While patterns and similarities across state
licensure exams do exist, and though states need not achieve perfect uniformity between their licensure requirements, adopting similarly meaningful entry requirements into the profession would go a long way to changing this perception.
Less than one - third of states currently require these exams for licensure, however, and many states that do still tend to set a low bar for passage.8 In sum, many
licensure exams do not include a performance component and do not assess the types of skills that make for great teaching in the classroom.
The training programs also dedicate less course time to training teachers in the content they will teach (in part because curriculum can vary significantly from state to state) and teacher
licensure exams do not include as difficult questions on content pedagogy as those in top - performing countries.
Not exact matches
In other words, some people who
do well on a content
exam are terrible teachers; while some who
do poorly on a
licensure exam are great teachers.
Often, these tests
do not examine a teacher candidate's ability to teach this content.2 Until recently, teacher
licensure exams were mostly comprised of multiple - choice and a few short answer questions.
Making adjustments to state teacher
licensure requirements to allow teaching candidates to demonstrate their competency through rigorous but more authentic performance assessments, such as the edTPA, that
do not have the degree of racial disparity in pass rates that traditional
exams have had.
One Harvard study found medical students preparing for
licensure exams remembered nearly three times as much using spaced repetition over those that
did not.
These should include where and when
did you earn your bachelor's degree and other post-graduate achievements, professional certifications like
licensure exam achievements and other academic achievements.
Further, completion of Remington College's occupational therapy assistant program
does not guarantee that a graduate will pass the NBCOT
exam or be able to obtain state
licensure.