Welcome to the first edition of the Houston Landing’s “Answer Key.” Each week, we will aim to help families by responding to an important question about education and schools in Greater Houston. If you have a question for us to answer, email us at education@houstonlanding.org or fill out the form at the end of this article.

This week’s question:

What is an “uncertified” teacher, and what does it mean for my child if their teacher is uncertified?

“Uncertified” teachers have filled more Houston-area classrooms over the past few years, stoking some parents’ fears that their children are being taught by less-qualified educators.

School districts across Texas are increasingly hiring uncertified teachers, as more teachers retire early or switch fields and fewer young adults take a traditional path to the classroom through college teaching programs.

In 2024, about 38 percent of new teachers hired in Texas had no teacher certification, up from 12 percent in 2019. The number of uncertified teachers has skyrocketed in some Houston-area districts, including Houston, Aldine, Alief and Spring ISDs.

With no end in sight for this trend, here’s what it means for a teacher to be uncertified, the potential impact on students, and what local and state education officials are doing about it.

What makes a teacher uncertified?

Certified teachers have completed a bachelor’s degree, a Texas university education preparation program, and a state certification exam. Uncertified teachers have not completed an education preparation program or a state certification exam, although they may have other experiences relevant to teaching.

The backgrounds and experience of uncertified teachers can vary widely. The biggest difference from certified teachers is that uncertified teachers have received less formal training for the classroom, University of Houston education research specialist Toni Templeton said. 

“You may have someone who has a degree in mathematics who decides they want to teach ninth grade algebra, and they may be very knowledgeable in that area, but they aren’t necessarily prepared for what’s going to happen in the classroom,” Templeton said.

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Is this legal?

Yes. In fact, it’s been happening at relatively low levels for decades.

How can I find out if my child’s teacher is certified?

Texas law requires school districts to notify parents and guardians if their child is taught by an uncertified teacher for more than 30 days. To see whether your child’s teacher is certified, click here.

Why are more uncertified teachers being hired?

In 2015, state lawmakers made it easier for districts to hire uncertified teachers by receiving a “District of Innovation” designation, which allows public school districts to essentially ignore some state laws in the name of flexibility and creativity. With the designation, districts could  waive teacher certification as a rule altogether, rather than applying for certification exemptions in special cases. The practice has been common for years at charter schools, which didn’t have to apply for exemptions and often hired more uncertified teachers than traditional public school districts,, Templeton said.

At the same time, fewer people are getting bachelor’s degrees through colleges of education, historically a traditional path to becoming a teacher. In districts like Aldine, where the percentage of uncertified teachers has more than quadrupled since 2019, uncertified teachers are a necessary response to an ongoing teacher shortage and preferable to the alternatives.

“It’s always better for kids to have someone in the classroom all year,” Aldine Chief Human Resources Officer Marcia Herrera said. “Otherwise, some classrooms would have a series of substitute teachers.”

Can uncertified teachers become certified?

Yes. In some districts, uncertified teachers can enroll in an alternative certification program to get trained while on the job. However, the quality of those programs widely varies, according to Templeton.

In Aldine and Spring, for example, all newly hired uncertified teachers must already be enrolled in a traditional education preparation program or an alternative certification program. So while they are not fully certified, they are working to become certified in the next year.

To accommodate the rise in uncertified teachers, some districts have also formed their own teacher support departments to help teachers navigate certification programs and get extra support in their classroom training.

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Are uncertified teachers worse than certified teachers?

It depends. While uncertified teachers have always been a part of the workforce, usually teaching practical skills like welding, it can become a problem when uncertified teachers begin teaching fundamentals like math or reading, Templeton said. Uncertified teachers may also be less experienced in dealing with younger children and their needs.

“Education preparation has proven to be incredibly beneficial to prepare people for what they’re going to do in the classroom on Day One,” Templeton said. “You don’t want to blindside people.”

Researchers have generally found that students learn less when taught by uncertified teachers compared to certified teachers, though estimates vary on the impact of certification.

In Texas, the rise of uncertified teachers has also contributed to higher teacher turnover, which research shows has a negative impact on student performance and costs school districts money. Teachers trained in alternative programs, many of whom started out in the classroom without certification, leave the profession at higher rates than those in traditional preparation programs, according to data published by the Texas Education Agency. 

What’s being done to better prepare uncertified teachers for the classroom? 

The State Board for Education Certification is taking a closer look at alternative certification programs, Templeton said, to better standardize the quality of training uncertified teachers receive. Under this renewed scrutiny, the state’s largest education preparation program could lose its accreditation if it does not make sweeping changes.

Several school districts around Houston, including Aldine, Spring, Katy, and Alief ISDs, also meet monthly to discuss teaching and training practices, including how to better support uncertified teachers. In Aldine, uncertified and first-year teachers can work with one of 80 instructional coaches across the district to receive additional one-on-one mentorship.

“These are folks that desire to be in the classroom,” Spring Assistant Superintendent Alex Gonzalez said. “They want to be teachers. … They may not have certification yet, but they’re working towards it.”

The post Answer Key: What does it mean when Texas teachers are ‘uncertified’? appeared first on Houston Landing.