The Teach Pine Bluff program, an initiative of Go Forward Pine Bluff, has provided tutoring and mentoring services to uncertified teachers in the Pine Bluff area, and education major students at UAPB since 2021. As a result, 67 program participants have passed at least one Praxis® and other exams, necessary steps to obtain teacher certification.
Another 17 participants scored well enough to earn Arkansas’ Alternative Assessment Plan option. Praxis® Exams, which carry fees of $50 to $425, are administered solely by Educational Testing Service, a national organization with a specialty in teacher certification testing.
Teach Pine Bluff also offers preparation services for the Foundations of Reading exam, required for all Elementary and Special Education teachers. The exam costs $145 and is administered by Pearson, a teacher licensure assessment service. The Teach Pine Bluff program reimburses participants for Praxis® and Pearson testing fees.
Pursuing a goal of increasing the number of graduate level teachers in the area, in 2019, Go Forward created Teach Pine Bluff to help teachers pursue master’s degrees. It was later discovered that the far bigger opportunity was to help uncertified teachers to gain state certification. Go Forward then set about to pave an improved way to certification.
In 2021, Go Forward received a planning grant from the Walton Family Foundation to address the issue of teacher certification. One of the requirements of the grant was to implement 75% of the identified grant recommendations by 2022, a goal that Teach Pine Bluff met. For meeting this requirement, the foundation is funding the program through the 2025 school year.
The Teach Pine Bluff program is publicized to eligible participants through the school district’s faculty and staff, and through the Dean of the School of Education at UAPB. The enrollment or “onboarding” process includes completing an application, watching an orientation video, and completing a pre-assessment exam. The 10-week course is offered in spring, summer and fall sessions. Any local uncertified teacher or UAPB education major can apply for the program.
The program is administered by The Test Prep Institute (TPI) and there is no cost to participants. TPI provides each participant with an interactive exam, book, Study.com or 240 Tutoring subscription, one-on-one private tutoring and coaching, and exam reimbursements. Mentors, tutors, and coaches must have successfully passed all exams in their areas of expertise.
Janille Warren, a certified elementary school teacher at Friendship Aspire Academy is participating in the program and preparing to take the Praxis® II exam to earn an additional certification in special education. She is also pursuing a master’s degree at UAPB. She believes that with her job and academic requirements along with her responsibilities as a wife and mother of four children, the flexibility of the Teach Pine Bluff program is a good fit for her.
“The program is perfect for me,” she said.
Martell Huntley, a family man, and an English Literature teacher at Pine Bluff High School, wanted a career change to become a teacher and is studying for a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching at UAPB to meet that goal. He heard about the Teach Pine Bluff Program through the university’s education department and enrolled. He has since passed his Praxis® English exam.
“I can now focus on my degree and when I finish that I’ll be able to apply for certification,” he said.
The path to teacher certification in Arkansas is rife with tests and requirements including up to five Praxis® exams for K-6 elementary teachers. The Teach Pine Bluff program helps uncertified teachers and education major students navigate through these requirements to gain certification.
“The program is particularly helpful to uncertified teachers in the workplace who must study to meet these testing requirements during non-working hours,” says Ryan Watley, CEO of Go Forward Pine Bluff. “It’s a win, win, win set of circumstances. The program enables otherwise low probability individuals to gain certification, gives UAPB students a head start in their teaching careers, and benefits the local schools in Pine Bluff as they hire and retain high quality teachers.”
