American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence

The Complainant applied for our program and signed a Financial Assistance Application (hereinafter 'FA Application) in June of this yearShe was notified via email that, if approved for financial assistance, she would be enrolled in our program immediately upon approval of her FA Application; it also says clearly on our FA Application the same thing- that you are enrolled upon approval and agree to payment terms by signing the contractBy signing the application, she promised to abide by the terms and conditions within our candidate handbook (found here) which clearly states that we will need official transcripts and lays out the process for testing on location at a Pearson testing center The terms and conditions located at the bottom of the FA Application itself spells out that official transcripts will be required and that by signing the application the Complainant acknowledges this fact At no point prior to enrolling was the Complainant given any information contrary to our policies and at no point was she told that the testing was online (this being her primary point in the complaint against us)She signed the FA Application contract, which spells out what she is responsible for very clearly in straight forward languageBy saying that she didn't know official transcripts were required by our organization or that she didn't know testing was done in a Pearson Vue testing center, she is claiming ignorance of the details of a contract SHE SIGNED and attested that she had readThis is her fault, not ours, as we are extremely clear on what we require of our candidates and how our program works with regards to testingI am the supervisor she is referring to in her complaint and at no point was I dishonestI went back and reviewed all correspondence, verbal and written, between our company and the Complainant and found no evidence that any of her claims were accurateAfter this review, I emailed the Complainant and responded that she was still bound by the terms of the contract she signedIn the email, I stated that I did review company recordings of the call she referencesNo mention of the program being online was made at any point by any representative of our companyIf that is the conclusion that the Complainant drew, despite signing a contract that spells out our requirements, then the fault is hers and hers alone Our company refund policy is extremely clear in this situation- the Complainant is liable for the full balance due (as stated in the FA Application she signed) and will not be given a refundAttachments:I have attached the audio of her phone call with me, as well as her signed FA ApplicationAlso, I've attached several pieces of key email correspondence between the Complainant and our companyPlease let me know if any further documentation is required and I will be happy to provide it

Dear [redacted] :The purpose of ABCTE is to prepare, certify, and support people who want to improve their communities bybecoming a teacherThe American Board teacher training and certification program is not just a test; it is a program designed to inspire career changers to become a teacher and give them a rigorous and efficient process to achieve their goalsThe program provides the exams, as well as the supplemental materials needed in order to pass the related examsShould a candidate fail the essay portion of an exam, we simply ask them to contact us in order to schedule an appointment so that we can provide constructive feedbackWe are a small non-profit team that works diligently to ensure the program is a success, [redacted] was provided the score she received on her essay and she was irate that we could not provide immediate feedback the first time she calledShould a candidate request feedback, it is essential that we have time to pull the essay, review it, and quantify the issues in order to precisely explain how it did not meet the requirements of the rubricWe do not return essays with the errors, to any candidate because it jeopardizes the validity and integrity of the standardized examHowever, we are always willing to discuss areas for improvement through a scheduled call, [redacted] questioned the faimess of the essay score; however there was no subjectivity involvedShe failed based solely on numerous spelling errors, which was one of the areas noted in the rubric, that is provided to all enrolled candidates [redacted] spoke with staff members, including myselfNone of these calls were iess than minutesWe provided her feedback, along with options that would not cost her a single cent (ieTyping an essay into the computer program Notepad and then copying and pasting it into [redacted] ***This would allow her to see which words she was spelling wrong, without [redacted] automatically changing the word as she typed)In addition to this free solution, we did offer her other options, but I assure you nothing was forced upon ***, and I made it clear that the [redacted] transfer would be sufficient enough.Regarding her claim of outrageous exam fees, the first exams are included in the cost of enrollment should a candidate not pass the exam the first time, he/she is provided two additional chances at each exam, but is required to pay $to [redacted] Testing CenterThe cost of this exam is significantly less than most standardized exams, and we do our best to keep all costs at a minimum.As mentioned before, [redacted] had no problem contacting our Candidate Services representativesAfter she belittled and berated both representatives, the issue was finally escalated to meIn reviewing the recording, Robyn provided ample information pertaining to her score, and techniques in how to receive a passing score, related specifically to ***'s Weaknesses in her essayI concurred with Robyn's advice, and went over these solutions with ***, as wellThe American Board team provided as much support as possible, but we cannot change her score report to a passing grade, and while the rubric was created to eliminate as much subjectivity as possible, ***'s failing grade based on 10+ spelling errors was strictly objective.Should there need to be further clarification, do not hesitate to contact meI can be reached at ###-###-#### Warmest Regards,Miranda A Senior Director of Operations The American Board

