Notable state policies to improve teacher quality highlighted

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ),  2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide  highlights leading state work across 37 different policy areas that impact teacher quality.

Despite consistent concerns regarding whether states are acting quickly and ambitiously enough to improve the quality of the teacher workforce, there is great work happening across many states in important policy areas affecting teacher quality. By expanding the knowledge and awareness of these exemplary policies and practices currently being implemented, this tool provides states with a sense of what is possible, along with the necessary information to catalyze improvement, as they seek to drive positive change for their teachers and students.
Notable state policies to improve teacher quality highlighted in this comprehensive guide include:

• Louisiana, New York, and Rhode Island are the only states that require elementary special education teachers to pass the same elementary content tests as general education teachers, as well as require that secondary special education teachers pass rigorous licensure tests across all subject areas they intend to teach.
• North Carolina allows teachers to be compensated for prior work experience by awarding them one year of credit on the salary schedule for every year of full-time, relevant, non-teaching work experience.
• Utah provides annual salary supplements to teachers with corresponding degrees assigned to teach in shortage-subjects, as well as to teachers employed in high-poverty schools who achieve a median growth percentile of 70 percent or higher.
• New Mexico is the only state that requires elementary candidates to complete an academic content major; three additional states--Connecticut, Mississippi, and Oklahoma--require elementary candidates to have a concentration in an academic subject area. 
• Florida and Alabama require teacher preparation institutions to provide remediation, at no additional cost, for graduates who do not achieve satisfactory teacher evaluation ratings during their first two years in the classroom.

To view the 2018 State Teacher Policy Best Practices Guide click here.