Teachers prepared through traditional certification pathways are retained at higher rates over 5 years than alternatively certified or noncertified Texas teachers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Texas educators coming through traditional certification pathways were retained at higher rates across a 5-year period than those from alternative certification programs or without certification. → Wojcikiewicz 2025

Evidence¶

Wojcikiewicz 2025¶

Wojcikiewicz, S. K., Ralph, K., Snyder, J., Bland, J. A., & Wechsler, M. E. (2025). Teacher residencies in Texas: Supporting successful implementation. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/630.675

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Analysis of Texas Education Agency retention data by preparation pathway (Figure 1), tracking new-to-profession teachers from 2018–19 hires through 2023–24. The report states traditional-pathway educators were "retained at higher rates, across a 5-year period" than alternative or noncertified entrants; no effect size is printed.

"research has shown that educators coming through traditional certification pathways have been retained at higher rates, across a 5-year period, than those coming through alternative certification programs or without any certification"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Noncertified Texas teachers show the sharpest retention decline, with fewer than 40% still teaching after 5 years — related
• Teachers who enter without completed preparation are typically less effective and have significantly higher turnover than prepared teachers — a broader claim this one bears on
• Alternatively certified teachers are 25% more likely to leave their schools and the profession, controlling for other factors — related
• An evaluation study compares teachers trained through different routes to certification — related
• For-profit alternative certification pathways account for over 70% of Texas educator preparation enrollment while overall completion fell 14% over a decade — related
• Five years after first licensure, 69% of traditional-preservice teachers remained in Texas classrooms versus 60% of alternatively certified teachers — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Students of university-prepared Texas teachers gained 2.2 additional months of 9th-grade ELA learning and 1.8 additional months of 9th-grade math learning versus students of alternatively prepared teachers — related
• Alternative certification enrollment growth in Texas did not increase teacher supply because completion rates were low — related
• Little is known about teachers certified through alternative certification programs and their experiences after certification — related
• Teacher residency completers are more effective and more likely to stay in teaching than teachers entering through other pathways or without preparation — related
• Offering certification after program completion is associated with larger teacher knowledge gains (g = 1.39 vs. 0.86) — related