Average ACT scores in Nebraska are higher than Wyoming, according to the 2011 ACT National and State Scores at www.act.org, but it may not be due to low standards in educating Wyoming teachers.
Though requirements for teaching degrees in Wyoming have become more difficult, standardized test scores remain low in comparison to surrounding states. The average score in Nebraska was 22.,1 while the average in Wyoming was 20.3.
To get a teaching license in Nebraska, only a teaching certificate is required rather than a baccalaureate degree.
In fact, many different types of certificates qualify teachers in Nebraska, including temporary certificates, according to the Nebraska Department of Education teaching manual.
Nebraska offers a variety of teaching certificates and only a few require a bachelor’s degree.
In order to receive a bachelor’s degree from UW, student teachers spend hours in practicums where they are taught how to manage classrooms and how to instruct their classes as well as how to use classroom technology in addition to the material they must teach before going on to student teach in their final semester.
Some students at UW’s College of Education even feel it is more difficult to receive an education degree in Wyoming.
“I feel like it’s harder here and we have more work to do in order to become certified,” Marissa Steer, a senior in Elementary Education, said. “I have friends who are going to school to become teachers at Chadron and Kearney, and they’ve all said their certification processes are easier.”
Though most college level education programs require a semester of student teaching, it is still not a requirement to hold a bachelor’s degree, which requires at least four years of education and training compared to what appears to be minimal training in Nebraska.
In order to become certified in Nebraska, teachers must demonstrate that they have skills in special education as well human relations, but do not necessarily require an education in those areas.
Utah, which tied with South Dakota for highest ACT scores with an average of 21.8 according to the ACT website, also requires a bachelor’s degree either in a teaching program or in the subject the teacher plans to instruct at the secondary level.
Candidates who do not have a teaching degree but want to teach elementary education must prove knowledge of liberal arts, including language arts, science, social studies, mathematics, fine arts, physical education, and health, according to the Utah State Office of Education website. Utah candidates also must take the Praxis exam, a series of tests teachers in most states must take for certification.
Wyoming education students also take the Praxis exam to become certified to teach in addition to having a bachelor’s degree. Most schools in Wyoming prefer that the degree actually be in education, as opposed to other states like Utah, which only requires knowledge in a specific area.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree, students at UW also must take courses where their progress is assessed in addition to their practicums, which take place outside the classroom.
Students also must have receive a composite ACT score of at least 21 and a math score of 21, according to the UW College of Education website.
