Licensing exams trip up teacher candidates, and failure pushes many out of the field, report shows
Jul. 25—Dozens of would-be educators abandon their goals of teaching children after failing their first attempts on licensing exams, according to a new report that shows wide differences in how well different teacher-training programs prepare their candidates for the tests.
Before they take over a classroom, teachers have to pass exams to prove they know the content area they will be teaching.
Statewide, about 43% of elementary school teacher candidates passed what is typically the toughest exam — social studies — on the first try, according to data released this week by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
The data showed wide disparities in test performance between students from different colleges and highlighted how dozens of trained candidates walk away from teaching after failing the exam once.
Failure on the exams is common, said Dianna Terrell, a professor in the education department at Saint Anselm College. She compared it to candidates needing multiple tries to pass the bar exam for lawyers or registration exams for architects.
"We try to normalize ... the idea that 'if at first you don't succeed...,'" Terrell said in an email. Failing a licensing exam is not a sign that someone is unqualified to teach. Failure might indicate a candidate needs a refresher in a subject, such as math or social studies.
Passing rates are far higher on subsequent tests. More than 80% of New Hampshire elementary teaching candidates pass the exam eventually, often requiring more than one attempt.
But not everyone can afford to try again, Terrell said. The exams are expensive, which discourages some prospective teachers.
According to the National Center on Teacher Quality's data, almost a quarter of the people who failed the social studies portion of the elementary teacher's licensing exam in New Hampshire between 2015 and 2018 did not attempt the test a second time.
It's not unusual for candidates to take the exams more than once, but Kate Walsh, the council's president, said not passing can be a burden for would-be teachers.
"It's a delay on working for the job. It's demoralizing because they internalize the failure," Walsh said. "They blame themselves. They don't blame it on the program."
Among students of color in New Hampshire, 29% did not take the test after failing on the first try.
Elementary school teachers are not in short supply in New Hampshire, but the state has relatively few teachers of color. Walsh said the data showed the exams play a role.
"New Hampshire is losing about a third of the candidates of color who take this test," she said. "For whatever reason, they never try again."
Walsh said she thinks the differences in first-time passing rates between colleges show that some schools prepare teaching candidates better than others.
Walsh said she wants colleges to find ways to better prepare students to pass the exams on the first try, especially because so many who fail the first time do not try again.
"The fact that very high numbers of people who want to teach don't have basic knowledge of math or history or science becomes the problem of higher education."
Fewer than one in three candidates from three New Hampshire programs — Franklin Pierce University, New England College and Southern New Hampshire University — passed the tests on the first attempt between 2015 and 2018. On the other end, more than 80% of candidates at Dartmouth College and Antioch University New England passed the exams the first time.
Nicholas Marks, a professor of education at Granite State College, said a student's educational background could make a difference in their performance on the licensing exams. Even beyond how well students did in high school, the wealth or poverty of the schools they attended can have an impact on content knowledge.
He said several years ago, Granite State College decided to integrate test prep into its curriculum instead of charging for a separate test-prep course. Granite State College is mostly online, but Marks said the school has in-person tutoring to help teacher candidates get ready for the exams.
The National Council on Teacher Quality data showed disparities in licensing test results between schools with wealthier and poorer students, as measured by the percentage of students who receive Pell grants — federal financial aid for students from poor families.
Of the three New Hampshire colleges with more than 35% of their students from low-income families, the first-time pass rate at Granite State College is the highest. Half of the college's teacher candidates pass the social studies exam on the first try.
Value of exams
Exams to prove a teacher candidate knows subject matter content are still a valuable part of licensing and certification, Walsh said.
"The profession has to stand proud, and say the folks we admitted to this profession know the content they're going to teach," Walsh said. "When we remove those expectations, we pay a deep price."
Debbi Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers of New Hampshire, one of the state's two teachers unions, said pass rates on the exams are not the only way to evaluate a teacher training program.
"Yes, you have to know what to teach, but you also have to know how to teach," she said, which includes how to manage a class, work one-on-one with students and individualize lessons. "It's the craft of teaching that's so vital."
Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire, said subject matter expertise is not necessarily an indicator that someone will be a good teacher. Other parts of the licensing process, like classroom-based performance assessments, show those skills.
Mastery of the craft is harder to measure, Howes said. "You can't know until you're in the classroom with the kids, without the training wheels."
The New Hampshire data can be found at https://passrates.nctq.org/state/new-hampshire/
