The Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP), an eight month program devoted to helping those interested in becoming educators, is now able to recommend candidates directly to the Vermont Department of Education (VT DOE) for licensure.

The Results Oriented Program Approval (ROPA) Review Team is recommending conditional approval to the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators.  The TAP Team (consisting of TAP Director Scott Mosher, instructors Ellen Emery and Jim Gedney, and Portfolio Advisor Jane Goodman) was informed they would be able to recommend candidates for licensure beginning with the fall, 2010 class.

“This is not a culminating event, but rather a huge step forward in our quest to recruit, develop, and retain the best teachers in Vermont,” Mosher said.

Previously, TAP prepared candidates for licensure through the only alternative licensing route in the state, peer review.  With the peer review process, candidates send an educational portfolio to the VT DOE, where it is reviewed by a team of teachers who determine if the candidate met the qualifications for licensure.  Now, just like a university, TAP will be able to recommend candidates directly to the VT DOE for licensure.

“TAP exemplifies some of the best progressive thinking in alternative routes to teacher licensing,” CCSU Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Linda Keating said.  “I am so proud of TAP and all of their accomplishments, but ROPA approval of this program has particular significance for the future of teacher preparation.”

To learn more about TAP, visit their web-site at: http://www.ccsuvt.org/tap/.