Secondary Teacher Preparation Policy
Content Test Requirements: Utah requires a secondary license (grades 6-12) for middle school teachers. All new middle school teachers in Utah are required to pass a Praxis II subject-matter test to attain licensure. Secondary teacher candidates teaching middle grades are also required to take subject-specific assessments.
Middle School Licensure Deficiencies: Unfortunately, Utah offers a generalist K-8 license. Because middle school licensure deficiencies are scored in 3-B "Middle School Licensure Deficiencies," it is not considered as part of the score for the Middle School Content Knowledge goal.
Require subject-matter testing for all middle school teacher candidates.
Utah wisely requires subject-matter tests for most middle school teachers but should address any deficiencies that undermine this policy (see 3-B: Middle School Licensure Deficiencies analysis and recommendations).
Utah further clarified that the state's Elementary (1-8) license is only valid in 6th, 7th and 8th grades in an elementary setting. To teach in a middle school/junior high setting, such an individual would need to also hold the appropriate content endorsement (which would require passing the applicable content test). The latter example represents the vast majority of middle school-aged students in the state. The use of an elementary setting in these grades is limited to Necessarily Existent Small Schools and a handful of charter schools.
3A: Middle School Content Knowledge
Middle school grades are critical years of schooling. It is in these years that far too many students fall through the cracks. However, requirements for the preparation and licensure of middle school teachers can be especially problematic. States need to distinguish the knowledge and skills needed by middle school teachers from those needed by an elementary teacher. Whether teaching a single subject in a departmentalized setting or teaching multiple subjects in a self-contained setting, middle school teachers must be able to teach significantly more advanced content than elementary teachers. In order to do so, middle school teachers must be deeply knowledgeable about every subject they will be licensed to teach, and able to pass a licensing test in every core subject to demonstrate this knowledge.[1] The notion that someone should be identically prepared to teach first grade or eighth grade mathematics seems ridiculous, but states that license teachers on a K-8 generalist certificate essentially endorse this idea.