The Making of a Teacher
A Report on Teacher Preparation in the U.S.

by C. Emily Feistritzer

Copyright © 2003 by the Center for Education Information.
All rights reserved.

VII. COMPLETION OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS

Tests Required for Completion of Teacher Preparation Programs

It would appear from the CEI survey of IHEs that prepare teachers in this country that virtually all of them require passage of a content area test for completion of their Teacher Preparation Programs. (Table 27) This is consistent with the fact that states now require passage of such tests in order to get certified to teach.

This is a dramatic change from 15 years ago when only five percent of IHEs surveyed by NCEI indicated that they required passage of a content area test for completion of their teacher education programs.

What varies considerably from institution to institution and from state to state are the types of tests used and the minimum scores required for passage.

This whole issue of teacher testing is the subject of much debate and controversy. It was beyond the scope of this survey to unravel.

It is difficult to draw significant conclusions from the responses to the survey questions we did ask. For example, 48 percent of the respondents checked Yes to the question, Is passing a standardized content area test required for completion of your initial Teacher Preparation Program leading to certification to teach? and 54 percent checked Yes to requiring a state-approved content area test. About 60 percent of all the survey respondents responded to each of these questions, and the total number of respondents to the two items is much greater than the total number of survey respondents.

It is not clear what the data indicates. It could mean that a state-approved content area test is the same as a standardized content area test, at least in some instances. What about the 40 percent who did not respond? Does it mean they do not require any kind of content area test or just one type?

Follow-up to clarify these issues was not done for three reasons: it was an anonymous mail survey, resources were limited, and, most importantly, CEI was aware that a major effort, mandated by the Congress of the United States and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, was underway to gather and analyze information about teacher testing requirements in all programs for the preparation of teachers and would be forthcoming soon.

Other Requirements for Completion of Teacher Preparation Programs

The difficulties described above exist in interpreting the results of items in the CEI survey having to do with requirements other than tests for completion of Teacher Preparation Programs. It is not known whether or not a non-response to checking a Yes or No item means the respondents dont require the option or they simply did not answer the question.

For those IHEs that checked Yes, 94 percent indicated they used overall college grade point average (GPA), 83 percent said they used GPA in the candidates major subject and 81 percent used GPA in the students school, college or department of education courses as a requirement for completion of their Teacher Preparation Programs.

Only about half of the IHEs that responded to the options provided average GPAs for those who completed their programs. (Table 28)

It would appear from the data, even with these reservations, that more than half of prospective teachers completing Post-baccalaureate programs and more than one-third of the students completing Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Programs have a 3.0 (B) or better grade point average for their overall college record, in their major and in their education courses.