Question:
Do you have any information on high school teacher qualifications in their teaching assignments?
Response:
Within the teacher population,1 the most frequently reported main assignments were the fields of English, mathematics, science, and social science. Within these four main assignments, the majority of teachers instructed all of their classes within their respective field.
Teachers of the broad subject areas generally held a major, certification, or both in their respective main assignment. Among teachers of the four most frequently reported main assignments, the percentage of teachers who had a college major and certification in their respective main assignment ranged from 65 percent (mathematics) to 72 percent (science). Compared with the broad field level, a lower percentage of teachers with a main assignment in the science and social science subfields held both a major and certification in their respective field.
The percentages of teachers who were certified to teach in their main assignment field were close to the percentages of teachers with a major in their main assignment field. More than three-quarters of teachers with a main assignment in English (84 percent), science (87 percent), and social science (84 percent) held a major in the respective field. Teachers of the arts had some of the highest percentages of in-field majors; 92 percent of teachers with a main assignment in art/arts or crafts and 97 percent of teachers with a main assignment in music held majors in their respective field.
At the class level, a majority of 9th- through 12th-grade classes were taught by teachers with either an in-field major, an in-field certification, or both. A majority of classes in English (81 percent), mathematics (75 percent), science (85 percent), social science (82 percent), all four foreign languages (French� percent, German� percent, Latin� percent, and Spanish� percent), and art/arts or crafts2 (91 percent) and music (97 percent) were taught by teachers with a major in the respective subject area. However, in classes taught in the science and social science subfields of Earth sciences, economics, geography, and government/civics, fewer than 50 percent of classes were taught by a teacher who held a major in the respective subfield.
| Percentage of public high school-level teachers who reported a major and a certification in their main assignment, by selected main assignments: 2003-04 | |||||
| Selected main assignment | Total Certified | Major in main assignment | No major in assignment | ||
| Total | Certified | Total | Certified | ||
| English | 80.2 | 84.5 | 71.1 | 15.5 | 9.1 |
| Mathematics | 77.2 | 76.0 | 64.5 | 24.0 | 12.7 |
| Science | 80.0 | 87.2 | 71.7 | 12.8 | 8.3 |
| Social Science | 81.8 | 83.6 | 70.7 | 16.4 | 11.1 |
| Art/Arts or crafts2 | 83.6 | 91.6 | 78.0 | 8.4 | 5.6 |
| Music2 | 82.3 | 97.2 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 1.6 |
| Dance/theater2 | 72.1 | 63.5 | 53.4 | 36.5 | 18.7 |
1The population of teachers analyzed includes departmentalized public teachers of high school level students in core subjects. Overall, this population represents 63 percent of the total public high school-level teacher population.
2Teachers of art/arts or crafts, music, and dance/theater were allowed to report an ungraded or secondary-level certification.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Education and Certification Qualifications of Departmentalized Public High School-Level Teachers of Core Subjects (NCES 2008-338).
Fast Facts