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ABCTE to Unveil Report at May 11 Event at National Press Club

New Study Links National Teacher Certification Program to Rising Student Achievement

 

WASHINGTON, DC (April 24, 2006)–  Teachers who pass rigorous national certification examinations do a better job of increasing student learning in the classroom than teachers who fail those exams, a new study by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence reveals.

 

ABCTE will release the complete report, Student Achievement and Passport to Teaching Certification in Elementary Education, at a panel discussion on May 11. The event will be held at the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club at 8:30 a.m. (Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m.; the panel discussion will run from 9-10 a.m.)

 

The study compares the certification exam scores from a sample of teachers who voluntarily took the ABCTE subject area and professional teaching knowledge examinations with the scores of those teachers’ students on standardized state tests. 

 

ABCTE Chairman Anthony J. Colón, President David W. Saba, Dr. Steven M. Glazerman of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and Dr. Herbert J. Walberg of Stanford University will discuss the study’s results and describe plans for ongoing ABCTE research on teacher quality.

 

The ABCTE certification program is specifically designed to recruit talented professionals to change careers and become teachers. To earn certification, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree, demonstrate mastery on demanding subject area and professional teaching knowledge examinations, and pass a federal background check.

 

With America facing a shortage of more than 1 million new teachers over the next 10 years, Passport to Teaching certification helps meet a critical need. Already, almost 2,000 candidates are pursuing the program and ABCTE expects to have 1,000 teachers prepared for classroom service by the fall of 2006.

 

“With this study, parents, principals, administrators and lawmakers can gain increased confidence in the American Board’s innovative method of certifying teachers,” Saba said.

 

The press and public are invited to attend the May 11 event. For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.abcte.org/events/npc .