State pursuing alternate certification for middle school math teachers
Middle school math teachers would have an easier time getting certified under a new rule adopted Monday by state K-12 leaders.
As school district officials in South Dakota worry about a shrinking supply of qualified teachers, aspiring educators continue to struggle with the certification test to teach high school math.
Nearly half of all teachers who take the exam fail. But the 9-0 vote by the state Board of Education might give them an alternative.
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“This is a positive move forward, because we do have some schools where those eighth-grade teachers are certified for Algebra I, and it’s not really an equitable situation if you’re not in a school that doesn’t have that teacher,” board member Julie Mathiesen said.
She and other board members approved a rule change allowing for a separate “intermediate test” for teachers who need some kind of math credential, but don’t teach higher-level courses such as calculus.
The new math test isn’t about lowering the bar, but finding a better-suited alternative for teachers who don’t specialize in math but need some kind of math credential, K-12 leaders have said. The rule revision must be approved by the Legislature before it takes effect.
The measure will also open a door for science or business teachers who need to teach math, officials said.
“Some of our smaller districts sometimes need to certify teachers in multiple subjects,” said Abby Javurek-Humig, testing director for the state Department of Education. “This would provide a route for them to do that.”
Teachers would be able to teach Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry without taking the state’s traditional high school math certification test, which is part of the Praxis series.
South Dakota is not the only state dealing with problematic Praxis scores. Teachers started struggling with the math exam about two years ago, when the test and its scoring requirements were updated.
The test was created by the New Jersey-based non-profit, the Educational Testing Service. Thirty-six states turn to the group for its Praxis teacher certification exams, and national results show South Dakota teachers are scoring higher on average than their peers in other states.
District officials have asked the state to do something, concerned about their ability to offer enough classes to meet student needs, Javurek-Humig said.
“To hopefully allow us to get the teachers that we need into the classroom, knowing that they have the content knowledge that is needed,” Javurek-Humig said.