How Long Does it Take to Become a Certified Teacher in Tennessee?
The process of becoming a teacher in Tennessee follows a similar path as in most states. Most prospective educators pursue the path of earning a bachelor's degree, followed by certification, a basic skills test, and one or more tests that prove competency in subject areas that he plans to teach within. The entire process generally takes the four years needed to complete the required post-secondary education, plus up to six months to pass additional required testing.
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Education
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Before a teacher can be certified in Tennessee, she must hold a bachelor's degree earned through a properly accredited college or university. While the traditional path to becoming a teacher is to major in education, there are mechanisms in place for any person holding a bachelor's degree to become a teacher through alternative certification, which is a method proscribed by Tennessee to ensure that a teacher crossing over from another profession has the knowledge necessary to teach effectively.
Alternative Certification
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Since Tennessee accepts valid teaching credentials from 46 other states, a person qualified to teach in those jurisdictions can immediately become a credentialed Tennessee educator. Alternative certification exists for degree holders in other fields and includes a combination of fieldwork and college classes intended to provide a good grounding in teaching skills. After completing the alternative certification requirements, which will likely take about two years, the teaching candidate must take and pass the certification, skills and subject tests.
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Basic Skills
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The basic skills test is the test all prospective Tennessee teachers must take and pass in order to receive a certificate. Technically called a Pre Professional Skills Test, the purpose is to establish that you have learned what you were supposed to learn in school and have the knowledge necessary to succeed in the classroom. This test is offered several times a year and can be taken as soon as possible after graduating with your bachelor's degree.
Subject Area
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Depending upon what subject matter you intend to teach, there will probably be a requirement that you take an extra test(s) related to that particular area of knowledge. The two types of tests encountered at this stage of licensure include subject-area assessments and principles of learning and teaching. Like the basic skills test, these are available to take at various times throughout the year. A new graduate who immediately registers to take all Tennessee teacher certification tests could probably have them complete within a matter of months and surely within half a year, putting the total time needed to become a teacher in Tennessee, following high school graduation, in the four-to-five-year range.
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References
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