SUU Approved to Provide ARL for Nevada Teachers

Published: September 23, 2016 | Read Time: 3 minutes

ARL for Nevada TeachersSouthern Utah University has been approved by the state of Nevada to be one of their Alternate Route to Licensure (ARL) secondary providers for aspiring teachers. Additionally, SUU received approval from the university’s accrediting body, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), regarding this new ARL for Nevada Teachers graduate certificate program which will help increase the pool of teachers available to the entire state.

School districts across the nation are avidly seeking new teachers to meet the growing needs of schools and students. As traditional education programs at colleges struggle to keep up with the rising demand for teachers, districts are increasingly looking for qualified individuals seeking teaching licensure in alternative ways.

Clark County School District (CCSD), the fifth-largest school district in the nation, struggles each year to match teacher-supply to student-demand. According to Eric Westervelt of NPR, there is an immediate crisis to recruit more teachers for CCSD.

“Schools in [Las Vegas] are extremely overcrowded,” said Westervelt from the article ‘Las Vegas: Betting on New Teachers But Coming Up Short’.  “The district is aggressively trying to tap into alternative teacher certification programs, which work to get teachers into the classroom fast.”

“ARL for Nevada Teachers is a perfect avenue for individuals who have either lost interest in their career field or want an alternative way to get into the classroom to become a teacher,” said Dr. Cynthia Kimball Davis, Nevada Graduate Programs director. “For SUU, this puts us in the playing field with other universities offering ARL and in particular, a program that is online and flexible; yet, more importantly, one that provides opportunities to perspective teachers who can ultimately impact the education of the 300,000 students in the CCSD.”

In ARL for Nevada Teachers, students will study entirely asynchronously – with exception of a boots on the ground substantive mentoring and monitoring component – on their journey to become full-time licensed teachers in the state of Nevada.

Through a five-semester 21 credit graduate program with seven 15-week courses, SUU is offering this fully-accredited online ARL program. According to Roger LaMarca, Director of Graduate and Online Admissions, “all of our online programs at SUU, including ARL for Nevada Teachers, are some of the most cost-effective programs available in Nevada.”

The program offers content tracks in science, English, mathematics and social studies. One five-week mentoring and monitoring in the classroom component to the program will help prepare students for their own classrooms once they earn a conditional license on their way toward full licensure.

ARL for Nevada Teachers officially begins January 2017. Contact SUU to enroll in its first cohort.  For those eager to begin the program, prior to the January start date, SUU is offering a single-enrollment course, SGCS 6355: Parental Involvement and Family Engagement, which fulfills the parental course requirement in the ARL program.  This 8-week course begins October 13.  Additionally, it also fulfills a requirement for Nevada public educators for initial teacher licensure.   

To learn more about ARL for Nevada Teachers and the myriad of other endorsement, certificate program and master’s degrees SUU offers to Nevada public educators, attend an open house on Thursday, October 6, 2016, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Eldorado High School or visit www.suuoa.com.  The $60 admissions application fee will be waived for those who enroll onsite.  Light refreshments and prizes available for those who attend. 

For questions on transitioning into the program and general admission, contact the SUU Office of Online Admissions at (435) 865-8665 or email onlineadmissions@suu.edu.


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