Interest in master teacher credential for California won’t go away
By Tom Chorneau
Sunday, November 04, 2012
After years of debate and discussion, supporters of a new master teacher credential in California find themselves largely back at square one following a veto this fall of a bill promoting the concept.
And some are saying a formal license may not be the right way to go.
A tool used for decades in many higher-performing counties, the master teacher position promises a new resource to districts for coaching up new and less established educators – while also providing a new career option to veteran and successful teachers.
Interest in establishing state standards and credential for the position dates back more than a decade, but getting the many stakeholders to agree has proved problematic.
One new factor has come out of the Obama administration’s push for new teacher evaluations systems tied to student tests scores. Some districts have successfully experimented with employing master teachers as part of the review process, which has in some cases reduced opposition to the evaluations.
AB 1765 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley appeared to provide a breakthrough last summer by proposing that the