As a teacher, my experience has been that certifications are a cash-grab by companies pandering to the “educational” market. The bottom line (<— see definition) is money. That’s why certifications are offered; those companies make money for offering them, and hype them up by saying “Do want to land that next big job? Get this piece of paper that tells everyone how good you are at your job.” There is no other real-world reason. A portfolio is far more useful and does the same thing.
You want the proof? We are REQUIRED to certify X amount of students each year – why? Because it makes the school money. Teachers, classrooms, and schools get kickbacks for certifying. What angers me the most about this is not the certs themselves. I’m all for showcasing your skills by any means but the problem is pushing certs on students diminishes their education. That’s not a joke or an exaggeration. We have to tailor our lessons to conform with the certification tests. We already have the FCATs the MCATs the SATs the ACTs the EOCs and now CERTs. We’re not teaching them skills for living, we’re teaching them skills for testing. That’s not practical. But hey, I only work here.
There are a few instances where certifications align with state standards and become a natural part of the learning process. But that is the exception, not the norm.