University Wire
06-28-1999
(University Times) (U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES -- The Cal State University system will start a program beginning in fall quarter 1999 that will issue emergency credentials to unaccredited teachers.
The 18-month program takes about 12 hours a week, including five Saturday seminars. Teachers do not need to attend regular university classes, since most of the courses are conducted via the Internet, video and audio tapes.
The state of California funds the $5 million dollar project. The cost for the program totals $4,568 per teacher. Currently, there are 1,000 teachers signed. When it officially kicks off in the fall quarter, CSU hopes to enroll another 1,500 teachers said Ken Swisher, a trustee on the CSU Board.
"The CalStateTEACH is a site-based program done system-wide, designed to get emergency credentialed teachers their full credentials," said Swisher.
Swisher said over the next 10 years there will be a demand for 250,000 more teachers. In California, there are currently 30,000 "emergency credential" teachers who have not received the training needed to become official. These instructors have only a BA degree, which allows them the status of being an "emergency" teacher. The CalStateTEACH program will train them to become official teachers with full credentials.
"These are good people. They just have not had the opportunity to learn all their teaching skills yet," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.
Modeled after a similar model in Britain, Swisher said the CalStateTEACH program is the only program of its kind in the nation to be statewide.
(C) 1999 University Times via U-WIRE
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