BEYOND THE TIPPING POINT
THE RISE OF UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS IN TEXAS
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the expert researchers, educators, district leaders, administrators, and policy advocates who have supported this continued research on educator pathways and student outcomes in Texas. We thank the leadership and staff at the College of Education at UT Austin, including Tara Kirkland, Dr. Beth Maloch, Dr. Allison Skerrett, Dr. Sarah Woulfin, Dr. David DeMatthews, Dr. Debra Cantú, Dr. Celeste Alexander, and Dr. Pedro Reyes, for their direction and contribution to the research. We’d like to thank graduate research assistants, Carly Coleman and Gregory Arbet, and external consultant Dr. Megha Joshi for their generous efforts in the research process, in addition to Audrey Gilmore, Gabriel Corti, and Susan LaRonde for their contributions to the publication of this work. We’d also like to acknowledge our steering committee members and expert colleagues from the original Teacher Tipping Point study, in addition to Texas Education Agency and UT Austin Education Research Center staff for their technical expertise and consultations on the statewide educator workforce data.
Glossary
NEW TEACHER – teacher hired for the first time as teacher of record in Texas, includes experienced teachers from out of state and excludes former teachers who return.
UNCERTIFIED TEACHER – teachers with no teaching certification.
UNIVERSITY CERTIFIED TEACHER – those who were prepared in a Texas university educator preparation program and went through student teaching, including post-baccalaureate degree-holders.
ALTERNATIVE CERTIFIED TEACHER – those who were prepared in an educator preparation program that did not include student teaching.
Lead Researchers
Dr. Michael Marder, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director of UTeach Natural Sciences and Professor, Department of Physics, College of Natural Science, UT Austin
Dr. Laura Torres, Ph.D., Director of Data Analytics, Assessment and Translational Research, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, UT Austin
Charles R. Martinez, Jr., Ph.D., Dean and Professor, College of Education, UT Austin
How to Cite This Work
Marder, M., Torres, L.G., Martinez, C., (2024). Beyond the tipping point: Rise of uncertified teachers in Texas. Report and recommendations from the University of Texas at Austin. bit.ly/uncert-teachers-report
Executive Summary
Where We Stand.
With over half of newly hired, first-time teachers entering classrooms without a teaching certificate, state policymakers have begun questioning the value of educator certification for preparing the future of Texas. Many policymakers and even district leaders have asked, what’s more critical, teacher certification or filling vacant teaching positions? Both matter, but excessive dependence on uncertified teachers leads to churn in the teaching workforce, a recipe for declining student performance and opportunity. Researchers from UT Austin and across the state find that educator certification and the in-classroom preparation required to obtain it is a key factor in what defines a quality teacher. This is because teaching candidates become successful professionals by advanced practice in teaching and learning and through mentorship from experienced teachers who serve as models and guides. Suppose we are to turn the teacher shortage around and adequately meet the changing needs of our society. In that case, we must prepare teachers who stay in teaching and support quality teacher preparation from various contexts, including innovative university and alternative certification pathways.
Future of Texas at Stake.
Now more than ever, Texas must ensure we’re preparing a well-educated generation of future leaders and educators. For example, billions of dollars are invested in Texas to create thousands of jobs in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. If our state is to lead the way in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) industries, our students must be adequately prepared to access these careers. The current study shows that placing unprepared and uncertified teachers in classrooms is putting this vision at risk for thousands of Texas children, as a high proportion of uncertified teachers are teaching in Secondary STEM fields, uncertified teachers are less likely to raise student achievement compared to their traditionally and alternatively certified teacher peers, course offerings in these areas are low or declining, and this problem is particularly severe in rural and small-town schools.
The Current Study.
