Secondary Teacher Preparation Policy
Content Test Requirements: Michigan offers an endorsement to teach grades 6-8 that may be added to an elementary license in order to teach single subjects at the 6-8 level. Secondary teachers can also teach single subjects grades 6-8 because the grade span of the secondary license is 6-12. Both secondary teacher candidates and those adding a 6-8 endorsement to an elementary license must pass a subject-specific Michigan Test for Teacher Certification test.
Beginning Fall 2022, Michigan will offer a new middle grades 5-9 license.
Provisional and Emergency Licensure: Because provisional and emergency licensure requirements are scored in Provisional
and Emergency Licensure
, only the test requirements for the state's initial
license are considered as part of this goal.
Ensure that content tests adequately measure sufficient knowledge in all subjects.
Michigan should ensure that its subject-matter tests for
middle school teacher candidates is sufficiently rigorous. The state
should ensure that the required passing scores on each test reflect high
levels of performance. Doing so will help to ensure that every student
is taught by a teacher with adequate subject-matter knowledge.
Michigan was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis. The state also noted that as preparation standards for the new 5-9 grade band are developed, new licensure tests based on these standards will follow.
3A: Middle School Content Knowledge
Middle school grades are critical years of schooling. It is in these years that far too many students fall through the cracks. However, requirements for the preparation and licensure of middle school teachers can be especially problematic. States need to distinguish the knowledge and skills needed by middle school teachers from those needed by an elementary teacher. Whether teaching a single subject in a departmentalized setting or teaching multiple subjects in a self-contained setting, middle school teachers must be able to teach significantly more advanced content than elementary teachers. In order to do so, middle school teachers must be deeply knowledgeable about every subject they will be licensed to teach, and able to pass a licensing test in every core subject to demonstrate this knowledge.[1] The notion that someone should be identically prepared to teach first grade or eighth grade mathematics seems ridiculous, but states that license teachers on a K-8 generalist certificate essentially endorse this idea.