Alternative track helps fill teaching gaps

CLOVIS — Not all teachers are created the same way.

The traditional path to teaching requires a four-year education degree in which prospective teachers learn classroom management skills like formulating lesson plans and gain experience in the classroom through student teaching.

The other path to the classroom is called alternative licensure. That’s when someone with a bachelor’s degree in a subject other than education can receive teaching credentials by completing a teacher prep course and passing the National Evaluation Series exams.

Despite both being qualified by state standards, administrators agree alternative licensure teachers don’t always have strong classroom management skillsets.

“It makes it awfully difficult for them when they haven’t had the methods classes and pedagogy classes to learn how to be a teacher,” Clovis Municipal Schools Superintendent Jody Balch said. “I think it takes a special person to be able to do that. ... On-the-job training is what it amounts to, and that’s never easy.”

Portales Municipal Schools Superintendent Johnnie Cain echoed many of the same sentiments.

“There’s a lot to be said for coming through the traditional path because of some of the education you get for dealing with students in a classroom, dealing with procedures, that kind of thing,” Cain said. “Then on the other hand, whenever you’re looking at some of the alternative licensure people you get that expertise of knowledge that you can use in a classroom.”

CMS Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Kerry Parker said “real-world” experience has its advantages.

“The real-world application that our alternative teachers bring is very powerful in the classroom,” Parker said. “If they truly have that skill and application that they can bring into the classroom and have a desire to bring learning to live for students, then it’s a blessing.”

Locally alternative licensure teachers make up a small portion of the total number of teachers. In Clovis 25 teachers out of about 530 have an alternative licensure according to Parker; Portales has just four alternative licensure teachers out of 175, PMS Personnel Coordinator Lois McAlister said.

Both districts utilize mentoring programs for all first-year teachers where they are paired with an experienced teacher to meet with throughout the semester as well as conduct workshops to help fill in potential gaps in teaching skills.

Though it may not be the preferred method, alternative licensure offers a necessary solution to the problem caused by a lack of teachers, especially in the harder to fill subjects like math and science.

Parker said the lack of teachers becomes apparent when you look at people entering the field as student teachers, which Clovis had just one in the entire district last semester.

“There used to be so many student teachers in Clovis that we couldn’t take them all,” Parker said “To have only one in the whole district last semester, it shows you the shortage.”

Balch said he would prefer changes to the traditional teaching track, which would make it more attractive like pay raises, but he is thankful for the help that alternative licensure teachers provide.

“We do appreciate those people that are willing to take that opportunity and that chance because the entire United States would be in trouble right now if it wasn’t for alternative licensure people because there’s just a lack of people going into the profession,” Balch said.