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Digest of Education Statistics
1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 154.States requiring testing for initial certification of teachers, by authorization, year enacted, year effective, and test used: 1987, 1990, and 1996

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------
                       |                            1987                         |     Assessment for certification 1990     |     Assessment for certification 1996
                       |---------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------
                       |             |         |          |                      | Basic  |Professional| Content | In-class  |  Basic  |             |    In-class
         State         |Authority\1\ | Enacted |Effective |     Test used\2\     | skills |   skills   |knowledge|observation| skills  |Other exam(s)|  observation
-----------------------|-------------|---------|----------|----------------------|--------|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------
           1           |      2      |    3    |    4     |          5           |   6    |     7      |    8    |     9     |   10    |     11      |       12
-----------------------|-------------|---------|----------|----------------------|--------|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------
Alabama ...............|   St. Bd.   |  1980   |   1981   |        State         |        |            |         |           |    X    |    X \3\    |       X
Alaska ................|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Arizona ...............|    Leg.     |  1980   |   1980   |        State         |   X    |     X      |         |           |    X    |             |
Arkansas ..............|    Leg.     |  1979   |   1983   |         NTE          |        |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
California ............|    Leg.     |  1981   |   1982   |        State         |   X    |            |    X    |           |    X    |    X \5\    |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Colorado ..............|    Leg.     |  1981   |   1983   |California Achievement|   X    |            |         |     X     |    X    |      X      |       X
Connecticut ...........|   St. Bd.   |  1982   |   1985   |        State         |   X    |            |    X    |     X     |    X    |             |       X
Delaware ..............|   St. Bd.   |  1982   |   1983   |       P-P.S.T        |   X    |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
District of Columbia ..|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |   X    |            |    X    |           |    X    |    X \6\    |       X
Florida ...............|    Leg.     |  1978   |   1980   |        State         |        |     X      |    X    |     X     |    X    |      X      |
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Georgia ...............|   St. Bd.   |  1975   |   1980   |        State         |        |            |    X    |     X     |         |    X \7\    |       X
Hawaii.................|   St. Bd.   |  1986   |   1986   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |  X \4\ \6\  |       X
Idaho..................|    Leg.     |  1987   |   1988   |         NTE          |        |     X      |    X    |           |         |             |       X
Illinois ..............|    Leg.     |  1985   |   1988   |        State         |        |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \7\    |       X
Indiana................|    Leg.     |  1984   |   1985   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \4\    |
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Iowa ..................|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |   X    |     X      |    X    |     X     |         |             |       X
Kansas ................|    Leg.     |  1984   |   1986   |   To be determined   |   X    |     X      |         |           |    X    |             |       X
Kentucky ..............|    Leg.     |  1984   |   1985   |         NTE          |        |            |         |     X     |    X    |  X \4\ \6\  |       X
Louisiana .............|    Leg.     |  1977   |   1978   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Maine .................|    Leg.     |  1984   |   1988   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |     X     |         |  X \8\ \9\  |
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Maryland ..............|   St. Bd.   |  1986   |   1986   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |         |    X \4\    |
Massachusetts .........|    Leg.     |  1985   |  (\10\)  |   To be determined   |  (\11) |            |         |           |    X    |   X \11\    |       X
Michigan...............|    Leg.     |  1986   |   1991   | To be determined\12\ |        |            |         |           |    X    |      X      |       X
Minnesota .............|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |   X    |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
Mississippi ...........|    Leg.     |  1975   |   1977   |         NTE          |        |     X      |    X    |     X     |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Missouri...............|    Leg.     |  1985   |   1988   |   To be determined   |        |            |    X    |           |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Montana................|   B.P.E.    |  1985   |   1986   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |         |           |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Nebraska ..............|    Leg.     |  1984   |   1989   | To be determined\12\ |   X    |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
Nevada.................|   St. Bd.   |  1984   |  (\10\)  |   To be determined   |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |             |       X
New Hampshire .........|   St. Bd.   |  1984   |   1985   |         NTE          |   X    |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
New Jersey ............|   St. Bd.   |  1984   |   1985   |         NTE          |        |            |    X    |           |         |      X      |       X
New Mexico ............|   St. Bd.   |  1981   |   1983   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |         |     X     |    X    |      X      |       X
New York ..............|   St. Bd.   |  1980   |   1984   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |         |           |         |      X      |       X
North Carolina ........|   St. Bd.   |  1964   |   1964   |         NTE          |        |            |         |     X     |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
North Dakota ..........|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |        |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Ohio\13\ ..............|   St. Bd.   |  1986   |   1987   |         NTE          |        |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Oklahoma ..............|    Leg.     |  1980   |   1982   |        State         |        |            |         |     X     |    X    |    X \5\    |       X
Oregon.................| O.T.S.P.C.  |  1984   |   1985   |      C.B.E.S.T.      |   X    |     X      |    X    |     X     |    X    |  X \5\ \9\  |       X
Pennsylvania...........|   St. Bd.   |  1985   |   1987   |        State         |   X    |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |    X \5\    |
Rhode Island...........|   St. Bd.   |  1985   |   1986   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |         |     X     |    X    |             |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
South Carolina ........|    Leg.     |  1979   |   1982   |    NTE and State     |        |     X      |         |     X     |    X    |  X \5\ \9\  |       X
South Dakota ..........|   St. Bd.   |  1985   |   1986   |         NTE          |        |            |         |           |         |             |       X
Tennessee .............|   St. Bd.   |  1980   |   1981   |         NTE          |        |            |         |     X     |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Texas .................|    Leg.     |  1981   |   1986   |        State         |        |     X      |    X    |           |    X    |      X      |       X
Utah ..................|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |        |            |    X    |           |         |             |       X
                       |             |         |          |                      |        |            |         |           |         |             |
Vermont ...............|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |        |            |         |           |         |             |       X
Virginia ..............|    Leg.     |  1979   |   1980   |         NTE          |   X    |     X      |    X    |     X     |    X    |    X \4\    |       X
Washington ............|   St. Bd.   |  1984   |  (\10\)  | To be determined\7\  |        |            |         |     X     |    X    |             |       X
West Virginia\14\ .....|   St. Bd.   |  1982   |   1985   |        State         |   X    |            |    X    |     X     |    X    |    X \5\    |       X
Wisconsin..............|   S.P.I.    |  1986   |   1990   |   To be determined   |   X    |            |         |           |    X    |             |       X
Wyoming ...............|     ---     |   ---   |   ---    |         ---          |        |            |         |           |         |             |       X
-----------------------|-------------|---------|----------|----------------------|--------|------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------

