ABCTE.org
reviews and complaints

The course test states you need to write a memo. Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows a memo is not a five-paragraph essay with a thesis. Very misleading, but brings in another $200 per student who has to retake it. Also in PA you may think you are close to getting a certification when you complete your training. Think again. You will then be shipped off to a $10,000 course through U Pitt to complete a student teaching portion and graduate classes.

Some may get their certificate through this process. But make no mistake, this organization is not straight-forward or honest in the representation of what you will get out of their program. Fine print and unknown college programs are what you can expect.

I did my homework and asked other educators before paying to join this program to get an alternative teacher certification to become a math teacher. Since this was an approved track on the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education website and was an option that was self-directed and virtual, it was attractive to me. I have a bachelor's degree, as well as a masters of business administration (which I achieved online), so I was confident that I would be able to study for this exam and pass it. However, I didn't realize during the trail phase that a calculator isn't allowed during the exam, which is ridiculous when trigonometry and calculus problems are on the exam (even high school and college courses allow calculators for exams, and it's nearly impossible to solve the problems without one, especially within any sort of timed exam). Also, it is very difficult to reach anyone on the phone to ask questions, and I am not aware of an email to communicate with anyone. So, it was basically a waste of money, and I am going to go another route to achieve alternative teacher certification.

1. The program's webpage is plagued with dead links. A link will be given in the website that leads to a 404 page. Links are stated to take you to pages that are necessary for study, but you cannot access them.

2. The phone number for customer support is a disconnected number. If you need help, you have to submit a help desk ticket. There is one man that deals with all the tickets for ABCTE, and his name is Michael Milich. Correspondence with him usually takes two days. Many tickets are closed by Michael before they can be resolved.

3. The program hasn't been updated in over ten years and is outdated. Video players and content are outdated. Not all videos work that are posted on the website.

4. Study materials provided are poor, unorganized, and full of grammatical mistakes. I don't know how we can produce professional teachers when they are being provided unprofessional materials.

5. Practice exams log user out before completion. This is incredibly problematic as the user cannot reach the end of the exam to find out scoring and review answers in order to progress. I have found out that this is a long-standing issue with ABCTE, and their developers have yet to attempt to fix.

Due to all of these issues, it has become impossible for candidates to complete the program. This is problematic because quality prospective teachers are no longer being turned out by the program. The program is predatory, as it seeks to take the money of candidates without providing adequate and proper materials and resources for candidates.

I completely agree! The positive posts degrading those who criticize this scheming and nonsensical organization are either paid by ABCTE or too cheap to go through legitimate educational training. With ABCTE, you get what you pay for — absolutely nothing! After completing the program, I would not be ready to teach at all. The PTK is a complete joke. What happened to Bloom's Taxonomy? Piaget? Charlotte Danielson? Really? There was not a single question about any education basics or teaching methods at all, save for redundant questions about assessments and classroom management, which are ambiguous and irrelevant to actual teaching. This is a fast-track self-study program, wherein you are paying for the opportunity to get licensed as an alternative pathway. "Alternative" here means career changer that doesn't want to go back to school, or someone who has never had a job after graduating. Either way, if I were an administrator, I would not hire an ABCTE candidate if I had other applicants. Personally, I'd just assume hire a barista with a college degree!

My disgust isn't because I failed the essay portion. Just because one passes the essay, does NOT make one competent to teach in any way, shape, or form. The ABCTE is a complete scam, does not prepare anyone to teach, and I cannot for the life of me understand why states are allowing this, unless they are somehow getting a kickback. Certainly, the ABCTE will take your money, delivering nothing useful in return. Save your time and money (mostly money), and GET EDUCATED, if you truly want to teach. Would you go to a surgeon or dentist that did an online, discounted, fast-track program and passed a remedial writing test? I think not. Teaching should be revered, and the training extensive. You are dealing with many challenges, both legal and personal. Unless you already have significant experience in the public schools as a para, a fast-track teaching course is not sufficient to prepare you for as a professional educator. The shortage of teachers should in no way justify substandard training offered by the ABCTE.