Assessing Professional Knowledge : Rhode
Island

Analysis of Rhode Island's policies

Rhode Island requires all new secondary teachers to pass a popular pedagogy test from the Praxis series in order to attain licensure. The state only requires all new elementary teachers to pass a popular content test from the Praxis series that combines both subject-matter knowledge and pedagogy in order to attain licensure.

Citation

http://www.ets.org/praxis/ri/requirements

Recommendations for Rhode Island

Require that all new teachers pass a pedagogy test.
Rhode Island should verify that all new teachers meet professional standards through a test of professional knowledge for elementary teachers, in addition to secondary teachers.

Verify that commercially available tests of pedagogy actually align with state standards.
Rhode Island should ensure that its selected test of professional knowledge measures the knowledge and skills the state expects new teachers to have. 

State response to our analysis

Rhode Island recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that proposed certification changes will include testing changes. Rhode Island's full testing plan is under development, and a review will take place to ensure that any required general pedagogy test aligns to state teaching standards.

Rhode Island also noted that the analysis only mentions one of the required elementary tests, the content knowledge test for elementary teachers. The state pointed out that it also requires the content area exercises assessment.