Good Morning,
Ms*** *** was enrolled in our teacher certification
program on May 30, 2014, for Special Education and Elementary Education. Her refund was submitted within days, and
in her complaint to the RevDex.com she raises issues.
1.
She claims she was not allowed full access to
her materials and was directed to another person’s website that she and the
American Board was unauthorized to use
2.
The website was down, preventing her from
accessing her materials
3.
She only received 80% of her refund, rather than
100%
With respect to Ms***’s first complaint, we are
unsure what she is referring to. She did
not state this as a reason when requesting a refund on her refund request formWhen she did finally mention this, we requested additional information, but she refused to provide us with any. We have no name for the person who told her
she was unauthorized to use her site, and we were provided no link to this
person’s page. Rather ***’s stated
complaint to the American Board was that she was unsatisfied with the amount of
resources we provide. In response to
this, we do provide the majority of the materials needed, as well as the required exams, but it is much like any course
administered at a university or college; supplemental books are required
Due to the fact that we are an online program, updates must
be made to our system, and we did have some maintenance occur that
weekend. For this reason the site was sporadically
and temporarily down. With years
provided to complete the program, *** had plenty of time to complete the program and we would have gladly extended her courses to
account for the day or so she wasn't able to access it, due to routine updates
Ms*** only received 80% because that is our
policy. Upon enrolling, she agreed to
the terms and conditions, and to abide by the rules and regulations set forth
in the Candidate Handbook. The Candidate
Handbook is located on our website for all to review prior to enrolling, and it
is also provided to the candidate, once enrolledI have provided a screen shot
of our website and the refund policy, and have copy and pasted the actual
verbiage below. I have also included the
refund request form that *** completed.
As previously noted, Ms*** never mentioned anything
pertaining to the first concern listed in this complaint, and on the refund
request form it clearly states 80% will be refunded. *** did not contest the 80% refund when she submitted the form, nor did she for
months after submitting the form (June until February 2015)Our first response from Ms*** since submitting the refund request form in June 2014, was this past February, and our policies have not changed.
Excerpt from our Candidate Handbook: Refunds: Within the first thirty days of enrollment a candidate may request
a refundNo refund request form will be accepted if it is submitted more than
days after the date of the original payment to the American Board
Candidates eligible for a refund will receive 80% of their enrollment feeNo
preparation materials are eligible for a refundAll refund requests must be in
writing via the American Board refund request formRefund request forms can be
requested at https://newmypass.abcte.org/mypass/student/retrieveTickets.action
* Retake payments are
not eligible for refund
* Installment plans are not eligible for refund
There are no extenuating
circumstances which will result in an exception to this policyPlease let me know if any addition information in neededWarmest regards,
Miranda A***
Senior Director of Operations

*** *** enrolled in our program on October 15, with a lump sum payment of $At the time of enrollment, our Enrollment Specialist notes in his communication log that he spoke with her about the program and she claimed she was TTP with social science in the state of FloridaThe
state of Florida told her (according to her) that she can do any subject through us and state social science exam*** *** took her PTK exams on the following dates: PTK Exam #1: 12/21/PTK Exam #2: 5/11/PTK Exam #3: 6/3/PTK Exam #4: 8/3/She is claiming she did not receive feedback for the second, third or fourth attempt at the exam; however, she took the exams so quickly that we would not have received her essay back to allow for feedback to be givenFeedback typically takes two weeks after we receive the results, and the results take about to weeks to get back from the exam center. We have been continually working with this candidate to allow her to complete her programShe is making complaints while still in our program and still receiving assistance from our team to finish earning her certification with usShe's a hypocrite and is giving inaccurate information about our attempts to help herHer 'main complaint' to us has been different each time she has called in...either she can't find someone on the Study Buddy list who will work with her or she claims we don't offer her as much additional study help as she would likeTo be clear, we offer over additional Recommended Resources as direction for study materialsWe are not short on recommendations; this candidate simply doesn't want to be satisfied with what we offerThis candidate has been alerted EACH TIME SHE CALLED to the additional Recommended Resources for her subject area. To her claim that there is a high level of candidates who do not receive a passing score, she is incorrect on that and furthermore would have no way of knowing how many candidates require a second attempt at the exam, as we do not make that information available to candidates/the publicWe do not offer a refund to candidates who have attempted an exam and failed it, as we have to pay *** *** for the exam attempt no matter whatThe candidates are aware before they take the exam that they do not get a refund if they do not pass the examThat is standard for our organization. To her complaint that we told her we would send her certificate to her within hours after an online chat, that is inaccurate as well and we have no record that this 'chat' tool placeWe keep a record of all of our chats, and it is not in our records that she spoke with our Chat team about thisSince she has not yet earned her certification with us, there is no way we would be able to send her certificate yet, and she knows thisIt has been reiterated to her over the phone. Please let me know if you need any additional clarification on any of these points

