Amid Teacher Shortage, Utah has Relaxed Rules on Teacher Certification

Big news for Utah education:

Utah’s State Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a new alternative pathway for public school teachers to obtain a teaching license, eliminating a policy requiring candidates to take college-level teacher-training classes.

Utah’s Academic Pathway to Teaching program (APT) enables school administrators to hire people with at least a bachelor’s degree and have them earn their teaching license through three years of supervision and mentoring provided by a veteran teacher. Candidates must also pass a background check, an ethics exam, and a content-knowledge test in their subject area.

Prior to the new rule, alternative certification was limited to the Alternative Routes to Licensure (ARL) program. ARL requires teachers to complete coursework in education from an accredited college or university within three years of being hired.

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