\1\St. Bd. = State Board of Education; Leg. = Legislature; B.P.E. = Board of Public Education; O.T.S.P.C. = Oregon Teacher Standards and Practice Commission; S.P.I. = Superintendent of Public Instruction.

\2\NTE = National Teacher Examination; State = State developed test; C.B.E.S.T. = California Basic Education Skills Test; P-P.S.T. = Preprofessional Skills Test (Praxis).

\3\Institution's Exit Exam.

\4\NTE.

\5\Speciality area exams.

\6\Praxis.

\7\State and undetermined tests will be used.

\8\General knowledge.

\9\Pedagogical exams.

\10\Effective year is yet to be determined.

\11\Test required for foreign language, bilingual, and English as a Second Language.

\12\For basic skills and subject-matter competencies.

\13\Test requirements set by local school districts.

\14\Required for individuals entering West Virginia-approved education programs as of fall 1985.

---Data not available or not applicable.

SOURCE: Education Commission of the States, Clearinghouse Notes, "States Requiring Testing for Initial Certification of Teachers, April 1987;" "State Education Leader, Winter 1989;" "State Education Indicators, 1990;" and National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, "The NASDTEC Manual, 1996-1997: Manual on Certification & Preparation of Educational Personnel in the United States & Canada." (This table was prepared May 1996.)


1996 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest