State requires that programs limit admission to candidates with at least a B average (3.0) GPA.
State requires individual GPA of 3.0 or higher.: OK, PA, UT
State requires a cohort GPA of 3.0 or higher.: DE, MT, RI, WV
State requires an individual GPA of 2.75 or higher.: KY, MS, NJ, SC, TN
State permits individual GPAs of lower than 2.75 or does not set a requirement. : AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, SD, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WY
Footnotes
AL: Alabama requires CAEP accreditation.
AR: Arkansas requires CAEP accreditation.
CT: Connecticut also requires a B- cumulative grade point average for all undergraduate courses. However, the state permits programs to "waive the minimum GPA requirement at their discretion."
DC: The District of Columbia requires CAEP accreditation.
DE: Applicants can also gain admission by achieving a GPA in the "top 50th percentile for coursework completed during the most recent two years of the applicant's general education," or a minimum score on a standardized test "normed to the general college-bound population."
FL: Programs have the option of accepting up to 10 percent of an entering class that has not met the admission requirements of passing a basic skills test and/or achieving a 2.5 GPA.
GA: Teacher preparation programs may not accept individual candidates with a GPA below 2.5, and Georgia also requires an average cohort GPA of 3.0, at the provider level.
HI: Hawaii requires CAEP accreditation.
IN: Indiana requires CAEP accreditation.
KY: Kentucky also accepts candidates with a 3.0 GPA for the last 30 hours of credit completed.
LA: Louisiana requires CAEP accreditation.
MD: Maryland requires CAEP accreditation for institutions with 2,000 or more students.
MI: Michigan requires CAEP accreditation.
MS: Additionally, Mississippi requires that teacher preparation programs have an average cohort GPA of 3.0 on pre-major coursework.
NC: North Carolina requires CAEP accreditation.
NJ: New Jersey also requires teacher preparation programs to have "an average cumulative GPA of the accepted cohort of candidates" of at least a 3.0. New Jersey requires CAEP accreditation.
NY: New York requires CAEP accreditation.
OK: Candidates can also gain admission with passing scores on the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) or the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET). Oklahoma also requires CAEP accreditation.
OR: Oregon requires CAEP accreditation.
PA: Programs may admit applicants with a 2.8 GPA and qualifying scores on the basic skills test or SAT/ACT.
RI: Rhode Island allows programs, in rare instances and with state approval, to offer conditional acceptance to candidates not meeting this requirement, provided they receive appropriate support.
SC: South Carolina allows no more than 5 percent of applicants to a given institution to be admitted with a GPA waiver. The state also requires CAEP accreditation.
TN: Tennessee requires CAEP accreditation.
TX: No more than 10 percent of any cohort can be exempt from the 2.5 minimum GPA requirement if they provide documentation that a candidate's work, business or career experience demonstrates achievement equivalent to the academic achievement represented by the GPA requirement. Texas also requires a cohort GPA of 3.0 or higher
UT: Utah can also waive admissions requirements, based on established program guidelines for "up to 10% of an entrance cohort."
VA: Virginia requires CAEP accreditation.
Do states require programs to adequately assess candidates’ academic aptitude?
Yes. State requires a test that is normed to college-going students as a condition for admission.: AR, DE, IN, LA, MI, NC, ND, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, UT, WV, WY
Partially. State requires a test that is normed only to education students as a condition for admission.: AL, CT, FL, GA, IA, KY, MO, MS, NE, NH, PA, VA, WA, WI
Partially. State requires a test during or following program completion that is normed to college-going students.:
Partially. State requires a test during or following program completion that is normed only to education students.: AK, CA, DC, IL, MA, MD, MN, NM, NV, VT
No. State does not require a test measuring academic aptitude.: AZ, CO, HI, ID, KS, ME, MT, SD, TX
Footnotes
AR: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
DE: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
HI: Test required only for candidates without a bachelor's degree.
IN: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
LA: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
MI: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
NC: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
ND: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
NJ: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
NY: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
OH: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
OK: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
SC: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
TN: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
TX: Applicants can meet the testing requirement through several options, including passing a test normed to the general college-going population. Applicants can also meet this requirement through other means, including obtaining an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree, enrollment in a certification program, or serving as a member of the armed forces.
UT: Candidates can qualify for admission through the GPA or test requirement.
WY: Requirement for admissions test normed to college-bound population is based on CAEP accreditation standards, not state's own admissions policy.
Select another topic
Delivering Well Prepared Teachers
- Admission into Teacher Preparation
- Elementary Teacher Preparation
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Mathematics
- Early Childhood
- Middle School Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and Social Studies
- Special Education Teacher Preparation
- Special Education Preparation in Reading
- Assessing Professional Knowledge
- Student Teaching
- Teacher Preparation Program Accountability
Expanding the Pool of Teachers
Identifying Effective Teachers
- State Data Systems
- Evaluation of Effectiveness
- Frequency of Evaluations
- Tenure
- Licensure Advancement
- Equitable Distribution
Retaining Effective Teachers
Exiting Ineffective Teachers
Pensions
Research rationale
Preparation programs should screen candidates for academic proficiency.
Evidence is strong that countries whose students consistently outperform U.S. students set a much higher bar for entry to teacher preparation programs than what is typically found in the United States. Research is also clear about the positive effects on student achievement of teachers with stronger academic backgrounds.