The Complainant applied for our program and signed a Financial Assistance Application (hereinafter 'FA Application) in June of this yearShe was notified via email that, if approved for financial assistance, she would be enrolled in our program immediately
upon approval of her FA Application; it also says clearly on our FA Application the same thing- that you are enrolled upon approval and agree to payment terms by signing the contract. By signing the application, she promised to abide by the terms and conditions within our candidate handbook (found here) which clearly states that we will need official transcripts and lays out the process for testing on location at a Pearson testing center
The terms and conditions located at the bottom of the FA Application itself spells out that official transcripts will be required and that by signing the application the Complainant acknowledges this fact. At no point prior to enrolling was the Complainant given any information contrary to our policies and at no point was she told that the testing was online (this being her primary point in the complaint against us)She signed the FA Application contract, which spells out what she is responsible for very clearly in straight forward languageBy saying that she didn't know official transcripts were required by our organization or that she didn't know testing was done in a Pearson Vue testing center, she is claiming ignorance of the details of a contract SHE SIGNED and attested that she had readThis is her fault, not ours, as we are extremely clear on what we require of our candidates and how our program works with regards to testing
I am the supervisor she is referring to in her complaint and at no point was I dishonestI went back and reviewed all correspondence, verbal and written, between our company and the Complainant and found no evidence that any of her claims were accurateAfter this review, I emailed the Complainant and responded that she was still bound by the terms of the contract she signedIn the email, I stated that I did review company recordings of the call she referencesNo mention of the program being online was made at any point by any representative of our companyIf that is the conclusion that the Complainant drew, despite signing a contract that spells out our requirements, then the fault is hers and hers alone
Our company refund policy is extremely clear in this situation- the Complainant is liable for the full balance due (as stated in the FA Application she signed) and will not be given a refund
Attachments:
I have attached the audio of her phone call with me, as well as her signed FA ApplicationAlso, I've attached several pieces of key email correspondence between the Complainant and our companyPlease let me know if any further documentation is required and I will be happy to provide it

An affordable teacher programGo for ithttp://acbte.org

I enrolled in this program 5/2015, they offered no help the sample questions were nothing like the examI took the Professional Teaching Knowledge exam times Highest test result was out of (passing score)Each time I failed and the writing area were graded as a (non passing)I went and took the Elementary Education Plus and scored a out of a 285, Again I reached out for help and got no responseI even reached out to the state of Missouri education department who informed me they were forced to offer this as another way for people to gain a teaching degreePlease take my advice this is a joke and a scam $wasted

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Lisa is extremely dishonest. I have emails stating that I was supposed to be informed about the transcripts prior to registration and I was not. I have an email stating that this course was completely online and it is not. I am disabled so it would make no since for me to take a this program for this amount when if I were able I could have went to the school board to take the test cheaper and quicker. Next, if I am not able to produce official transcripts and they will not release the certificate without it, why would I take this program this is silly and a waste. Lisa, refused to provide me with her superior and unless she is the owner, she has a superior. She lied and stated she would go back and review the recording of the agent I spoke to prior to the contract to see if she informed me about the transcript and to see if I was informed it was completely online. She did not do that. I sent her the email of the agent to demonstrate none of this was discussed prior. I truly believed she listened to the recording and saw the agent did not provide me the info about the transcript and saw the emails confirmed one of the contacts stating it was fully online. I even have an email from one of her reps saying that the agent should have informed me prior to the contract and I stated again, to view the recordings and the emails because I went completely on what the agent stated and none of this was told to me. The only concern of the agent that registered me was the money issue. This organization is dishonest, deceptive, not forthcoming. It is sad that this so call director is the key player.
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Lisa is extremely dishonest. I have emails stating that I was supposed to be informed about the transcripts prior to registration and I was not. I have an email stating that this course was completely online and it is not. I am disabled so it would make no since for me to take a this program for this amount when if I were able I could have went to the school board to take the test cheaper and quicker. Next, if I am not able to produce official transcripts and they will not release the certificate without it, why would I take this program this is silly and a waste. Lisa, refused to provide me with her superior and unless she is the owner, she has a superior. She lied and stated she would go back and review the recording of the agent I spoke to prior to the contract to see if she informed me about the transcript and to see if I was informed it was completely online. She did not do that. I sent her the email of the agent to demonstrate none of this was discussed prior. I truly believed she listened to the recording and saw the agent did not provide me the info about the transcript and saw the emails confirmed one of the contacts stating it was fully online. I even have an email from one of her reps saying that the agent should have informed me prior to the contract and I stated again, to view the recordings and the emails because I went completely on what the agent stated and none of this was told to me. The only concern of the agent that registered me was the money issue. This organization is dishonest, deceptive, not forthcoming. It is sad that this so call director is the key player.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted]:The purpose of ABCTE is to prepare, certify, and support people who want to improve their communities bybecoming a teacher.
The American Board teacher training and certification program is not just a test; it is a program designed to inspire career changers to...

