Though the rest of us had stopped paying attention, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) --easily the nation's most threatening challenge to traditional teacher preparation--may have found its footing, thanks to new staff leadership.

In South Carolina and Missouri, two state legislatures are seriously considering adopting ABCTE as a way to license teachers in secondary subject areas. Bets are that ABCTE stands a good chance of passing in each state, fueled by support from statewide organizations and ABCTE's strong lobbying efforts.

Under new management from Dave Saba, ABCTE has also become more forthcoming on research to support the alternative pathway. It recently offered up a comparison of its own exams with the Praxis exams--under the authorship of the highly respected research firm, Mathematica. The study looked at teacher performance on both Praxis and ABCTE math, elementary education and professional knowledge tests. The same teachers took the tests, with teachers getting paid to take the second test.

The results were generally good news for ABCTE. Its elementary education test is significantly more rigorous than the corresponding Praxis exam. In most states, the same was true for math--but not all. Individuals who passed the ABCTE in mathematics in a state like Colorado that has a very high minimum passing score failed the Praxis exam. If ABCTE is going to carve a profitable niche in the marketplace, it can't tolerate being considered easier to pass than the Praxis in any state, a test that is widely labeled as just too easy.

With two years left on its approximately $40 million in federal grants, Saba should continue to watch every dollar and cent and keep ABCTE afloat. Right now, ABCTE may not be the sinking ship people once thought it was.