Changes in Public School Teachers’ Certification Type

A new NCES Data Point report, Changes in Public School Teachers’ Certification Type, examines the prevalence of public school teachers who did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency teaching certificates in the state where they were teaching, as opposed to regular, standard, advanced, or probationary certificates. It looks at the prevalence over time, by selected teacher and school characteristics, and by state. Key findings include the following: In 2020–21, some 6.9 percent of public school teachers did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency certificates in the state where they were teaching, which was higher than the percentages in 2017–18 (6.2 percent) and in 2015–16 (6.1 percent). In 2020–21, the percentage was higher for teachers with 3 years or less of teaching experience (25.0 percent), compared to teachers with more experience (ranging from 3.2 percent to 7.2 percent). The percentage of public school teachers who did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency certificates in the state where they were teaching in 2020–21 varied across states, ranging from 1.9 percent in Iowa to 27.7 percent in the District of Columbia. This report uses data from the public school teacher files of the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) for school years 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2020–21. Please view the full Data Point for additional details.