Secondary Teacher Preparation: Texas

Analysis of Texas's policies

Texas offers single-subject secondary licenses to teach grades 7-12. The state requires that its secondary teacher candidates pass a content test to teach any core secondary subjects.  

Unfortunately, Texas 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 "Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and Social Studies" analysis and recommendations).

Further, to add an additional field to a secondary license, teachers must also pass a content test. However, as stated above, Texas cannot guarantee content knowledge in each specific subject for secondary teachers who add general science or general social studies endorsements. 

Texas requires secondary English teachers to pass the TExES English Language Arts and Reading test, which includes some of the instructional shifts toward building content knowledge and vocabulary through careful reading of informational and literary texts associated with college- and career-readiness standards for students. Although the framework does not specifically mention informational texts, it does require that "the teacher understands reading skills and strategies for various types of nonliterary texts and teaches students to apply these skills and strategies to enhance their lifelong learning."

Although secondary tests in other content areas do not address incorporating literacy skills, the state's educator standards do address them. For example, the secondary social studies teacher must be able to "use a variety of instructional strategies to ensure all students' reading comprehension of content-related texts, including helping students link the content of texts to their lives and connect related ideas across different texts." A similar standard is articulated for each science test as well.

Texas's educator preparation curriculum must include "reading instruction, including instruction that improves students' content-area literacy." The state's newly adopted teacher standards require that "teachers promote literacy and the academic language within the discipline and make discipline-specific language accessible to all learners."

Regarding struggling readers, the framework for the TExES English Language Arts and Reading test articulates that teachers must be able to do the following:    

• Know how to intervene in students' reading process to promote their comprehension and enhance their reading experience (e.g., using questioning, guiding students to make connections between their prior knowledge and texts)    
• Use assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students' strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students' current skills to increase their reading proficiency.

Citation

Testing Requirements www.texes.ets.org Additional Certification by Exam Information http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5317 2014-15 Texas Educator Certification Program Tests http://tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769820630&libID=25769820737 Approved Educator Standards http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Preparation_and_Continuing_Education/Approved_Educator_Standards/ 19 TAC 228.30(b)(1); 149.1001

Recommendations for Texas

Ensure that secondary teachers are prepared to meet the instructional requirements of college- and career-readiness standards for students.

Incorporate informational text of increasing complexity into classroom instruction.
Either through testing frameworks or teacher standards, Texas should specifically address the instructional shifts toward building content knowledge and vocabulary through increasingly complex informational texts and careful reading of informational and literary texts associated with college- and career-readiness standards for students.

Require subject-matter testing for all secondary teacher candidates.
Texas wisely requires subject-matter tests for most secondary teachers but should address any loopholes that undermine this policy (see "Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and Social Studies" analysis and recommendations). This applies to the addition of endorsements as well.

State response to our analysis

Texas recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state noted that reviews of the educator standards upon which the certification examinations are based are an ongoing activity. Texas added that recommendations for proposed changes to the educator standards in the classroom teacher certificate class will be made by a classroom teacher advisory committee that is scheduled to be formed by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) in October of 2015. The anticipated effective date of proposed changes will depend on the recommendations from this advisory committee.