Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science:
Pennsylvania

Analysis of Pennsylvania's policies

Pennsylvania offers secondary certification in general science. Candidates must only pass the Praxis II "General Science" content test. Teachers with this license are not limited to teaching general science but rather can teach any of the topical areas.

Middle school science teachers in Pennsylvania have the option of a middle level science certificate. Candidates must earn an academic major and, commendably, pass the Praxis II "Middle School Science" test.

Citation

Types of Certificates in PA http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/types_of_certificates/8823 Pennsylvania Code Title 22, Chapters 354.24 Praxis Testing Requirements www.ets.org

Recommendations for Pennsylvania

Require secondary science teachers to pass tests of content knowledge for each science discipline they intend to teach.
States that allow general science certifications—and require only a general content test—are not ensuring that these secondary teachers possess adequate subject-specific content knowledge. Pennsylvania's required assessment combines all subject areas (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics) and does not report separate scores for each subject area. Therefore, candidates could answer many—perhaps all—chemistry questions, for example, incorrectly, yet still be licensed to teach chemistry to high school students.

State response to our analysis

Pennsylvania asserted that while there is a general science assessment, a teacher cannot teach a specific science course (e.g., biology, chemistry) without passing the Praxis II content test. The state also pointed out that it offers 7-12 certificates for each of the following science subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, earth science and environmental education. Each of the sciences has its own content knowledge test, which is required before any of the science subject certificates are issued. Further, each of the sciences has its own program guidelines: "A teacher who holds a general science certificate is not authorized to teach biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences or environmental education."

Last word

NCTQ is unable to find policy that limits teachers with a general science certificate to teaching only general science courses. Rather than rely on assumed common understandings regarding which courses a teacher with a general science certificate may or may not teach, Pennsylvania should articulate specific policy ensuring that all science teachers are required to pass a subject-specific content test for each area they plan to teach.