What is the fastest online teacher certification program?

There is no fast - they all take the same time as they are regulated by your state.

There is also no online - you have to do student teaching which cannot be completed online. You can complete a portion of your work online - but the program must be in your state - your city in fact - as they must supervise your student teaching.

Dont fall for their sales reps - I have heard so many horror stories of people doing online work that wwont count because their state doesnt recognize the program - or they have to start over because there was no supervision for student teahcing.

Check with your state's certification standards. Not all certification programs are portable. Check with your local BOA to see if they have a program that will allow you to begin teaching while you work toward your teaching certificate. Many states have such a program for people who already have a degree, especially if it's in Math or Science.

Some online schools will promise a certificate without letting you know that it won't be valid in YOUR state. People with out of state certificates may be disqualified for the kind of program I mentioned above and end up locked out of teaching until they can complete an entire new BS or MS in their state.

Probably Western Governors University. It can be done online (except for your field experiences and student teaching requirements) but it's quite different from traditional schools. You work at the pace that you feel comfortable doing and their terms are 6 months long. They do not have a limit for how much you can do so if you really work hard, you can get a LOT done in that time period. I have not attended WGU but I am serious considering it, and I know people who are current students. They are highly accredited and I'm told that they make sure you earn that degree because the material is quite challenging. The biggest thing is, since you are not being slowed down by traditional schedules, you can work extra hard to get as much done in each 6 month term. If you already have a bachelor degree, you can get the post-bacc degree in like 1 year or so. I'm seriously considering doing this myself!

If you already have a degree, check to see if your state has alternative licensure. This is a program to get teachers into the classroom fast, and then give them some time to take the licensure courses- many states have this for math, science, foreign language and ESL teachers.

Another option is the Teach for America program. This provides teachers to schools and they have a 2 year waiver on the licensure requirements.

Diploma Mills??!!!