An estimated 2.9 million students (of the 47.2 million students enrolled) were being taught by uncertified teachers in 2000. What does this mean? In some states (Arkansas, Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, and West Virginia5), 100% of uncertified teachers demonstrated subject content expertise in their area of teaching. This means that they held at least a bachelor's degree. They completed an academic major in each of the subject areas they were teaching or they passed the state's assessments of subject area knowledge "however a state chooses to define 'passing' for this purpose."6 What they lacked were the necessary teacher preparation courses required for certification. They also did not take (or did not pass) the certification exams administered by the state in which they were working.
Unfortunately, the five states mentioned on the previous page were the exception. In most states, only a fraction of uncertified teachers were able to demonstrate subject content expertise in their area of instruction, as defined by Title II. The next table shows the five states with the highest and the five states with the lowest percentage of uncertified teachers who lacked subject content expertise in the subjects they teach. The table also lists the number of students being taught by these teachers. As the table shows, even when the percentage of uncertified teachers without subject-area expertise is low, the number of students affected can be relatively high. This indicates a high number of uncertified teachers in those states. Overall, the percentage of students being taught by uncertified teachers who lack subject area expertise is very small. Some may argue, however, that even one poorly taught child is one too many.
Percentage of Uncertified Teachers Without Subject Content Expertise and The Students Taught by Them, School Year 2000
| % of uncertified teachers without subject content expertise | Number of students taught by uncertified teachers without subject content expertise7 | Students taught by uncertified teachers without subject content expertise as a % of total student population | |||
| Top 5 | |||||
| Michigan | 99.0 | 36,240 | 2.12 | ||
| Delaware | 97.8 | 7,264 | 6.35 | ||
| Idaho | 96.1 | 5,072 | 2.06 | ||
| Illinois | 88.5 | 49,840 | 2.43 | ||
| Kentucky | 75.5 | 4,528 | 0.73 | ||
| Bottom 5 | |||||
| New Jersey | 24.5 | 7,120 | 0.54 | ||
| West Virginia | 24.0 | 3,568 | 1.25 | ||
| New Hampshire | 22.9 | 352 | 0.17 | ||
| Virginia | 15.4 | 14,384 | 1.26 | ||
| Minnesota | 13.7 | 672 | 0.08 |
There is a "but" here. Is teaching by certified teachers much better than is teaching by uncertified teachers? The first annual report to Congress on the state of teacher quality was submitted in 2001. It found that teacher certification standards were quite low. On one teacher certification exam — used in 29 states — only one state sets the passing score near the national average in reading. Fifteen set their passing scores below the 25th percentile. Illiterate teachers? On math and writing, only one state sets its passing score above the national average.
The report called for states to require teachers to pass rigorous exams in the subject they plan to teach in order to meet the goal of having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom by 2005-06. It also called for the elimination of many of the pedagogy courses needed for certification, saying that extensive training in these courses does little to improve teacher quality.
How do we fare internationally? Singapore, a country in which students in the 4th and 8th grades ranked first in the world on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1994-19958, also employs teachers to teach outside of their core subject expertise. However, according to the Ministry of Education, this is accepted practice, and teachers who are chosen are encouraged to "take this as a challenge and use this opportunity to prove [their] ability and potential to undertake greater responsibility."9
Whether full-time teachers in Singapore teach their subject of expertise or not, they have to be certified. In Singapore, this involves having a university degree in a teaching subject (i.e., math, English, science, etc.). Then, students must attend the National Institute of Education (NIE) for a year of teacher training. This institute is highly selective (even though there is a high demand for teachers in Singapore also). Acceptance is based on an interview, Entrance Proficiency Test scores10, academic and non-academic achievements. After the NIE training, beginning teachers are given a workload of 80% of their normal responsibility during their first year. The remaining time allows for on-the-job learning from experienced teachers (mentoring, co-teaching). To ensure that teachers are familiar with new developments in their area of expertise, Singapore teachers are entitled to 100 hours of training a year. These are normally taken during their 12-week school vacation.
Are there uncertified teachers teaching in Singapore? Yes. University graduates who are thinking of becoming teachers are encouraged to become relief teachers before applying to the NIE. Relief teachers are expected to be responsible for teaching duties. But it is up to the individual school to assign those duties. This could range from the equivalent of full-time teacher to the equivalent of teacher assistant.
What leads U.S. school districts to hire uncertified teachers and, in some cases, uncertified teachers who haven't demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they will be teaching? The answer is simple: teacher shortages. Shortages are exacerbated by legislation forcing a certain class size. The next panel will discuss this issue.
Sources: "Title II State Report 2001 --Waivers," all states and Washington D.C. Online. Available: http://www.title2.org. May 9, 2002. U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2000 and 2001. Singapore teacher data: Ministry of Education, Singapore. "Teach. Mould the future of our nation." Online. Available: http://www1.moe.edu.sg/teach/; May 22, 2002. Ministry of Education, Singapore. "A Summary Report from the Steering Committee on the Review of the Teacher Training System," 16 March 1999. Online. Available: http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1999/pr170399.html. U.S. Department of Education. "Paige Releases Report to Congress that Calls for Overhaul of State Teacher Certification Systems," June 11, 2002. Online. Available: http://www.ed.gov.
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