Far from the top third or even top tenth to which more selective countries limit candidates, most states do not even aim for the top 50 percent. Many states do not evaluate candidates' academic proficiency as a condition of admission to teacher preparation at all; most others set a low bar. Some of the states in this latter group require only a basic skills test. These tests generally assess middle school-level skills, and do not ensure that candidates are prepared to do college-level work. Others have a minimum GPA requirement, but too few demand at least a 3.0.
Screening candidates at program entry protects the public's investment.
Teacher preparation programs that do not screen candidates, particularly programs at public institutions that are heavily subsidized by the state, invest considerable taxpayer dollars in the preparation of individuals who may not be able to successfully complete the program and pass the licensing tests required to become a teacher. Candidates needing additional support should complete remediation prior to program entry, avoiding the possibility of an unsuccessful investment of significant public tax dollars, as well as the candidate's own investment.
Tests normed to the general college-bound population would improve selectivity.
In addition to the fact that current basic skills tests generally measure only middle school-level skills, another concern is that they are normed only to the prospective teacher population. Tests normed to the general college-bound population would shine a clearer light on the academic proficiency of those admitted to teacher preparation programs and allow programs to be truly selective.
CAEP standards are raising the bar, but are no substitute for states' own policy.
A number of states now have rigorous academic standards for admission by virtue of requiring that programs meet CAEP's accreditation standards. CAEP's standards for admission require that the average GPA of a program's accepted cohort of candidates meets or exceeds 3.0, and the group average performance on nationally normed ability/achievement assessments such as ACT, SAT or GRE is:in the top 50th percentile, increasing to the top third over time..However, whether CAEP will uniformly uphold its standards and deny accreditation to programs that fall short of these admission requirements remains to be seen. Clear state policy would eliminate this uncertainty and send an unequivocal message to programs about the state's expectations.
Admission into Teacher Preparation: Supporting Research
For information on basic skills and certification test pass rates across the states, see Secretary's Seventh Annual Report on Teacher Quality 2010.
For evidence that basic skills tests for teachers assess no more than middle school level skills, see "Not Good Enough: A Content Analysis of Teacher Licensing Examinations." Thinking K-16, The Education Trust, (Spring 1999).
For evidence of the predictive power of college selectivity and SAT scores see C, Clotfelter, H. Ladd, and J. Vigdor, "How and Why do Teacher Credentials Matter for Student Achievement?" (2007) and Jonah E. Rockoff, Brian A. Jacob, Thomas J. Kane, and Douglas O. Staiger, "Can You Recognize an Effective Teacher When You Recruit One", National Bureau of Economic Research (2008). The authors also found college selectivity to have a positive impact on student achievement in North Carolina in "How and Why Do Teacher Credentials Matter for Student Achievement?", Calder Institute (2007).
For a discussion of teacher preparation program admissions policies in other countries, see OECD study Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2005). Also see Barber, M. and Mourshed, M., "How the World's Best-Performing School Systems Come out on Top." McKinsey & Company (2007).
For research supporting greater selectivity for teacher preparation programs see, Donald Boyd et al., "The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and its Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools," National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper No. 14021, June 2008; Drew Gitomer, "Teacher Quality in a Changing Policy Landscape: Improvements in the Teacher Pool," Educational Testing Service, 2007; D. Goldhaber et al., NBPTS certification: Who applies and what factors are associated with success?", Urban Institute, 2003; A.J. Wayne and P. Youngs, "Teacher characteristics and student achievement gains: A review." Review of Educational Research, Volume 73, No. 1, Spring 2003, pp. 89-122; Grover Whitehurst, "Scientifically based research on teacher quality: Research on teacher preparation and professional development," Paper presented at the White House Conference on Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers, 2002; J. Kain and K. Singleton, "Equality of Educational Opportunity Revisited" New England Economic Review, May/June 1996, 87-114; R. Ferguson and H. Ladd, "How and Why Money Matters: An Analysis of Alabama Schools," In H. Ladd (ed). Holding Schools Accountable: Performance-based reform in education. Brookings Institution, 1996, pp. 265-298; R. Greenwald et al., "The Effect of School Resources on Student Acheivement", Review of Educational Research, Fall 1996, Volume 66, No. 3, pp. 361-396; R. Ehrenberg and D. Brewer, "Do School and Teacher Characteristics Matter? Evidence from High School and Beyond", Economics of Education Review, March 1994, Volume 13, Issue 1, pp. 1-17; Ron Ferguson, "Paying for public education: New evidence on how and why money matters," Harvard Journal on Legislation, Volume 28, Summer 1991, pp. 465-498; R. Strauss and E. Sawyer, "Some New Evidence on Teacher and Student Competencies", Economics of Education Review, Volume 5, Issue 1, 1986, pp. 41-48; M. McLaughlin and D. Marsh, "Staff development and school change," Teachers College Record, Volume 80, Number 1,1978, pp. 69-94; D. Winkler, "Educational Achievement and School Peer Group Composition," The Journal of Human Resources, Volume 10, No. 2, Spring 1975, pp. 189-204; A. Summers and B. Wolfe, "Do schools make a difference?" The American Economic Review, Volume 67, No. 4, September 1977, pp. 639-652; Eric Hanushek, "Teacher characteristics and gains in student achievement: Estimation using micro data", The American Economic Review, Volume 61, No. 2, May 1971, pp. 280-288.