Secondary Teacher Preparation: Nevada

Analysis of Nevada's policies

Nevada does not ensure that all secondary teachers are adequately prepared to teach grade-level content. 

Nevada requires that its secondary teacher candidates pass a Praxis II content test to teach any core secondary subjects.  Unfortunately, Nevada permits a significant loophole to this important policy by allowing both general science and general social studies licenses, without requiring subject-matter testing for each subject area within these disciplines (see Goals 1-G and 1-H).

To add an endorsement to an existing secondary license, teachers in Nevada must submit transcripts to verify the minimum credits required.

Citation

Nevada Administrative Code 391.036

Recommendations for Nevada

Require subject-matter testing for all secondary teacher candidates.
Nevada wisely requires subject-matter tests for most secondary teachers but should address any loopholes that undermine this policy (see Goals 1-G and 1-H).

Require subject-matter testing when adding subject-area endorsements.
Nevada 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. While 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.

State response to our analysis

Nevada recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.