Testing Teacher Candidates: The Role of Licensure Tests in Improving Teacher Quality

Increasingly, states are testing candidates who want to become teachers. Forty-two states require teacher candidates to pass one or more tests to earn a license. States use licensure tests for admission to teacher education, as a condition of graduation, and for the initial licensure of teachers. Failure rates on current tests are not insubstantial, particularly for racial/ethnic minority candidates. These tests have significant consequences for teacher candidates and potentially for America’s students and schools.

Teacher licensure tests also play a critical role in the recently enacted Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships (Title II). The law seeks to improve teacher quality. One of the goals of the new law is to use teacher licensure tests to hold higher education institutions and states accountable for the quality of teacher preparation and licensing