Licensure Deficiencies: New York

Analysis of New York's policies

Content Test Requirements: New York requires early childhood education candidates, who are licensed to teach elementary grades through grade 2, to pass the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYTCE) Multi Subject: Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 2) test, which is comprised of three separately scored subtests. Subtest I is English Language arts, subtest II is mathematics and subtest III covers science, social studies, fine arts, health, fitness, and other subjects.

Scientifically Based Reading Instruction: The assessment contains a separately scored English language arts/literacy section and amounts to a stand-alone reading test.

Informational Texts: New York's framework for the NYSTCE Multi-Subjects Test: Teachers of Early Childhood assessment includes some of the instructional shifts toward building content knowledge and vocabulary through increasingly complex texts and careful reading of informational and literary texts associated with the state's college- and career-readiness standards for students. The test framework addresses "text complexity and instruction in text comprehension" and outlines the following performance indicators:

• Demonstrates understanding of how emergent text comprehension relates to comprehension skills that are the focus of instruction in later grades and to essential college- and career-readiness text-comprehension skills
• Demonstrates understanding of the role of asking a range of cognitively complex questions that require students to respond using text-based evidence
• Applies knowledge of quantitative tools and measures for evaluating text complexity.

Citation

NYSTCE Test Requirements http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/PDFs/NY221_222_245_OBJ_DRAFT.pdf New York State Teacher Certification Examination www.nystce.nesinc.com

Recommendations for New York

Require a content test that ensures sufficient knowledge in all subjects.
Although New York is on the right track by administering a three-part licensing test, thus making it harder for teachers to pass the overall test if they fail some subject areas, we encourage the state to further strengthen its policy and require separate passing scores for each core subject on its elementary test. Doing so will help to ensure that every student is taught by a teacher with adequate subject-matter knowledge.

Ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to meet the instructional requirements of college- and career-readiness standards for students.
Incorporate literacy skills as an integral part of every subject.
To ensure that elementary students are capable of accessing varied information about the world around them, New York should also—either through testing frameworks or teacher standards—include literacy skills and using text to build content knowledge in history/social studies, science, technical subjects and the arts.

State response to our analysis

New York stated that Teachers of Early Childhood Education candidates are required to complete at least six semester hours in language acquisition and literacy development by native English speakers and students who are English language learners, and skilled in developing the listening , speaking, reading, and writing skills of all students. In addition, the state noted that programs must prepare candidates with a knowledge base for assisting students in grades birth through grade 2 in meeting the state student learning standards. The state learning standards include the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. These standards address literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects, and practitioners are expected to address the incorporation of literacy skills across core content areas.

New York indicated that the state's learning standards also include the New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core that describes how practitioners are expected to address the incorporation of literacy skills across core content areas, including mathematics, science, social studies, the arts and technology. For example, applying literacy skills to the math content is embedded in the elementary school teacher's math instruction. To answer questions, students must be able to read "terms such as top, bottom, up, down, in front of, behind, over, under, and next to" as well as read terms that "name shapes regardless of size" (page 27). Similar examples in other content areas occur when teachers immerse students in academic domain specific language during their lessons, which include the use of print materials that require the application of literary skills to understand the information.

New York also cited test competencies from its Educating All Students Test: 

• Competency 0002 English Language Learners "The New York State educator understands the characteristics, strengths, and needs of English Language Learners and effectively uses this knowledge to assist in developing their language and literacy skills and promoting their achievement of learning standards in all content areas. "Performance Indicators g and h for this competency require candidates to apply literacy skills across the content areas for this population.
  • "g. applies knowledge of strategies for supporting English Language Learners' development of content area literacy skills and for teaching English Language Learners how to use literacy skills as tools for learning"
  • h. applies knowledge of criteria and procedures for evaluating, selecting, creating, and adjusting instructional materials and strategies and assessment systems and practices to meet the learning needs of English Language Learners and to promote their achievement of learning standards in all content areas."

Updated: December 2017