Table of Contents
US School System
The State Education Boards
Teaching Certificate
Teaching Education
Testing
How to Get a Job without Being Certified
Qualification for Foreign-Educated Teachers
Finding a Teaching Job
Resources at EAS

This handout provides an overview of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching education in the US. It also contains information on how to gain certification to teach at a US elementary, middle or secondary school and ways to find a teaching job both with and without being certified.

In the US, teacher certification requirements vary from state to state. Unlike the UK's Postgraduate Certification in Education (PGCE), there is no one set course that is taken to gain certification; the types of classes education students take vary depending which university they attend and the state the university is located in. To find out about requirements in a given state, contact that state's board of education. See "The State Education Boards" section of this handout for further details.

US School System at a Glance
Not just teaching, but all aspects of US education vary from state to state. There is no National Curriculum for US school children. US Grade levels and school types also are different from those in the UK. Please refer to the US Educational Advisory Service (EAS) "School Education in the US" handout for more detailed information on the US school system.

Grade Levels
Schools in the US are divided into grade levels, generally are based upon how old the students are. In most cases, in autumn of the year in which they are age five, students enrol in kindergarten. From there, they advance a grade each year, proceeding from grade one up to grade twelve.

The twelve grade levels are grouped into units of elementary/primary, middle and secondary. In most states, prospective teachers become certified to teach one of these three levels, but it is possible to gain middle and secondary school certification, or primary and middle school certification, at the same time.

School types in the US

Public Schools: At US public schools, students' education is free. Public schools are run by state governments, and each state is divided into school districts at the local level. While the state board defines certification requirements for teaching, the school district or the school itself hires teachers.

Private Schools: Students must pay to attend US private schools. As private schools are not under the state government's control, they do not need to follow the state's certification requirements. Therefore, private schools are allowed to hire non-certified teachers. See more about this in the "How to Get a Teaching Job without being Certified" section of this handout. Generally, private school teachers are paid less than those in public schools but classes are usually smaller. Teachers also may have more control over lesson plans.

There are other types of schools prospective teachers may consider, such as parochial schools, overseen by a local parish, teaching religious studies in addition to a secular curriculum. Charter schools are independently-run public schools governed by a public board of trustees.

The State Education Boards
While the federal government ultimately does control education policy, considerable autonomy is given to the individual states. Therefore, it is the government of an individual US state that oversees teaching qualifications as well as many curriculum issues. To find out about certification qualifications for a specific state, contact the individual state's board of education. A list of state boards and contact information can be found in our handout, "State Departments of Education" or click here. These boards oversee certification for public school teachers, but not for private school teachers (although many private school teachers are certified). Therefore, the information that follows regards how to attain certification to teach at a US public school.

Prospective teachers must have certification from the state where they will be teaching, but approximately 40 states and Washington D.C. currently have a reciprocity agreement that allows certification in one state to count in other states as well. Transfers to some states are provisional, meaning that teachers will need to complete extra requirements to come in line with that state's standards while they are starting their job.

Certification at a Glance
Although certification does vary from state to state, there are some requirements that are consistent for all states. To become certified, teachers must have:

A. A Bachelor's degree from a four-year college (not necessarily with a major in education)

B. Completed an accredited teacher training program

C. Taken a certain number of subject and education credits

D. Done some practice teaching ("student teaching" is usually a component of certification programmes)

Prospective teachers must complete an application for certification, which is available from the state department of education. The processing fee for completed forms can be around $100.

Please note that there are some ways for people who have not filled all of the above certification requirements to get public school teaching jobs. See the "How to get a Teaching Job Without being Certified" section of this handout.

Teaching Education - Degree Programmes for Certification
In most cases, prospective teachers complete the above certification requirements by taking education courses. These can be taken at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, and education programmes are often tailored to provide certification in the state where the college is located.

Undergraduate Programmes
At some universities, "education" is an undergraduate major, at others, this is not so. In the latter case, prospective teachers take education courses in addition to their academic major. Some undergraduate institutions, allow students to declare an education major upon matriculation. At others, students declare an education major or entry into a teacher preparation programme in their first, second or third year. Often, entry into a teacher preparation programme is not automatic; applicants can be turned down. Entrance often demands certain requirements that can include minimum test scores, prerequisite academic courses and a minimum grade point average (with "grade point average" being a measure of students' academic performance).

