Re: response to AP listserv announcement

Date: 09-06-05
To: Jwhitehurst
From: Chris Stephenson, CSTA
Re: response to AP listserv announcement
Hi Jane,I saw your email from the AP listserv and received another copy from Rich Lamb from CSTA's Standards and Certification Committee and I must tell you that unfortunately, I am not surprised at your situation. Teacher certification for computer science across the country is a complete and total mess and your story is typical of what we are hearing from many teachers in different states.Right now CSTA is in the process of trying to find out what the certification requirements are for each state. We have been in contact with every state and have tracked down the person who is supposed to be responsible for certification. Our plan is to create a database with all of the requirements and contact information for every state and make this available to all CSTA members. We are well aware that this is just a first step, but until people can figure out what is actually required, we cannot begin to try to push for a saner system.I am so sorry to hear that you have been caught in the middle of this mess. Usually they at least give you a clear indication of what will be required to receive a permanent license in a given area at the time the provisional license is granted. Did they not even do this?I wish I could tell you that CSTA has some kind of solution right now, but CSTA is still less than 1 year old and we are frantically trying to collect all the pieces of data. I can promise you, however, that we will continue to work on this, because it is the right thing to do and because stories like yours (about good teachers being frustrated by the politics of licensing) just make me crazy!Chris