This report provides an overview of findings and key recommendations from recent research conducted at UT Austin on the rise of uncertified teachers in Texas. This study is an extension of the 2022 Texas Educator Preparation Pathways report, where we examined different aspects of a growing teacher shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two primary sources guided the current study: 1) quantitative analysis from longitudinal state data from the UT Austin Education Research Centers, and 2) rigorous qualitative interviews conducted with over 20 district leaders from rural and urban districts across the state. It is important to note that the findings from this study and others on the impacts of uncertified teachers are still emerging. Continued longitudinal and qualitative research is needed to gain a better understanding about how uncertified teachers are changing the educational landscape and the causal explanations for student outcomes in Texas.
1 FINDING 1
OVER HALF OF NEWLY HIRED TEACHERS ARE NOW UNCERTIFIED
The growth of uncertified teachers began after 2010, primarily from charter schools whose teachers were not required to have certificates. In 2015, regular districts were allowed to create Districts of Innovation (DoI) plans to hire teachers without certification for cases when they could not acquire a certified teacher. A surge of experienced teachers
resigned or retired in the wake of the pandemic. In contrast, the production of teachers from standard university programs continued a decade-long decline, leaving many districts in emergencies where they had no other option but to hire teachers without a teaching certification to fill their classrooms. Figure 1 shows how the proportion of first-time,
newly hired teachers by certification route has drastically changed. From teachers certified through standard/ university routes leading the way at 44% in 2013-2014 to over 50% of uncertified teachers without a teaching certification now leading the incoming teaching workforce.
Uncertified teachers now lead the teaching workforce of first-time newly hired teachers.
Over time, more teachers are hired without state certification than teachers from other routes. This means that more unprepared teachers are filling Texas classrooms.
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA). Analysis by M. Marder under project UTA 123-Outcomes.
Footnote: The current study excludes emergency permit holders and returning teachers as first-time, newly hired teachers. This differs from the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) definition.
Figure 1. Snapshot growth of the percentage of first-time, newly hired teachers over time.
“Certification is the Texas seal of quality: a promise from the state that teachers know their subject and meet basic professional standards,” Dr. Marder said. “Without certified teachers, the Texas constitutional right to an efficient system of public free schools is at risk.”
–Michael Marder Lead Researcher, UT Austin
2 FINDING 2
SECONDARY STEM, CTE AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONTEXTS SAW THE GREATEST INCREASES IN UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY WITHIN RURAL/SMALL-TOWN AREAS
If our state is to lead the way in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce industries, our students must have opportunities to access these careers. Yet between 2017 and 2022, the percentage of high school graduates in small towns/ rural areas taking physics dropped from 76% to 44% (Marder, 2024). Fewer teachers enter classrooms with training and experience, as one in five new uncertified teachers enter without a bachelor’s degree (Kirksey, 2024).
Even more, the percentage of newly hired uncertified teachers in Secondary STEM fields over doubled in size in small town/ rural districts from 30% in 2019 to 69% in 2023 (see Figure 2), indicating that fewer students will have teachers trained to engage them in course material, improve their learning, and ensure that they get the services and support needed to be successful in school. The percentage of newly hired uncertified teachers continues to multiply, doubling in size from 2022 to 2023 in Secondary STEM
urban districts and tripling from 10% in 2022 to 31% in 2023 in Elementary and suburban districts. In addition, newly hired uncertified teachers in Career and Technical Education (CTE) over doubled in size from 2022 to 2023 in both suburban and urban districts, waiving the requirement that teachers have training and professional experience in the career areas they represent.
Figure 2. School context and locales of first-time, newly hired, uncertified teachers through 2013-2023. FTE means “Full-Time Equivalent”.
The proportion of newly hired uncertified teachers has rapidly grown since 2021.
Within each discipline area, a larger percentage of uncertified teachers are employed in Small Town or Rural districts than in Suburban and Urban districts.
Source: UT Austin Education Research Center.
Analysis by M. Marder under project UTA 123-Outcomes.
