Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and
Social Studies: Idaho

Analysis of Idaho's policies

Although Idaho requires that its secondary teacher candidates pass a Praxis II content test to teach any core secondary subjects, the state permits a significant loophole to this important policy by allowing both general science and general social studies licenses, without requiring subject-matter testing for each subject area within these disciplines.

Idaho offers secondary science teachers a Natural Science endorsement, which appears to be the equivalent of the general science endorsement found in other states. Candidates must hold an endorsement in Biological Science, Chemistry, Physics, or Earth Science-Geology and must complete an additional eight credit hours in each of the remaining content areas. Candidates must also pass the Praxis II General Science test as one of the following Praxis II exams: Agriculture, Biological Science, Chemistry, Earth Science, Geology or Physics. Teachers with this license are not limited to teaching general science but rather can teach any of the topical areas.

Idaho also offers a physical science endorsement. These candidates must pass the Praxis II Physics and Chemistry tests.

General social studies candidates must first have an endorsement in one of the following: American government/political science, economics, history or geography—plus at least 12 credit hours in each of the remaining areas. In addition to the Praxis II area-specific test required for the initial endorsement, teachers also have to pass the Praxis II Social Studies: Content Knowledge test. Teachers with this license are not limited to teaching general social studies but rather can teach any of the topical areas.

Citation

Praxis Testing Requirements www.ets.org Idaho Administrative Code 08.02.02.024.05

Recommendations for Idaho

Require secondary teachers with umbrella certifications to pass a content test for each discipline they are licensed to teach.
By allowing general social studies and general science certifications—and only requiring general knowledge exams for each—Idaho is not ensuring that these secondary teachers possess adequate subject-specific content knowledge. The state's required general social studies assessment combines all subject areas (e.g., history, geography, economics). While Idaho's coursework requirements make sense, without single-subject tests for each social studies area, the state has no way to ensure that teachers possess specific content knowledge. Idaho's required general science assessment combines subject areas that include biology, chemistry and physics. Neither assessment reports separate scores for each area. Therefore, candidates could answer many—perhaps all—chemistry questions, for example, incorrectly, yet still be licensed to teach chemistry to high school students. Although Idaho requires candidates to pass a single-subject test in addition to the general science exam, it can still result in a teacher teaching physics, for example, having only been tested in chemistry.

State response to our analysis

Idaho recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.