Texas Academy of Science
Position Statement on Science Teacher Certification
The current Texas teacher certification standards are too low to ensure adequately prepared science teachers. In a time when Texas is raising the academic standards for students there is even a greater need for well-prepared teachers. Additionally, it is a time of science teacher shortage and growing need in our nation for graduates who have a stronger science background. Teachers who are well prepared are more likely to remain in the teaching profession and their students will have higher academic achievement. There are people who wish obtain a degree or have a degree in single fields such as chemistry who cannot qualify for certification without additional coursework. Therefore, the Texas Academy of Science recommends raising the current certification standards to achieve these goals.
With no requirement for any college courses in the content and only the need to pass the TExES, it is obvious that these standards are too low to act as a filter for competency. It remains to be seen if the new TExES will be sufficiently rigorous to partially ensure competency. Performance in scientific inquiry and the safe use hazardous chemicals and equipment, scientific research and standards-based science pedagogy can be authentically documented only by science education specialists who themselves have the same background. Generalists do not have this ability.
There is a current need for teaching certificates in physics, chemistry and earth/space science. It was a mistake to ignore the scientific community and not provide the single field science certificates. Now, instead of the goal of a few certificates, there begins to be an expansion of certificates such as the Physics/Math and the Math/Physical Science/Engineering certificates when a physics certificate would have met the need. There is traditionally a shortage in these areas. With only Physical Science or Science certificates currently available, a person with a physics or engineering degree would have to take additional chemistry courses to qualify for the Physical Science certificate. The same is true for someone with a chemistry and a geology degree. This is not logical, especially when there is a shortage in these physical sciences.
A Science composite certificate is useful for grades 6-10. It is insufficient preparation for someone to teach the upper level second year courses. AP and IB courses are freshman college level courses. The same courses can be taught at a college only by someone who has at least 18 graduate content hours. Although psychometrically there is no “physics” portion of the Science TExES, a person could theoretically miss all of the physics portion of the test and still be certified to teach AP or IB Physics. Teaching these second year courses should be limited to those who have separate field certification that requires passing a rigorous TExES.
Reports from the field indicate that alternative certification teacher preparation is not producing the quality of science teachers that Texas students deserve. It is rare that a science degreed person is seeking alternative science certification, it is more likely someone with a degree in other fields such as psychology, sociology, physical education, or criminal justice who is applying. Even those with a science degree enter the classroom with inadequate preparation in other critical areas such as safety, scientific inquiry, science pedagogy, science curriculum, and knowledge of national and state science standards. Additionally, inadequately prepared teachers do not remain in the classroom and those tax monies used to prepare them are wasted. The Texas School Board Association estimates that it costs a district $46,686 when a teacher leaves the teaching field within the first five years.
Valid evaluation requires multiple lines of evidence. The evidence that documents competency in the areas below should be in place in the Texas certification process.
- Science content;
- Science education pedagogy including scientific inquiry;
- Safety;
- Laboratory and field experiences;
- Exemplary science curriculum and;
- Authentic scientific inquiry experience documented by the certifying program and authenticated by external review.
In addition to a rigorous science TExES, there should be additional evidence of competency before a candidate is allowed to enter the classroom. The documentation of performance both before and after the candidate enters the classroom should be made by science education specialists. Good traditional undergraduate programs have typically accomplished this. The current problems appear to be occurring in post-graduate certification where the lower standards apply. Post-graduates “shop around” for programs that have the fewest requirements. So, it becomes a marketing issue. “Competition” in the market sense appears to provide for teacher certification the least value for the least cost.
With the decline in the economy many people are applying for certification and there is no longer any reason to “short-change” our children with low teacher certification standards. It appears that the lowering of certification standards including alternative certification is an attempt to ease administrative staffing problems, not to provide the well-prepared teachers for our children.
