Background Information on Teacher Education in Pennsylvania

Once employed, the School Code requires teachers to participate in continuing professional education that relates to their needs and those of their employers; each teacher must complete at least six college credits, six credits of continuing education courses, 180 hours of continuing education, or any combination of the three every five years (24 P.S. § 1205.2).   Each district must develop a continuing education plan that specifies its approach to meeting this requirement, and those plans are subject to PDE approval (24 P.S. § 1205.1).

State Board regulations and PDE standards provide most of the legal basis of the state’s teacher education system.  The Board gives the Department authority to set specific standards for approving teacher education programs, but spells out 13 criteria (22 Pa. Code § 49.14).  The regulations also prescribe 10 criteria that teacher candidates must meet, including knowledge of content to be taught, child development, instructional strategies, formal and informal assessment strategies, methods of planning instruction, communication skills, and professionalism (22 Pa. Code § 49.81).  Teachers are required to pass state licensure tests in reading, writing, mathematics, and content knowledge of the subjects to be taught, as well as performance-based assessments of pedagogical skills administered by university faculty supervisors. (22 Pa. Code § 49.18).  Teachers who meet these requirements receive an Instructional I certificate and have six years to complete 24 hours of additional course work, a one-year induction program, and satisfactory ratings by their districts in order to obtain an Instructional II certificate (22 Pa. Code § 49.83).  The regulations spell out the types of certificates needed to teach various grade levels (22 Pa. Code § 49.85).  Chapter 49 of State Board regulations, which governs certification, can be found on the web at: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter49/022_0049.pdf.  The Board has proposed revisions in these regulations that can be found at: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed/lib/stateboard_ed/Chapter49revisionscleanGD3-28-05.pdf.  Recently, PDE proposed further changes that would revise the scope of certificates for future early childhood, elementary, and special education teachers.  The State Board has begun its consideration of this proposal, which will proceed on a track separate from the Commission’s, although the State Board’s work may impact on ours and vice versa.

PDE’s program approval standards are fairly detailed and can be found in 22 Pa. Code Chapter 354.  These include academic performance requirements, including a 3.0 grade point average to enter and graduate from a teacher education program and academic courses equivalent to those of majors in the field to be taught (22 Pa. Code § 354.24); integration of academic and pedagogical coursework (22 Pa. Code § 354.25); sequential field experiences and a student teaching experience of at least 12 weeks (22 Pa. Code § 354.25); and demonstrated teaching competency (22 Pa. Code § 354.33).  The standards also address faculty quality (22 Pa. Code § 354.41).  Chapter 354 can be accessed on the web at: http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol30/30-41/1719.html.  The Department also promulgates program specific standards for each academic area of teaching. 

Teacher Preparation:  The vast majority of Pennsylvania teachers receive their initial preparation in one of 95 colleges and universities approved by PDE to prepare teachers.  Most of these are four-year undergraduate programs that combine arts and sciences and teacher education courses.  Some offer graduate level teacher education for students who have completed bachelor’s degrees in another academic area.  PDE approves teacher education programs through program reviews that are based upon the institution meeting the general standards (Chapter 354) and the specific program standards.  Every five years each institution is subject to a major program review, in which PDE assembles a team of teacher educators from other institutions and K-12 personnel to examine self-study documents provided by the institution and to conduct a three-day on-campus review that involves interviews with administrators, faculty, students, and graduates.  Pennsylvania does not specify what courses a teacher candidate must take.  Rather, it requires completion of a teacher education program that combines the equivalent content of academic majors for areas to be taught, teacher education courses that meet the state standards, sequential field experiences and a minimum of 12 weeks of student teaching, and a program that is aligned with the state’s K-12 academic standards.

Since 1969, Pennsylvania has had an intern certification program.  This program is designed primarily for mid-career professionals who want to teach.  It requires that a candidate hold a bachelor’s degree in another field and meet the same criteria as other teacher education candidates – a minimum 3.0 GPA, six credits in math and six credits in English composition and literature, and passing scores on state licensure tests.  An intern candidate enrolled in one of the 39 institutions can obtain an intern certificate allowing him or her to teach while enrolled in the program; the intern certificate is good for up to three years, during which candidates must complete the intern program. Each institution designs its own program, and some require more coursework than others.  The work done in a K-12 school on an intern certificate qualifies as meeting the student teaching requirement, and the coursework counts toward the 24 credits required to convert an Instructional I to an Instructional II certificate.

Pennsylvania also recognizes teachers certified in other states, as long as they meet the basic requirements for certification in Pennsylvania.  It is part of an interstate agreement with 44 other states and the District of Columbia. 

The state recognizes the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) as an acceptable alternative route to gain a certificate and its assessment as equivalent to the state’s licensure tests.  ABCTE teachers receive one-year teaching permits in elementary education, English, or math and establish a mentor relationship with either St. Joseph’s University or Point Park University.  After on year of teaching, the mentor university determines if the candidate is eligible for an Instructional I certificate.

Finally, teachers who have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) automatically qualify for an Instructional II certificate.

Continuing Professional Education:  First year teachers are required to participate in a year-long induction program including a relationship with a professional mentor.  School districts must submit induction plans for PDE approval, but the state provides little in the way of criteria for such programs, including the selection or training of mentors and the content or focus of the induction programs themselves.

Throughout their careers, teachers are required to participate in continuing professional education consisting of at least six credits of university study, six credits of approved professional development courses, or 180 hours of approved professional development activity every five years.  Continuing professional education can be provided by institutions of higher education, intermediate units, school districts, or any provider approved by PDE.  While the statute specifies that these professional development activities be related to a teacher’s certification area or to one to which he or she may be transferred, there is considerable anecdotal evidence that approved courses are not always well focused on improving a teacher’s ability to improve student achievement.

PDE also provides some direct professional education, including week-long intensive summer institutes and academies.  Last summer, there were 21 Governor’s Institutes in specific curriculum areas and the Governor’s Academy on Urban Education.  In addition, PDE provides under contract an Online Pennsylvania Education Network (OPEN).  Currently, there are 31 courses available at no cost to Pennsylvania educators, and OPEN is working on offering cohort-based courses requiring the integration of content with practice in teachers’ own classrooms.

Emergency Permits:  Sometimes, districts cannot find properly certified applicants to fill long-term vacancies.  In such cases, they may apply to PDE to issue an emergency permit (not a certificate) to someone who has a bachelor’s degree.  The permit is good for one school year and the following summer school.  The candidate must enroll in a teacher education program and complete at least nine credits toward certification during the term of the permit in order for it to be reissued.  In reality, many permit holders do not fulfill this education requirement and therefore teach for only one year.  There are several other types of emergency permits issued primarily for substitute teachers and to fill short-term vacancies.  Holders of emergency permits are not considered “highly qualified” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (see below).

No Child Left Behind:  The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2002 requires all teachers by the end of this school year to be “highly qualified.”  In brief, this means they must have bachelor’s degrees and full state certification and must demonstrate content knowledge of all subjects they are teaching.  For most Pennsylvania teachers, these requirements posed no special difficulty.  But that is not the case for a large number of middle school teachers who are certified in elementary education rather than in a specific academic subject area, for special education teachers who are teaching multiple subjects in self-contained classrooms, for some teachers who are teaching multiple subjects but are certified in only one; and for school districts with heavy reliance on teachers with emergency permits.  The State Board and the Department have been working on a number of ways to help meet the NCLB requirements.

Data:  Some preliminary supporting data related to teachers and teacher education have been compiled in a separate data document for members of the Commission.

Conclusion:  A number of presentations at the first Commission meeting October 21 will elaborate on these topics.

For more information contact info@pateach.org