3FINDING 3
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SUFFERS WHEN TEACHERS HAVE
NO CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
Previous research from the 2022 Texas Educator Preparation Pathways study found that students learned more in every subgroup, subject, and grade level when their teachers came from traditional or standard university programs compared to when their teachers came from alternative certification programs. Figure 3 shows results for the most recent research on student learning in classes of
uncertified teachers using longitudinal state data from 2012 through 2019 (this time frame avoids testing disruptions caused by the pandemic). The baseline for each grade level and subject is students whose teachers have a standard/university certificate. The uncertified teachers are those without a teaching certificate. Results from value-added modeling indicate that students lost up to 6 months of
Figure 3. Months of student learning loss by subject area from uncertified teachers compared to standard/universitycertified teachers in non-charter school districts.
learning in High School when they had uncertified teachers compared to standard/university-certified teachers. Similar research conducted by Kirksey (2024) found that students lost 3-4 months of learning in math and reading (3 months in math and four months in reading) when they had an uncertified teacher with no classroom experience.
Note: * indicates we’re confident that differences are due to teacher certification status (the results are statistically significant) ***p< .001, **p< .01, *p< .05
Teacher effectiveness on student achievement differed based on certification status.
Students lost six months of learning in High School English and nearly four months of learning loss in High School Math when they had uncertified teachers compared to standard university-certified teachers.
Source: UT Austin Education Research Center.
Analysis by M. Marder under project UTA 123-Outcomes.
“How are we going to re-professionalize the teaching profession? It is through increasing salaries and support public educators and schools…This is a fixable problem in a state as wealthy as Texas. We need the political will to do what is needed on behalf of the children of Texas.”
–Michelle Rinehart Superintendent, Alpine
ISD
FINDING 4
ROUTES MATTER: UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS LEAVE THE CLASSROOM AT A FASTER RATE COMPARED TO CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
Teacher experience is an important factor when it comes to helping all students to learn. For teachers to gain experience, they must stay in teaching and develop a deep understanding of how they can help students to succeed. Figure 4 shows the percentage of teachers from various pathways who remained in the classroom over five years. To determine teacher retention, the researcher found every new person starting as a teacher of record in the Fall from 2004-2005 onwards and checked for each subsequent year until 2021-2022 whether they were still
teaching. If they were still teaching in the Fall of 2021, they were labeled as being retained, and otherwise, the total number of years they taught was summed up. Teachers were then grouped according to the type of institution that issued their first certificate. When they began teaching, those with no teaching certificate were labeled as ‘Uncertified.’ This method differs from the one used by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to calculate retention because it does not require the years of teaching to be consecutive. Figure 4 shows that
uncertified teachers leave the field at dramatically higher rates than teachers coming through other pathways. Over 30% of uncertified teachers have gone in the first year alone. That means there’s even more risk in putting uncertified teachers in the classroom than there is from alternative certification routes. Putting uncertified teachers in classrooms comes at a cost to student learning and the teachers themselves; imagine the stories that wait to be told of teachers who did not make it to their second year.
Figure 4. Percentage remaining after five years by certification route Fewer uncertified teachers were still teaching after five years compared to certified teachers.
After five years, less than 40% of uncertified teachers were still in the classroom, with over 30% leaving after their first year of teaching.
Source: UT Austin Education Research Center.
Analysis by M. Marder under project UTA 123-Outcomes.
FINDING 5 5
DISTRICT LEADERS EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR FORGING BETTER PATHS TO CERTIFICATION AND SCHOOL SUPPORT TO TACKLE THE TEACHER SHORTAGE
Having a heart for teaching is not enough. Texas children need teachers with expertise in effectively managing a classroom and engaging students in learning. Researchers conducted rigorous qualitative interviews with 26 district leaders and administrators across the state from rural and urban districts of varying sizes. When participants were asked why they saw a need to hire more uncertified teachers in their districts, most stated
that “many people simply do not see teaching as a viable career option” due to challenges with teacher salary and the time and cost it takes to get certified. When participants were asked what the major challenges they are facing after hiring uncertified teachers, two major themes emerged. First, nearly 80% of participants mentioned that many uncertified teachers lack the basic skills related to behavior/classroom management
and pedagogical skills. Second, 65% of participants mentioned that uncertified teachers often lack the basic educational vernacular or professionalism and become overwhelmed with the multiple responsibilities of being a full-time teacher, especially if they are trying to complete certification requirements simultaneously. As a result, most do not complete the certification process and leave the classroom altogether.
