Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science:
Connecticut

Analysis of Connecticut's policies

Connecticut offers a general science endorsement; candidates must complete a major consisting of a minimum of 39 semester hours of credit in science including study in biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. They must also pass both the Praxis II "General Science" content test and the "General Science: Content Essays" test. Teachers with this license are not limited to teaching general science but rather can teach any of the topical areas.

Middle school science candidates in Connecticut must complete one of the following: a subject area major in either biology, physics, chemistry, earth science or general science; an interdisciplinary major in integrated science; or 24 semester hours in a subject (biology, physics, chemistry, earth science or general science) and either 15 semester hours in a second subject or 15 semester hours in an all-level endorsement subject. Commendably, candidates must also pass the Praxis II "Middle School Science" test.

Citation

Regulations of State Board of Education 10-145d-446; 451 Praxis Testing Requirements www.ets.org

Recommendations for Connecticut

Require secondary science teachers to pass tests of content knowledge for each science discipline they intend to teach.
States that allow general science certifications or combination licenses across multiple science disciplines—and only require a general knowledge science exam—are not ensuring that these secondary teachers possess adequate subject-specific content knowledge. Connecticut's required assessments combine all subject areas (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics) and do not report separate scores for each subject area. Therefore, candidates could answer many—perhaps all—chemistry questions, for example, incorrectly, yet still be licensed to teach chemistry to high school students.

State response to our analysis

Connecticut asserted that science teachers may hold a content-specific certificate in the following five science areas: biology, chemistry, earth science, general science and/or physics. The state added that candidates must earn a major in that content area and pass a content-specific Praxis II exam: "The general science certificate is typically used by middle school and freshman science courses that include content on biology, chemistry and physical science topics."

Last word

NCTQ is unable to find policy that limits teachers with a general science certificate to teach only general science courses. Rather than rely on assumed common understandings regarding which courses a teacher with a general science certificate may or may not teach, Connecticut should articulate a specific policy ensuring that all science teachers are required to pass a subject-specific content test for each area they plan to teach.