In Brief (Three short primary takeaways to ground the conversation; relevant policy principles)
In conversations regarding strengthening the teacher workforce, two themes dominate the narrative: teacher quality and diversifying the profession. Both of these are vital to accelerating student learning in PA and should be viewed collectively in teacher certification policy.
Licensure certification standards must strike a delicate balance: Set a clear, high standard but do not put up unnecessary barriers that dissuade qualified people from even trying to clear them.
PA needs to increase the number of instructional certifications over the next three to five years to substantially reduce the shortage of teachers and address our current over reliance on emergency permits.
Policy Design Principles
Teacher shortages cannot be solved in the long term by lowering the bar to become a teacher.
Any policy solutions that involve investment of additional public funds should improve both the quality and quantity of the educator workforce.
Policy solutions should drive both excellence and equity.
Recent Research/Case Studies (Why does this topic matter for recruiting more high quality teachers? Could include a graphic/graph)
Addressing Testing Costs: North Carolina announced an initiative to help cover the cost of licensure test fees. Aspiring and current teachers can create an account with TeachNC, a "teacher recruitment resource within the Department of Public Instruction" to apply for up to $500 that can be applied toward test prep support from a designated test prep provider, vouchers for Praxis exams, and reimbursements for the cost of other certification tests.
Increased Flexibility to Meet Need. In 2017, Ohio had a PreK through 3rd grade early childhood license, a 4th through 9th grade middle school license, and a 7th through 12th grade secondary license. To receive a supplemental license to teach an additional subject, a teacher’s district has to approve the position, agree to provide a mentor, and the teacher has to agree to teach in that license area for two years. In 2020, the early childhood grade band expanded to encompass the 4th and 5th grades. The Ohio Department of Education cited a desire for School Superintendents to have greater flexibility assigning teachers as one of the motivations for the change.
Current Policies/Pathways/Context (What is the current reality in PA for this topic? What is most relevant? Could include funding if relevant to discussion)
Teacher Certification Grade Spans: In 2013, teacher certification changed from grade spans N-3, K-6, 7-12 to pre-K-4, 4-8, 7-12.
Chapter 354, Preparation of Professional Educators, outlines the requirements of teacher preparation programs, including coursework, assessments, and student teaching experience.
A minimum 12-week student teaching experience is a requirement of the K-12 teacher certification program.
The Professional Core of courses, competencies, and experiences for K-12 teacher preparation programs must be designed to address the issues and knowledge that are relevant for K-12 levels of teaching and learning.
Programs have flexibility in how they address adaptations, accommodations, and cognitive development of diverse students in an inclusive setting and meeting the needs of English Language Learners.
Since the pandemic year of 2020, there has been a steady increase in the number of teaching positions filled by teachers on an emergency permit rather than a certified teacher. In the 2020-21 school year, the number of emergency permits issued exceeded the number of individuals obtaining a teaching certificate from Pennsylvania teacher preparation programs
Key Questions:
What are the PA-specific pain points around certification?
What barriers currently exist?
What is the right balance between reducing barriers and ensuring certification integrity through our certification process?
What are policy ideas that strike this balance?
What are unintentional consequences that should be considered?
