General Teacher Preparation Policy
GPA/Testing Requirement: New Hampshire does not require a minimum GPA for admission to teacher preparation programs.
New Hampshire requires that approved undergraduate teacher preparation programs accept only teacher candidates who have passed a basic skills test (the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators). Although the state sets the minimum score for this test, it is normed only to the prospective teacher population. Candidates can also qualify for admission by scoring at or above the 50th percentile on the SAT, ACT, or GRE.
Diversity Programs: New Hampshire is not implementing any programs designed to increase the diversity of its teacher candidates.
Require that teacher preparation programs screen candidates for academic proficiency prior to admission using sufficiently rigorous criteria.
Teacher preparation programs that do not screen candidates invest considerable resources in individuals who may not be able to successfully complete the program, pass licensing tests, and ultimately succeed in the classroom. Candidates in need of additional support should complete remediation before entering the program to avoid the possibility of an unsuccessful investment of significant public resources. New Hampshire should require candidates to pass a test of academic proficiency that assesses reading, mathematics, and writing prior to program admission that is normed to the general college-going population. Allowing candidates to qualify for admission by scoring at or above the 50th percentile in the SAT, ACT, or GRE is a strong admission requirement, but it is weakened by allowing candidates to take the Praxis Core, which is only normed to the prospective teacher population. Alternatively, the state could require a minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 for individuals or 3.2 for cohorts of accepted candidates in order to establish that prospective teachers have a strong academic history.
Support programs that encourage greater numbers of qualified individuals of color to enter and successfully complete teacher preparation programs.
New Hampshire should support strategies — such as scholarships, mentorships, "grow your own," and academic support programs — that aim to increase teacher diversity in a manner that does not diminish teacher licensure, certification, and entry requirements. Intentionally recruiting a diverse pool of candidates into teacher preparation programs can benefit both programs and the students that these candidates will eventually teach.
Consider requiring candidates to pass subject-matter tests as a condition of admission into teacher programs.
In addition to ensuring that programs require a measure of academic performance for admission, New Hampshire may also consider requiring subject-matter testing prior to program admission, rather than at the point of program completion. Doing so would provide candidates lacking sufficient subject-matter expertise with an opportunity to remedy deficits prior to entering formal preparation.
New Hampshire recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
That state added that most of its institutions require a 3.0 GPA for admission to an educator preparation program. The state commented that this reform is well underway in the state but not because of state rule; rather it is because institutions see the value themselves in a strong academic background.
New Hampshire further noted that nearly all of its agencies approach policy work and the related procedural elements with deep stakeholder engagement and a high level of collaboration. The state believes that while this may slow the policy development stage down, in the end, it makes for smoother implementation and transition as policy is not pursued with a heavy hand and a top-down mentality, in other words, "we go slow to go fast." The state commented that this type of approach to work has a high degree of applicability throughout the Yearbook goals. New Hampshire asserted that by facilitating deep dialogue on nearly all topics in this Yearbook, it is making many of these reforms — not through a state policy and compliance-oriented approach, but rather through rich discussion about how these are the right things to do for students, for education preparation candidates, and for communities. New Hampshire added that the reforms are coming from the bottom up— the institutions themselves, and expressed the belief that if stakeholders are a part of the solution, the impact of reform is much deeper and more robust.
New Hampshire also encouraged NCTQ to carefully consider those states that value stakeholder input, local control, and the diverse needs of communities and institutions within a state.
NCTQ's appreciates New Hampshire's request to consider additional goals and will keep these considerations in mind during our development of future Yearbook goals.
1A: Program Entry
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.[1] 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.[2] Previous analysis has shown that many states do not require that preparation programs evaluate candidates' academic proficiency as a condition of admission to teacher preparation at all; most others set a low bar by requiring basic skills tests that generally assess middle school-level skills[3] or by requiring a minimum GPA, but too few demand at least a 3.0.
In addition to the low skill level tested by current basic skills tests (e.g., the Praxis Core), another concern is that they are normed only to the prospective teacher population, which does not allow for comparability between prospective teachers and the entire college-bound 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.
While a positive start, CAEP standards are no substitute for states' own policies. CAEP's standards require that the group average performance on nationally normed ability assessments such as ACT, SAT, or GRE be in the top 50th percentile. However, CAEP allows programs the unnecessary freedom to determine whether the minimum criteria will be measured prior to admissions or at some point during the program. Clear state admission policies would send an unequivocal message to programs about the state's expectations for high admissions standards.[4]
Research is clear about the positive effects of teachers with stronger academic backgrounds on student achievement.[5] Higher teacher selectivity, as measured by factors such as SAT/ACT scores,[6] GPA prior to program admission,[7] and an institute of higher education's (IHE) general competitiveness or selectivity,[8] has a significant, positive correlation with student achievement. Some studies support higher academic admissions standards for entry into TPPs, including studies showing a relationship between student achievement and teachers' verbal ability[9] or selectivity of the teachers' college.[10] Although research supports applying greater selectivity when admitting teacher candidates, some recent work has found no correlation between teachers' scores on tests normed to the general college-bound population (e.g., SAT, ACT) or IHE selectivity and student achievement.[11]
States should support increased diversity in the teacher pipeline,[12] in addition to maintaining high admissions standards for teacher preparation programs.[13] Recent data show that 49 percent of students in the US were students of color, while only 17 percent of teachers were teachers of color.[14] Twenty-eight states had gaps between the percentage of students and educators of color that were greater than 25 percentage points.[15] A growing body of research suggests that students of color—students who often face the largest achievement gaps—benefit from having same-race teachers.[16] Exposure to same-race teachers positively benefits student achievement,[17] teachers' expectations and perceptions of students,[18] teachers' assessments and perceptions of student behavior,[19] students' rates of suspension and expulsion,[20] students' assignment to Gifted and Talented programs,[21] and students' perceptions of teachers.[22] Some research suggests that teachers of the same race as their students are more likely to reduce high-school dropout rates as well as increase student attendance and college attendance intent,[23] and improve discipline.[24] Moreover, white students report that they favor teachers of color.[25]