The Impact of Teacher Licensure Programs on Minority Student Achievement

This research examined the impact of teacher licensure routes, particularly those identified as either traditional or alternative on student achievement by comparing Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) end of year scores in math and reading for minority students in grades six through eight during the period from 2005 through 2009. To compare the achievement of students taught by either traditionally or alternatively prepared teachers, the Standards of Learning (SOL) scores were calculated for students and then aggregated for types of teacher preparation. The mean values were compared for statistically significant differences as a function of subject, teacher ethnicity, teacher gender, student gender, and for students receiving special education services. After the implementation of Independent Paired Sample t-test , the findings of this study revealed that statistically significant differences occurred in the scores of minority students taught by teachers who were either traditionally or alternatively licensed in several of the analyzed areas. The data did reveal a significant difference in the math scores for gender, where the scores of minority students taught by female teachers with traditional licensure were higher than those scores of students taught by female teachers with alternative licensure. In the category of ethnicity, the data indicated the scores of students taught math by White or Black teachers with alternative licensure were significantly lower than the scores of students taught by White or Black teachers with traditional licensure. The data analysis indicated there was a significant difference in the math scores of minority students, where the scores of students taught by alternatively licensed teachers were significantly lower than those of students taught by teachers with traditional licensure. Finally, the reading scores of minority students taught reading by Black teachers with a traditional licensure background were significantly higher than students taught reading by alternatively licensed teachers. There were no significantly significant differences in any of the other data results. Based on this research, this researcher supports the need for further exploration in this area before concrete decisions are made which favor an either or approach to traditional versus alternative teacher licensure programs.