Secondary Teacher Preparation Policy
Content Test Requirements: Hawaii offers single-subject secondary licenses to teach grades 6-12.
Hawaii has five options for verifying content knowledge for licensure:
Require subject-matter testing for secondary teacher candidates.
As a condition of licensure, Hawaii should require its secondary teacher candidates to pass a content test in each subject area they plan to teach to ensure that they possess adequate subject-matter knowledge and are prepared to teach grade-level content. The state's policy allows teacher candidates to demonstrate content knowledge in ways that do not include the passage of a mathematics
subtest. Relevant higher-level coursework provides the foundation for
requisite content knowledge, but to ensure that teacher candidates
possess sufficient mathematics subject-matter knowledge for the
elementary classroom, Hawaii should require all teacher candidates to
pass a rigorous test.
Require subject-matter testing when adding subject-area endorsements.
Hawaii should require passing scores on subject-specific content tests, regardless of other coursework or degree requirements, for teachers who are licensed in core secondary subjects and wish to add another subject area, or endorsement, to their licenses. Although coursework may be generally indicative of background in a particular subject area, only a subject-matter test ensures that teachers know the specific content they will need to teach.
Hawaii recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis, however this analysis was updated subsequent to the state's review.
3D: Secondary Content Knowledge
Completion of coursework provides no assurance that prospective teachers know the specific content they will teach. Secondary teachers must be experts in the subject matter they teach, and a rigorous, subject-matter specific test ensures that teacher candidates are sufficiently and appropriately knowledgeable in their content area. In fact, research suggests that a positive correlation exists between teachers' content knowledge and the academic achievement of their students.[1] Coursework is generally only indicative of background in a subject area; even a major offers no certainty of what content has been covered. A history major, for example, could have studied relatively little American history or almost exclusively American history. To assume that the major has adequately prepared the candidate to teach American history, European history, or ancient civilizations is an unwarranted leap of faith, whereas a rigorous content test could verify aspiring teachers' knowledge in each topic area.
Requirements should be just as rigorous when adding an endorsement to an existing license. Many states will allow teachers to add a content area endorsement to their license simply on the basis of having completed coursework. As described above, the completion of coursework does not offer assurance of specific content knowledge. Even states that require a content test for initial licensure should require an additional content test for adding an endorsement.