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Middle school science teacher Nick Haas had already enrolled in a cooperative education agency to pursue his Wisconsin teaching certificate when he heard about American Board’s online teacher certification program. His wife had encouraged him to leave his business job and go into teaching because, to her, it seemed obvious that teaching was his passion. After some research, Nick made the switch and enrolled with American Board. That was two years ago and Nick hasn’t looked back.

“I teach science in a dual language program and it’s so fun,” Nick says of his work in Racine, Wisconsin. Nick knew he wanted to teach in Spanish and said science is great because the students are so engaged. “In my class, I do labs all the time and the students and I very much enjoy it.”

In addition to his Elementary Education certificate, Nick holds a Special Education endorsement from American Board. He said the decision to earn his Special Education endorsement was obvious because American Board offers it for free to candidates in the Elementary program.

Now, however, Nick is adding yet another endorsement. After realizing that many of his students could not read at grade level, Nick returned to American Board to earn a Reading Endorsement. This additional course ensures that he can continue to support his students in every way needed.

Nick Haas, American Board Graduate

Why Use American Board

“I fear I would have left teaching” had I not found American Board’s online certification program, Nick says. Because American Board offers the fastest path to Wisconsin teacher certification, Nick knew it was the best option for him. In fact, he was so convinced about the program, he encouraged his wife to complete it with him. Now they both teach in Racine. 

Regarding other certification routes available in the state, Nick notes “the barriers and hurdles were just incredible.” In contrast, American Board is the only state-approved alternative teacher certification program that does not require the edTPA to be completed. This saves future teachers time and money as they transition into a new career in education.

Understandably, Nick is quick to point out that fast certification doesn’t mean ineffective teaching. His class has made incredible gains since he started teaching. Nick’s school principal notes “Nicholas Haas is one of the most passionate, invested educators I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my twenty-five years in education. He goes above and beyond what’s expected of a classroom teacher—unprompted—from his heart.”

Earn Your Wisconsin Teaching Certificate

American Board has provided a state-approved path to teacher certification in Wisconsin since 2017. The steps to earn your Wisconsin teaching certificate are simple. To graduate, teachers just need to study for and pass two final exams, in addition to submitting a background check and transcript review. It’s that easy. No student teaching or additional university class time is required.

To learn about how you can earn your Wisconsin teacher certification, visit this website.

To hear from other American Board graduates, visit our Youtube page.

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