By Jeff Simmons, IDLA Superintendent
It’s no secret that Idaho schools struggle to find qualified teachers to fill classrooms. The issue is not specific to rural schools, as even our larger school districts can find it challenging to recruit. Teaching is a demanding profession, and public education is a tough climate to work in today.
The state of Idaho has sponsored various initiatives to try to help solve the K-12 teacher pipeline issue. Professionals looking to change careers can find options on the “Non-traditional candidate” page of the State Department of Education website. Those living in the community without a degree can discover alternate programs leading to a teaching certificate. The State Board of Education even supports an apprenticeship opportunity to create yet one more pathway for caring adults to become teachers who can invest in the lives of our students.
IDLA helps districts address teacher shortages, as well. Districts can request a “custom session” of a course or courses through IDLA. In the IDLA lexicon, “custom” doesn’t refer to the course’s curriculum but to the course schedule. Districts running an IDLA custom session can request a course to run on their school district calendar. IDLA can reflect the school district start and end dates and a traditional, 4-day week, block, or trimester schedule.
Students enrolled in a custom session are all from the same school. Most often, these students take the course during the day in a space provided by the school. An adult monitoring the classroom, who IDLA calls a “Learning Coach,” can also help provide additional student monitoring and support. This is IDLA’s implementation of the online lab model, and it is one of the most successful models we see schools utilize.
Idaho schools leveraging custom sessions are often doing so to provide courses to students they are unable to offer. Sometimes, this may be a foreign language, elective, or other opportunity not available at the local school. In some cases, however, the course is being offered because the school could not recruit a qualified teacher. Custom session offerings also include English, Math, and other core courses required for graduation.
As of the Fall 2024 semester, custom sessions represent over 27% of IDLA enrollment. While not all of these support a school experiencing a teacher shortage, a large amount of them are. We stand in support of our schools and support all efforts that help schools hire and retain qualified teachers. If they are unable to do so, however, IDLA is here to help those schools in need to ensure their students still have access to the high-quality education they deserve.
If you are reading this and are a school needing a custom session, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Your local Regional Coordinator is the best person to reach out to. They can help identify the right IDLA course for your students and help submit a request to meet your needs.
