During 1986-87, the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District (DISD) conducted an alternative certification program. This report evaluates the program. The introductory section defines alternative certification (any significant departure from the traditional undergraduate route through teacher education in universities and colleges) and explores the rationale--a decline in the quality of trained, available teachers and a growing teacher shortage, particularly in science, math, bilingual education, and special education. The second section describes the DISD's program, which recruited 110 alternative certification interns during the summer of 1986. Eighty-five of the 110 interns were women, the average age was 31 years, they were ethnically distributed among Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, and American Indian participants. This section also details recruitment and selection procedures, the formal instruction program, and methods for evaluating participants. The third section supplies demographic information about interns, such as gender, age, ethnicity, educational and employment background, and other characteristics. The final section discusses outcomes concerning interns' attitude changes during training, comparisons with regular first-year teachers, performance ratings, predictors of success, reactions to the program, and quality and shortage issues. Findings and conclusions are summarized before the introduction and include the following: when compared to first-year teachers, the interns were disappointed in the time-requirements of teaching; they enjoyed less support from colleagues; and they did better on the Texas Teacher Appraisal System. The program helped fill critical positions but is unlikely to stem the teacher shortage. Included are 22 tables, a nine-page reference list, and 2 appendices. (MLH)