What major challenges, if any, is your district facing with the hiring of uncertified teachers?
“We’ve learned that we have to provide a much larger level of support for [uncertified teachers] on classroom management and pedagogical skills….”
“For us, one of the biggest learning curves occurs when we hire industry professionals [CTE teachers]. They’re often used to working with different groups such as technical college students or adult customers…it’s very different from teaching high schoolers.”
“Many [uncertified teachers] become overwhelmed with managing the workload that’s required to be a teacher and leave the classroom….”
“There are so many requirements to reaching certification, some that are very difficult for people to meet. For example, bilingual teachers must take up to five different tests that are about $120 dollars each and if they don’t pass, they must repay again.”
Uncertified teachers tend to lack basic classroom management skills that schools need.
In their efforts to hire quality teachers, school districts are struggling to support uncertified teachers in the classroom. To the left are the top themes that have emerged, along with selected quotes, from interviews with district leaders and administrators across the state about the challenges they are facing with the hiring of uncertified teachers.
Source: UT Austin District Leader Interviews.
Analysis by L.G. Torres.
Key Recommendations
RECOMMENDATION 1
Direct resources to teacher candidates in high-quality educator preparation programs.
Provide financial resources to lower student cost of attendance and completion of state certification requirements while maintaining teacher quality. This can include…
• Increasing scholarships and loan forgiveness support.
• Waiving tuition and fees for students during student teaching semester, and refining/reforming certification exam costs.
• Creating new pathways into teaching, exploring all available mechanisms permitted by the state.
References
RECOMMENDATION 2
Invest in high-performing educator preparation pathways.
Incentivize innovative educator preparation programs that produce well-prepared teachers to create more high quality, accessible and accelerated pathways to certification. This can include…
• Incentivizing all high-quality educator pathways with evidence of effectiveness for both traditional/university, alternative and residency pathways.
• Streamline the certification process to encourage innovation and support more operational efficiencies for the highest quality programs.
RECOMMENDATION 3
Support and retain highquality teachers.
Ensure all districts have the resources to retain high quality teachers and invest in the development and implementation of rigorous, evidence-based early career teacher mentoring models. This can include...
• Target Teacher Incentive Allotment and other compensation resources to teachers certified through the highest quality pathways.
• Strengthen capacity of school staff and leadership to create positive working conditions, implement rigorous early career mentoring programs, and deliver ongoing support to teachers.
Kirksey, J.J., (2024). Amid Rising Number of Uncertified Teachers, Previous Classroom Experience Proves Vital in Texas [Brief no. 1]. Texas Tech University. Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education. http://hdl.handle.net/2346/98166
Kirksey, J. J., & Torres, L. G. (2023). Shifting the rhetoric: Maximizing the Teacher Incentive Allotment to improve schools. Report and recommendations from the Texas Education Research-Practice-Policy Partnership Network. University of Texas at Austin. College of Education. https://rp3.education.utexas.edu/
Texas Educator Preparation Pathways Study. (2022). Report and recommendations from The University of Texas at Austin and Educate Texas study of educator preparation pathways in Texas. https:// issuu.com/texaseducation/docs/texas_educator_prep_pathways_study_issuu
Van Overschelde, J. P., & Wiggins, A. Y. (2019). Teacher Preparation Pathways: Differences in Program Selection and Teacher Retention. Action in Teacher Education, 42(4), 311–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2019.1656116
Rhodes, A., & Marder, M. (2024). Measuring the value of teachers from traditional certification pathways in Texas: A comprehensive study. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 32. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.8556