In some states, students must take a fifth year of coursework to complete teacher certification requirements. After receiving a Bachelor's degree at the end of the fourth year, students continue on for an extra year at the same university to complete certification requirements.

Please note that not all US undergraduate institutions offer an education major or a teacher preparation program.

Postgraduate Programmes
Prospective teachers who did not take requisite education classes as part of their undergraduate degree can attain certification by doing postgraduate coursework. Postgraduate teaching programmes are a useful way to attain certification for mid-career changers and for those who did not complete education coursework during their undergraduate years. Schools offer full time and/ or part time graduate programmes. These programmes are known by names including post-baccalaureate, licensure, certification or fifth-year programmes. Many postgraduate programmes are non-degree programmes; they provide certification but no degree.

Other postgraduate programmes lead to certification and a master's degree. A master's degree is not necessary to receive teaching certification. Most states, however, require teachers to participate in continuing education activities to retain certification. Working towards a master's degree is one of many ways to renew certification in some states. Teachers who have a master's in an education field usually receive a higher salary and can move up to administrative positions. However, teachers with master's degrees sometimes can have a more difficult time finding a first job as some schools prefer to hire teachers with less advanced training.

There are two types of master's degrees relevant to teaching: the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and the Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed). They are similar, but the M.S.Ed is broader in scope. In addition to studying pedagogy, M.S.Ed candidates also can learn about educational policy and administrative issues.

Other advanced degree programmes include the Doctor of Education (EdD), which focuses on curriculum and instructional design and prepares students for advanced administrative positions; and the PhD, which prepares students to conduct research, engage in evaluation and assessment and pursue teaching education positions in higher education.

Curriculum within a Teaching Education Programme
Teacher education programmes vary from state to state and also within each state. Most programmes, however, emphasise the following areas:

A. The liberal arts, with a focus in the curriculum area of speciality (more for undergraduate than postgraduate programmes)

B. Pedagogy, or the study of how to teach

C. Field experience

Within an education programme, students usually specialise in the education level that they intend to teach: elementary, middle, or secondary. Students also can concentrate in such areas as special education, or specific subject areas, such as music, art or physical education.

Elementary Education:Prospective elementary teachers often can major solely in elementary education and may not need to major in or gain expertise in a second subject area. Students on an elementary education track take courses designed for teaching maths, physical science, social science, art, music and literature as well as general education classes.

Secondary School Education: In addition to taking education courses, secondary school teachers usually must complete a major in the subject area they wish to teach.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Teaching School The factors listed below are especially relevant when considering teaching schools.

• Location. As the majority of education programmes lead to certification in the state where the college is located, it often is wise for students to study in the state where they intend to teach. Do note, however, that reciprocity agreements between many states ease the challenge of finding a job in a state other than where certification was earned.

• Specifics of teacher education program. Education curricula does vary greatly depending on the institution, so prospective students should see if the offerings meet their interests. It also is wise to find out about student teaching programmes. For the most part, universities in rural areas will have partnerships with rural schools; suburban universities with suburban schools; and urban universities with urban schools. Therefore, prospective teachers might want to attend an education programme at a school in an area similar to where they may want to teach.

• Accreditation. Accreditation is the system of recognition and quality assurance for institutions and programmes of higher education in the US. Contact the state department of education to determine if a teaching education programme in a particular state is accredited and will offer valid certification.

Testing
In most states, prospective teachers must take one or more exam to become certified. Teacher education programmes often will help prepare students for necessary tests. The most commonly used test is called The Praxis Series, which is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Currently, 43 states require some sort of test and 35 of those 43 states require The Praxis Series.

Praxis is a series of three tests. The Praxis Series tests are taken at different times in the certification process. They include the following material:

Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments. This test measures general academic knowledge.

Praxis II: Subject Assessments. The version of this test that is taken varies depending on what subject the student wants to teach. Praxis II combines multiple-choice questions and candidate-constructed responses to measure both breadth and depth of knowledge in a specific subject matter.

Praxis III: Classroom Performance Assessments. This test combines essays, listening assessment, oral response tasks, portfolio review, video stimuli and in-class observation.

Not every state requires certification candidates to take all of or the same combination of Praxis tests. The type and number of tests taken also depends on the type of certification the student is intending. Contact each state board of education to find out about required tests. The information is also listed on their website.

