As an alternative to traditional, brick-and-mortar teacher colleges, Western Governors University (WGU)—an online institution based in Salt Lake City—has created a completely online, accredited, degree-granting teacher college.

WGU will streamline teacher preparation by giving credit for demonstrated competency, not just university seat time. Federal education officials are touting the program as a convenient way for current teachers who are not certified to earn the credentials they need under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The college will provide teacher certification and degrees in reading, math, science, technology, and English as a second language.

From now on, according to the Improving Teacher Quality component of NCLB, school districts that receive Title I funds must hire only "highly qualified" teachers—meaning those who are certified in the subjects they're teaching. By the end of 2005-06 school year, all teachers will have to meet the same requirement.

Although educators applaud the federal government's effort to improve teacher quality, they say meeting these requirements puts an extra burden on school systems already plagued by a shortage of teachers, particularly in science and math.

Unqualified and emergency-credentialed teachers fill classrooms nationwide. One in four high school instructors teaches out of his or her area of expertise, according to U.S. Department of Education (ED) data. This average increases to 34 percent if only high-poverty schools are counted.

The new WGU program aims to address this situation.

"The Teachers College will be a boon to states seeking training for current teachers and paraprofessionals to help them meet education requirements under NCLB and speed their licensure. The program will also aid recruiting second-career professionals," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, who announced the college's formal launch March 10 with Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt and WGU President Bob Mendenhall.

Mendenhall said the college—which is ideal for training paraprofessionals, teacher's aides, uncertified teachers, and second-career professionals—is different from other teacher colleges because it is based on competency rather than hours served.

Prospective teachers are tested to determine their competency in critical knowledge and skills instead of the number of hours they've spent in college.

"It maintains very rigorous standards for teachers and ensures that they demonstrate their true competency—not just that they've sat through a number of required courses," Paige said of the program.

He added that the college harnesses the power of the internet to provide innovative options to those who might be turned off by the hoops and hurdles of traditional teacher preparation and certification programs.

"Think of the implications," Paige said. "Right now, a soldier stationed in Kuwait but nearing retirement can go online to Western Governors University and take the courses to become a teacher. Once he or she is stateside again, he could hook up with Troops to Teachers, another [ED] program, to find a high-need school where he can serve again."