Nevada rated low in out-of-field teaching

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2002 | 11:17 a.m.

More than 30 percent of the core classes in Nevada's secondary schools are being taught by teachers lacking at least a college minor in the subject, a new study shows.

Nevada ranked ninth in the nation for having the most classes being taught by out-of-field teachers, according to the study released Wednesday by the Education Trust, a nonprofit think tank.

Nationwide 44 percent of middle school classes in core academic subjects -- including English, social studies and mathematics -- were assigned to teachers lacking a college minor in the subject. At the high school level the national average dropped to 21 percent. Comparable state figures were not computed.

So-called "out-of-field" teaching is on the rise across the country, particularly in grades six, seven and eight, according to the study.

The rising practice suggests "a staggering disregard for whether teachers have the minimal academic foundation necessary to teach classes in core academic subject areas," according to the report.

But both state and county education officials said Wednesday the national study is misleading and that Nevada's teachers are properly credentialed.

"We go by certification, not college majors and minors," said Lina Gutierrez, executive director of licensed personnel for the Clark County School District. "If you haven't done the course work, you won't get the job."

In order to teach core subjects teachers must have earned the appropriate credits and be certified, regardless of college major or minor, said Keith Rheault, deputy superintendent of the Nevada Department of Education. The requirements range by subject from 18 to 24 credits, Rheault said. At most colleges and universities, 24 credits is enough to qualify for a minor, Rheault said.

In certain instances the state allows teachers to apply for an exception to teach outside their field for up to two years, Rheault said. Last year, fewer than 300 of the state's 19,000 teachers were on the exceptions list, Rheault said -- most of them in rural areas.

Nevada requires all teachers to be credentialed and, unlike some states, does not issue emergency licenses, Rheault said.

State officials said there is a downside to the state's requirements.

Nevada's requirement for certification in addition to a college major or minor is contributing to the shortage of math and science teachers, Chopin Kiang, administrator of the state's teacher licensing division, said.

"It's difficult to recruit when we have to tell someone with a degree in engineering that they aren't qualified to teach math," Kiang said.

The education department's Council on Professional Standards in Education, of which Kiang is a member, is considering loosening the requirements so that a minor in math from an accredited college or university is considered sufficient to teach. Currently teachers must show that they have completed a list of specific math courses in order to qualify.

The Education Trust's study made allowances for teachers who majored or minored in related fields. For example, a teacher with a degree in engineering would be considered fully qualified to teach mathematics.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, was bemused to learn that under the study's definitions she had taught out-of-field for 25 years.

"I was a reading teacher but my degree was in political science," Holloway said. "Funny, I can't remember any of my students ever asking me what my major was."

Holloway said she did not believe a teacher's major or minor in college should be a significant factor in judging the quality of instruction.

A college degree in a particular field of study doesn't guarantee good teaching, but it does raise the odds, according to Richard Ingersoll, the report's lead researcher.

The rise in out-of-field teaching is not the result of a shortage of qualified instructors, but rather, poor organization and management of schools are to blame, Ingersoll said.

In many cases principals will assign teachers to classes they are not qualified for instead of allowing them to transfer to a school that needs their specialty, the report said. In other cases there aren't enough teachers to cover the course load, so teachers may be assigned to cover several subjects, some of which they aren't trained for.

Such shuffling was more prevalent nationally in poor schools than schools in affluent areas, the study said. Comparable numbers for Nevada were not available.