MADISONVILLE, Texas (KBTX) – A massive certification scandal has exposed long-standing gaps in Texas’ teacher certification process. The scandal involves a Houston-based scheme that fraudulently certified more than 100 unqualified teachers, raising serious concerns about how educators enter the classroom.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is currently investigating a $1 million scheme that helped individuals circumvent proper certification requirements. Those involved include intervention teachers associated with Madisonville CISD. The school district confirmed it would not take any action or comment until the investigation is complete.
Fraud scheme based in Houston
In October 2024, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced charges against five people for allegedly orchestrating a system that fraudulently certified unqualified teachers across Texas.
The key players in the operation are:
Vincent Grayson, 57, head boys’ basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in the Houston Independent School District (HISD), allegedly charged candidates $2,500 each to ensure success. be done.The school’s vice principal, Nicholas Newton (35), was charged with taking the certification exam on his behalf.Lashonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School, is said to have recruited nearly 100 teachers to participate.Tiwana Guilford Mason, 51, the former director of the Houston Training and Education Center, reportedly promoted proxy testing.The test proctor, Darian Nicole Wilhite, 22, was charged with accepting bribes to allow Newton to take the test on behalf of test takers.
Investigators said test takers would pay Grayson, sign in to the test center and leave. Newton then completes the exam on his behalf and secures a passing result. In total, more than 400 tests were completed fraudulently, leading to the certification of more than 100 unqualified teachers.
Impact on school districts
Teachers involved in the scheme were employed across multiple Texas school districts, including at least 38 from 11 school districts in the Houston area and 50 from districts across North Texas. TEA is investigating more than 100 educators, and more cases are expected as the investigation continues.
HISD responded by placing the employees involved on administrative leave and vowing to immediately fire teachers found to have obtained their credentials fraudulently.
Madisonville CISD and Regional Impact
One teacher associated with Madisonville CISD is under investigation. The district confirmed its awareness of the situation and said it would take no further action or comment until the TEA completes its review.
In a statement, the district emphasized its commitment to maintaining high standards.
“Madisonville CISD has received notice from the Texas Education Agency that it will investigate an employee for possible fraud related to state certification exams. As this is a personnel matter, we will await the outcome of the investigation and do not have any information at this time. No further comment. MCISD is committed to ensuring students receive instruction from highly trained and qualified educators.”
Concerns about certification standards
The scandal has reignited debate about the state’s teacher certification process. Kelsey Kling, a government relations and policy expert with the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), explained how recent policy changes are weakening standards.
“Since the early ’90s, we’ve seen a series of policies introduced that either chip away at the rigor required to get into the classroom or eliminate it entirely,” Kling said. Ta. Every classroom in Texas has a fully qualified teacher to teach that content area and grade level. That’s not necessarily reality. ”
The 2015 “Innovation District” law is one such policy. This allows districts to avoid certification requirements, making it easier for non-certified teachers to enter the classroom.
“As we saw with a bill enacted in Texas in 2015 called Innovation Districts, we’re seeing more and more people who haven’t gone through what we think of as a full licensing experience, which means they’re getting a teaching degree. They go to college for training, do clinical teaching practice in the district, and then get licensed and certified by that organization and then by the state before they can enter the classroom,” Kling explained.
She elaborated on how some of these teachers may be highly qualified but are essentially “career changers.”
“Perhaps they spent 20 years in the financial industry and now they want to go back to teach accounting at a high school in Texas,” Kling suggested. “There are various ways for them to enter the education program, through post-baccalaureate programs and alternative certification programs. But again, all of these are training programs to get in front of students without qualifications. It’s about getting us back to the ideal scenario of having a fully licensed teacher in every classroom, instead of an unlicensed teacher.”
Risks of uncertified teachers
Kling highlighted the risks of uncertified teachers and stressed that content knowledge alone is not enough to teach effectively.
“There’s a school of thought that says all a teacher needs to teach is content knowledge,” Kling said. “If that were true, we wouldn’t have the same literacy problems that Texas has, because all teachers can read. And in order to teach reading, all you need is to be able to read.” If that were the case, it would be easy, but it’s not.”
Untrained teachers may struggle to manage classrooms and may be unable to identify behavioral or learning challenges, which can jeopardize both student achievement and safety, Kling warned. .
Certification process reform
Advocates are calling for reforms to strengthen certification pathways, including expanding “grow your own” programs. These initiatives will support paraprofessionals and teacher assistants already working in schools to become fully qualified educators.
“Some of our teacher aides already have degrees, so they immediately enroll in an alternative certification program, earn an intern certificate, and complete their records before becoming licensed. As a teacher, you get support and guidance for a year,” Kling said.
These programs help retain educators who are already committed to their districts and communities.
political influence
The scandal also raises questions about the potential impact on school choice and voucher programs promoted by Gov. Greg Abbott. Mr. Abbott has argued that vouchers provide parents with an alternative to public schools, and some supporters may point to the incident as an example of systemic failure in public education.
“It’s hard to say whether incidents like this current education plan could be used or exploited by the governor to advance a voucher agenda,” Kling suggested.
As the legislative session approaches, advocates hope certification reform will take precedence over the political agenda.
“This is a big problem for the state of Texas, and it’s only going to get worse unless we undo some of the problems that we’ve created by allowing too much flexibility in this system,” Kling explained. Definitely worth it. ”
As the investigation continues, the focus remains on how Texas can ensure that the state is taught by well-trained and certified educators.
“This education program is a very unfortunate situation for the country to deal with,” Kling added. “But right now, there are literally hundreds of thousands of extremely dedicated teachers in Texas public schools who are trying to do the right thing by their students every day, and that should be celebrated. ”
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