Across the country, policymakers are taking steps to relax their states鈥� certification requirements to get more teachers in the classroom and circumvent shortages.
Reviews by Education Week and the Education Commission of the States found about a dozen states that have recently amended鈥攐r are considering amending鈥攖eacher certification rules. Some are changing the criteria for licensure, others are expanding the qualifying score on state licensing tests, and some are dropping licensure tests altogether.
Those changes reflect a teacher pipeline in flux.
Administrators are bracing for what could be increasingly severe teacher shortages, particularly in hard-to-fill subject areas or locales. Last fall, nearly half of district and school leaders said they struggled to hire enough full-time teachers, according to a national EdWeek Research Center survey, and the problem could get worse.
Large percentages of teachers indicated plans to quit at the end of this past school year 鈥攁lthough it鈥檚 not yet clear how many actually did鈥攁nd the percentage of prospective teachers entering the profession has been steadily declining for years.
To pave the way for more people to enter the classroom, California legislators voted last year to allow teacher candidates to skip two different exams鈥攖he basic skills test and a subject matter exam鈥攊f they have taken approved college courses. And Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill in May that removes the requirement for teacher-candidates to pass a general education exam that covers communication, critical thinking, and computation. Lawmakers and state officials said and presented a financial barrier to prospective teachers.
鈥淭here are many hurdles in our state that have continued to deepen the teacher shortage鈥擺this exam] was one of those,鈥� said Joy Hofmeister, the state superintendent of public instruction, in a statement. 鈥淭his legislation will open doors to expand the teacher pool, ultimately making our schools better.鈥�
Missouri鈥檚 state board of education voted earlier this month to grant teaching certificates to test-takers who score within one standard error of measurement, meaning they missed the qualifying score by a few questions. The education department says 550 teachers will benefit from this policy change鈥�80 percent of whom are working toward being certified in one of the state鈥檚 top 15 shortage areas, .
鈥淭he potential of thousands of Missouri students to have a well-prepared, appropriately certified teacher considerably outweighs the minimal risk that would come from alternating the qualifying score for all initial teacher-certification exams,鈥� said Paul Katnik, the department鈥檚 assistant commissioner, according to Fox2Now.
In Alabama, state board of education members are also considering certifying prospective teachers who don鈥檛 reach the qualifying score on the Praxis. Nearly 1,200 teachers in the state scored one standard error measure below the passing score between September 2019 and August 2021.
The state鈥檚 education department has proposed that candidates who score within one standard error of measurement on the Praxis can still be certified if they have a higher GPA in their teacher-preparation program or if they complete 100 hours of state-approved training. Board members are expected to vote on the department鈥檚 proposal at their July 12 meeting.
Education department officials told board members earlier this month that while this solution is not a silver bullet for teacher shortages, it will offer districts some relief.
鈥淲e could literally open up dozens, maybe a couple of hundred teachers for this fall,鈥� said State Superintendent Eric Mackey, .
Meanwhile, New Jersey has implemented a five-year pilot program where prospective teachers can still get limited certification if they either don鈥檛 meet the minimum GPA requirement, or earn the minimum passing score on a state licensing test of subject matter knowledge. Districts that want to hire these teachers must first apply to the state to enroll in the program.
Concerns about lowering the 鈥榮tandard of entry鈥�
About a decade ago, states were strengthening entry requirements to the field. Now, some critics warn against lowering the bar at a time when effective teachers are needed more than ever to help make up learning that was disrupted during the pandemic.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand why our response to concern about shortages is to have a major policy reaction that lowers the standard of entry,鈥� said Heather Peske, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based think tank that calls for more-rigorous teacher preparation. 鈥淓ndorsing an option that asks less of teachers in terms of their content knowledge [means] you shift the burden onto students.鈥�
And less-experienced teachers are more likely to teach in classrooms with more students of color and children from low-income families, she noted.
Peske said a time-limited pilot program, like the one in New Jersey, is a good compromise, since it allows time to research the impact of the changes and to determine the extent to which there is a teacher shortage in the state.
While certain subject areas and locations have always been perennial shortage areas, there鈥檚 no evidence of a mass teacher exodus since the start of the pandemic. And many states don鈥檛 collect or publish data that would help pinpoint the scope of the problem, Peske said.
鈥淭o combat teacher shortages, states need better data,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 fix what we can鈥檛 see.鈥�
Instead of 鈥渂lunt鈥� policy responses, Peske said she鈥檇 rather see more support given to aspiring teachers so they can pass the state exams. NCTQ has highlighted several teacher-preparation programs that and now see higher-than-average pass rates on licensing exams, .
In general, aspiring teachers of color are more likely to fail licensing tests than white candidates.
Experts point to several reasons why that might be: Some of the questions on the tests might be culturally biased, candidates of color may have more test anxiety, the fees to take and retake exams can be prohibitive, and systemic educational inequities mean that candidates of color might be less prepared than white candidates.
Some experts have long called for states to scrap licensure exams in favor of performance-based assessments.
