PeachStar Education Services, The Learning House, and Armstrong Atlantic State University have joined forces to bring Georgia educators the Teacher Certification Project (TCP) in response to the intense need for certified special education teachers who can provide appropriate classroom instruction for K-12 students.
The Teacher Certification Project, developed and produced by Peachstar with the help of The Learning House, is a distance learning program in Interrelated Special Education that allows educators with teaching certificates to pursue add-on certification in Special Education in as little as one year. The program is designed to accommodate working teachers' schedules without imposing additional personal expenses to meet job requirements. The TCP initiative, which comprises ten modules, offers a unique approach to distance learning through the integration of video, audio, CD-ROM, and Internet-based technologies.
Beginning in August 2001, Armstrong Atlantic State University began the implementation of the Teacher Certification Project in Georgia. AASU is responsible for recruiting, screening, and enrolling candidates for the program. In addition, AASU provides technical help desk support for students, arranges for student access to GALILEO, the state of Georgia's online library, for course readings and supplementary resources, and provides ongoing implementation support, including arranging for access to the University System of Georgia's WebCT Help Desk for both students and instructors. Once students have met the program requirements, AASU will confer the appropriate certification or college degree credit.
This pioneering project may be a model for using alternative certification processes to meet teacher shortages and improve the quality of education for all students. The TCP initiative was initially developed in conjunction with the Department of Junvenile Justice. For more information about how you can participate in PeachStar's alternative certification program for Special Education, contact AASU's Office of Admissions or the PeachStar Education Services Division.
