Launching Year Two of the Texas Adult Education
Credential Project
by Ken Stedman
As the Texas Adult Education Project begins the second year of operation,
we welcome aboard a
new staff member: Michelle Janysek. Michelle fills the position previously
held by Linda Muñoz, who
left in August to accept a Provost’s Fellowship to complete her doctoral
work in adult education. Michelle’s primary task will be to oversee
design and development of the system for scoring teacher reflections and then
to package the system suitable for transfer to the GREAT 8 Centers. The scoring
system must be reliable, fair, secure and uniformly administered.
Through prior work at the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC)
and at Texas State University—San Marcos, Michelle is well-prepared
to tackle this daunting task. For the past several years, she has been
managing the development and administration of testing programs required
for certification of educators in Texas.
At the close of the calendar year, 196 teachers have completed the one-day
Professional Development Planning Workshop (PDPW). Among these teachers,
36 teachers have completed all required documentation and have begun the
Credential process; most of the remaining 160 teachers are in various stages
of completing their documentation. This year the Project has added a major
new challenge: To develop a Credential for Texas adult education administrators.
Preliminary discussions have been held with two groups of administrators.
During the coming months, additional discussions and focus groups will
be held with administrators around the state for input to help determine
the structure, content and format of the Administrator’s Credential.
The goal is to have the Administrator’s Credential developed, pilot
tested and ready for statewide implementation by September 30, 2006. For
details about the Credential, please visit our website at: http://www.tei.education.txstate.edu/credential/
The Credential Project is an exciting initiative and raises interesting
issues. Shown below are questions frequently asked by teachers attending
the PDPWs. Providing answers on behalf of Texas LEARNS are State Director
Joanie Rethlake and Assistant State Director Federico Salas-Isnardi.
Question: We hear that other states are looking at the Texas model. In
your contacts with other state directors and DOE officials, what is it
about the Texas model that seems to be so appealing or interesting to other
states? What’s unique about the Texas model?
TXL: The fact that we are working on a credential
is interesting enough. The bottom-up approach is unique. States are interested
in seeing what Texas does and whether or not it is successfully implemented.
A question they ask consistently is: “How do we attract a part-time work force
that may not receive any incentive to participate in the credential?”
Question: Teachers often ask: “Why should I work to get a Credential?
What’s in it for me?” From Texas LEARNS’ perspective,
what’s the main value of the Credential?
TXL: From the state perspective, the value of the Teacher Credential
is the professionalization of the Adult Education field. For the teacher
the value is twofold: first, a structured professional development system,
and second, to earn recognition by the field and the state office for
their professional development achievement. There is also reference in
the proposed reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act to teacher
quality.
Question: Teachers also ask: “What exactly IS the
Credential? What does it look like? Who is issuing it?”
TXL: At this time we don’t know who will be issuing the Credential
or how it will look. For the time being, it may be issued by Texas LEARNS
as recognition of a participant’s completion in the form of a “certificate
of recognition.”
Question: Currently, the Credential is voluntary for
teachers. Do you anticipate that the Credential will ever become mandatory
in Texas?
TXL: No, we do not anticipate that the Credential will be mandatory
in Texas in the near future since there are no specific mandates for
adult education qualifications and training other than being in possession
of a bachelor’s degree and completing annual contact hours of in-service
training. Requiring the Credential would come from State Board of Education.
Question: Short of being mandatory, is the teacher Credential likely to
ever be attached to personnel actions—hiring decisions, pay raises,
etc.?
TXL: Hiring and pay rates are local decisions. We hope that if the field
recognizes the quality of the process, programs may someday give special
consideration to teachers who have a Credential when making hiring and
promotion decisions. Texas LEARNS will support the value and importance
of the Credential.
Question: Some supervisors and administrators have expressed a sentiment
that teachers should show demonstrated student achievement before receiving
the Credential. What is Texas LEARNS’ view on this issue?
TXL: Demonstrated student achievement is not a component
of the Credential Model. Texas LEARNS believes teachers should receive
their Credential if they earn all required points while remaining assigned
to an adult education class.
Question: This year the Credential
Project will be developing a Credential for Administrators. Does Texas
LEARNS view the purpose of Administrator’s Credential as fundamentally
any different from the purpose of Teacher Credential?
TXL: No, the purpose is the same. We believe earning a Credential will
be a measure of an administrator’s professionalism.
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