Licensure Loopholes: Iowa

Analysis of Iowa's policies

Iowa allows a one-year, nonrenewable teaching license to new teachers who have not met state requirements if a school needs to fill positions under "unique needs circumstances." This license is also available for teachers who hold out-of-state certification but "have not completed all Iowa requirements for a teaching endorsement."

The state has adopted subject-matter testing requirements only for elementary teachers. 

Citation

Praxis II Testing for New Teachers in Iowa http://www.iowa.gov/educate/ IAC 282--14.115(272) Iowa Requirements for Licensure http://www.boee.iowa.gov/require.html Iowa Administrative Bulletin (2008) http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/ACODOCS/DOCS/10-22-2008.Bulletin.pdf

Recommendations for Iowa

Award standard licenses to teachers only after they have passed all required subject-matter licensing tests.
All students are entitled to teachers who know the subject matter they are teaching. Permitting individuals who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach neglects the needs of students, instead extending personal consideration to adults who may not be able to meet minimal state standards. Licensing tests are an important minimum benchmark in the profession, and states that allow teachers to postpone passing these tests are abandoning one of the basic responsibilities of licensure. As such, Iowa's current policy should require all teachers—not just elementary teacher candidates—to pass subject-matter tests prior to entering the classroom. The state's current policy, though it only allows one-year, nonrenewable licenses for teachers who have not met state requirements, still puts students at risk.

State response to our analysis

Iowa asserted that its code does not currently allow for a one-year, nonrenewable teaching license.

Last word

Iowa's Administrative Code still has policy that a "nonrenwable Class A license valid for one year" is available. This license is less problematic than emergency licenses in other states, since Iowa articulates a strict time limit and ensures that it is nonrenewable. The larger concern in this goal lies in the fact that Iowa does not require subject-matter testing for all teachers, only for elementary teachers.