Check your teacher's credentials

Teacher Certification

Is the teacher at the front of your child’s classroom certified for that subject? Do you have an English teacher attempting to struggle thru algebra? Is the history teacher rally a coach? Or does your child benefit from a certified master math teacher who’ll introduce the joys of geometry?

How do you find out?

If you know the teachers first and last name, you can pull up Texas state certification records!

Point your web-browser to this site:

https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECONLINE/virtcert.asp

Type in Last name, then First name, then initial if you know it.

If you can’t get an exact match on the certification database, you’ll get a list of up to 20 nearly identical names. Scan the list and see if you can spot your child’s teacher. Then click on an individual name to see what credentials are on file with the Texas State Board of Education.

What do you do if your child’s teacher is NOT certified in the subject?

Start by phoning the school principal … and we’ll discuss other corrections as we go along.

At the Lancaster School Board meeting last night, one parent revealed that since the start of school -- three weeks ago -- his 3rd grader's class has been taught by a "substitute". Not that the substitute isn't credentialed. But that concern reveals how short of great, and permanent, staffing the district still is.

If you have any concerns at all -- check it out.