become a teacher and give them a rigorous and efficient process to achieve their goals. The program provides the exams, as well as the supplemental materials needed in order to pass the related exams. Should a candidate fail the essay portion of an exam, we simply ask them to contact us in order to schedule an appointment so that we can provide constructive feedback. We are a small non-profit team that works diligently to ensure the program is a success, [redacted] was provided the score she received on her essay and she was irate that we could not provide immediate feedback the first time she called. Should a candidate request feedback, it is essential that we have time to pull the essay, review it, and quantify the issues in order to precisely explain how it did not meet the requirements of the rubric. We do not return essays with the errors, to any candidate because it jeopardizes the validity and integrity of the standardized exam. However, we are always willing to discuss areas for improvement through a scheduled call, [redacted] questioned the faimess of the essay score; however there was no subjectivity involved. She failed based solely on numerous spelling errors, which was one of the areas noted in the rubric, that is provided to all enrolled candidates. [redacted] spoke with 3 staff members, including myself. None of these calls were iess than 30 minutes. We provided her feedback, along with options that would not cost her a single cent (ie. Typing an essay into the computer program Notepad and then copying and pasting it into [redacted]. This would allow her to see which words she was spelling wrong, without [redacted] automatically changing the word as she typed). In addition to this free solution, we did offer her other options, but I assure you nothing was forced upon [redacted], and I made it clear that the [redacted] transfer would be sufficient enough. .Regarding her claim of outrageous exam fees, the first exams are included in the cost of enrollment should a candidate not pass the exam the first time, he/she is provided two additional chances at each exam, but is required to pay $195 to [redacted] Testing Center. The cost of this exam is significantly less than most standardized exams, and we do our best to keep all costs at a minimum. .As mentioned before, [redacted] had no problem contacting our Candidate Services representatives. After she belittled and berated both representatives, the issue was finally escalated to me. In reviewing the recording, Robyn provided ample information pertaining to her score, and techniques in how to receive a passing score, related specifically to [redacted]'s Weaknesses in her essay. I concurred with Robyn's advice, and went over these solutions with [redacted], as well. The American Board team provided as much support as possible, but we cannot change her score report to a passing grade, and while the rubric was created to eliminate as much subjectivity as possible, [redacted]'s failing grade based on 10+ spelling errors was strictly objective.Should there need to be further clarification, do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at ###-###-####
Warmest Regards,Miranda A
Senior Director of Operations The American Board

The Complainant applied for our program and signed a Financial Assistance Application (hereinafter 'FA Application) in June of this year. She was notified via email that, if approved for financial assistance, she would be enrolled in our program immediately upon approval of her FA...

Application; it also says clearly on our FA Application the same thing- that you are enrolled upon approval and agree to payment terms by signing the contract. By signing the application, she promised to abide by the terms and conditions within our candidate handbook (found here) which clearly states that we will need official transcripts and lays out the process for testing on location at a Pearson testing center.
The terms and conditions located at the bottom of the FA Application itself spells out that official transcripts will be required and that by signing the application the Complainant acknowledges this fact.  At no point  prior to enrolling was the Complainant given any information contrary to our policies and at no point was she told that the testing was online (this being her primary point in the complaint against us). She signed the FA Application contract, which spells out what she is responsible for very clearly in straight forward language. By saying that she didn't know official transcripts were required by our organization or that she didn't know testing was done in a Pearson Vue testing center, she is claiming ignorance of the details of a contract SHE SIGNED and attested that she had read. This is her fault, not ours, as we are extremely clear on what we require of our candidates and how our program works with regards to testing. I am the supervisor she is referring to in her complaint and at no point was I dishonest. I went back and reviewed all correspondence, verbal and written, between our company and the Complainant and found no evidence that any of her claims were accurate. After this review, I emailed the Complainant and responded that she was still bound by the terms of the contract she signed. In the email, I stated that I did review company recordings of the call she references. No mention of the program being online was made at any point by any representative of our company. If that is the conclusion that the Complainant drew, despite signing a contract that spells out our requirements, then the fault is hers and hers alone.
Our company refund policy is extremely clear in this situation- the Complainant is liable for the full balance due (as stated in the FA Application she signed) and will not be given a refund. Attachments:I have attached the audio of her phone call with me, as well as her signed FA Application. Also, I've attached several pieces of key email correspondence between the Complainant and our company. Please let me know if any further documentation is required and I will be happy to provide it.