teacher's certifications in Texas as a means to highlight needed improvements.

The rationale for a historical study is to record facts from documents and events in an organized manner, so that people of the future may have a better understanding of past events. The Problem The purpose of this research project was to trace the legal and historical development of licensing and certification of public school teachers in the State of Virginia. The main research question investigated: What is the legal history of teacher certification in Virginia? The secondary question investigated: What were the historical events that may have influenced changes in teacher certification in Virginia? Procedures This research was structured within ten time periods beginning with the colonial period of Virginia through the present. An organized search was conducted to locate and analyze the historical documents that pertained to the topic. Conclusions From this study, the following conclusions were drawn as based on this research: 1. The requirement of a license and/or certificate to teach in the State of Virginia can be traced historically to the State’s English heritage and its colonial period. 2. Virginia’s teacher certification has progressed through ten distinct periods. 3. The certification regulations in the State have been influenced directly or indirectly by various political offices both State and national as well as by various domestic and international events. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to report the status of alternative teacher certification in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and to provide a descriptive analysis of alternative certification programs and participants. Descriptive survey research was used in this study. state Offices of Teacher Education and Certification in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia were contacted and surveyed to obtain the data. It was determined that 30 states had enacted alternative certification provisions and were implementing alternative certification programs. Eleven additional states and the District of Columbia were found to be considering or having proposed provisions for alternative certification. The majority of alternative certification programs in operation were established during the 1980s, and over 50% of the states implementing alternative certification programs cited a shortage of teachers as a rationale for the programs' establishment. An analysis of the characteristics of alternative certification programs revealed that all programs required a bachelor's degree for admission into the program. Formal instruction often required some type of prescribed coursework, and field experience in the majority of programs allowed participants to assume full time teaching responsibilities prior to completing the program. The length of alternative certification programs ranged from 1 to 5 years. Data on alternative certification program participants were limited. From the demographic data obtained, it was determined that most participants were Caucasian and were female. Based upon data received from ten states, it was further determined that 3,249 participants had achieved regular certification after completing an alternative certification program. The provider of an alternative certification program was identified as either a local school district, an institution of higher education, a state education agency, or a collaboration of these entities. No differences were found in the programs' characteristics or the gender and the ethnicity of the participants, based on the provider. / Ed. D.

Policy case studies are presented on two congressional proposals that, if implemented, may result in implicit or explicit federal government endorsement of particular standards for the licensure or certification of teachers. They are, (a) authorization for the United States Department of Education to award design and implementation grants for programs of alternative teacher credentialing, and (b) appropriation of federal funds to support the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. A discussion of the genesis of each proposal, a review of the legislative history of these two measures, and analysis of supporting rationale for each is included. Using an analytic framework based on the works of Deborah Stone and Thomas Green, it was determined that unresolved policy conflicts over teacher education governance and content led to federal attention to matters of teacher certification and licensure. / Ph. D.