How to get a teaching job without being certified

Emergency Certification
In some states, there is a shortage of certified teachers. To make sure that there are enough teachers to fill classrooms, some states will offer emergency certification to prospective teachers who have not met the state's minimum certification requirements. These teachers are granted an emergency certification certificate under the stipulation that, in addition to their teaching duties, they must be taking relevant educational coursework to receive official certification.

These alternative licensing schemes are especially common for teachers of maths, science, special education and bilingual education, subject areas in which the supply of qualified teachers traditionally does not meet the demand. Emergency certification also is common in high-need geographic areas, such as urban locations.

Private Schools
Private schools generally do not require teachers to be licensed by the state, so that is a route that many prospective teachers who do not have formal education training take to find a job.

Qualification for Foreign-Educated Teachers
Guidelines for certification for foreign-educated teachers vary from state to state. Generally, foreign-educated teachers will need to have completed the equivalent of both a US undergraduate degree and a teacher preparation programme that meets the standards of the state in which they intend to teach.

Generally, applications from foreign-educated teachers must be accompanied by a credential evaluation report. This report explains foreign credentials and is written by an outside organisation for a small fee. Oftentimes, states only accept reports from designated credential evaluators.

If prospective teachers do not meet the state's minimum certification requirements, they can do additional coursework to come in line with a specific state's standards. Even if foreign-educated teachers meet a state's minimum requirements and need no further coursework, they likely will need to take a test if that state requires testing as part of its certification.

Non-US citizens also will need to obtain a visa from their home country's embassy to teach in the US. Contact the US Embassy for more information about visa requirements.

PGCE-Trained Applicants
Prospective teachers who have completed the British PGCE, like other applicants with foreign-training, generally need to obtain a credential evaluation report before finding out from a state if British credentials meet its requirements. In general, credential evaluators equate a one-year PGCE course as the equivalent of an undergraduate major in education, although the state boards of education do have the final say. British-educated applicants who have completed an undergraduate teaching programme as well as the one-year PGCE course generally are looked at as having one year of graduate standing as well as the undergraduate standing. In addition to submitting PGCE and university transcripts, British-educated students also should send A-level results to credential evaluators.

Finding a Teaching Job
There is no centralised national job listing regarding teaching vacancies. Students' university careers offices often are a helpful resource for finding a job.

Hiring at Public Schools
Some state departments of education do have a placement bureau, but hiring often is done at the school district level. Individual schools are responsible for hiring teachers in some states.

There are some teacher placement agencies that assist qualified teachers find jobs for a fee. Some placement agencies only will serve foreign nationals who already have a US work permit. The National Association of Teachers' Agencies (NATA) maintains a free list of teacher placement agencies. The internet has a host of websites that list education job posts throughout the nation but allow job-seekers to search by state.

Hiring at Private Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) can provide information on how to find a private school teaching position. For the most part, prospective teachers will apply to each school directly. There also are some placement agencies that assist private school job-seekers, one of which is www.carneysandoe.org.

Short-Term Work
Foreign-educated teachers might want to participate in an exchange programme that allows for short-term teaching placements in a US school. More information on this option can be found at Opportunities for Teachers, Administrators and Lecturers.

Resources at EAS
EAS receives a grant from the US Department of State to provide information and advice on US Education. EAS houses a resource centre including a free reference library with several directories concerning teaching education in the US (listed below); catalogues from US universities, test preparation guides for reference use; and application forms for the SAT I and II, ACT and TOEFL examinations. Students and teachers are welcome to use these resources from 1.30pm to 7.00pm on Monday and from 1.30pm to 5.00pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Specific Books for Teaching Education Available in the EAS Library (reference use only)
Alternative Paths to Teaching: A Directory of Postbaccalaureate Programs. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
Peterson's Guide to Colleges for Careers in Teaching. Princeton, NJ: Peterson's.
Teacher Certification Tests. Lawrenceville, NJ: ARCO.
Teacher Preparation: A Guide to College and Universities. Washington, DC: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Sources of Additional Information
US Department of Education .
400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington DC 20202-0498; Tel: 001 202 401 2000; email: usa_learn@ed.gov; website: http://www.ed.gov

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education
1307 New York Ave., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-4701
Tel: 001 800 822 9229; website: www.ericsp.org
Extensive database on topics ranging from getting certification to finding a job.

Provides links to testing requirements for all 50 states: www.ets.org/praxis/prxstate.html

National Association of Independent Schools
1620 L Street NW Suite 1100, Washington DC 20036-5695
Tel: 001 202 973 9700; website: www.nais.org