Report to the Delaware Department of Education Alternative Routes to Certification April 2001 Executive Summary [PDF Full-Text Version] During the first four years, participation in ARTC has been very broad across the state. Candidates have been enrolled by over 80% of regular and one-third of vocational school districts, and 3 charter schools. 70% of secondary schools, including 90% of high schools and over half of middle schools. The program is becoming increasingly helpful to districts in identifying candidates for hard-to-fill positions. About half of the candidates in the last two cohorts were recruited and advised through ARTC. Since ARTC began in August 1997, 120 candidates have been enrolled: 59 (49%) have completed their ARTC courses, 39 (33%) are currently enrolled, and 22 (18%) withdrew, resigned and/or were not renewed by their districts. Seventeen additional candidates have already been enrolled in the 2001 - 2002 cohort. Candidates have been evenly balanced by gender and 27% minority. Most are in their 30's ; working at the high school level; teaching science, business, foreign languages, technology education and mathematics; and coming directly from other careers in business and industry. Twenty-eight percent had one or more advanced degree, and most earned an overall college GPA of 3.0 or higher. Almost half had taken one or more education course before entering ARTC. A survey of supervisors of graduates of the first three cohorts, indicates that ARTC teachers are staying in Delaware schools (93% in public or charter schools; 3% in private schools); obtaining certification (71%) and tenure (24%); performing as well as or better than other beginning teachers (94%); and rated "strong" across a variety of specific domains of teaching performance. Attrition (25%) for these cohorts is comparable to national statistics for first-year teachers (20%), and has declined from 38% in 1997 cohort to 23% in 1998 to 15% in 1999. Preliminary analysis suggests that those who have worked with kids in or out of schools and shown prior interest in teaching may be somewhat more likely to succeed than those whose prior experience is primarily with adults and outside the school context.