Posted on 08/31/2003 8:05:03 PM PDT by Calpernia
WASHINGTON - After more than 25 years giving science tests to her middle-school students, Rebecca Pringle may have to pass one herself to prove she's qualified to teach the subject.
Pringle has bachelor's and master's degrees in education, but that's not enough under federal education law. Because she doesn't have a science degree, she'll have to take a test showing her mastery of the topic or pass a state evaluation that could include a test.
"I'm still in a state of anger and resistance," said Pringle, an eighth-grade teacher at Susquehanna Township Middle School in Harrisburg, Pa. "It's not fair to change the rules in the middle of the game. ... I have prided myself in staying current and being active in the field. For all that to be reduced to a multiple-choice test is an insult."
Around the country, public school teachers are going through a quality check. By the end of the 2005-06 school year, federal education law says, every teacher of core subjects from English to the arts must be highly qualified.
The premise of the law is widely embraced: Quality teaching leads to higher student achievement, and poor and minority students, in particular, deserve a greater supply of teachers who are well versed in their subjects.
Of 3 million teachers, it is not clear how many meet the mark. By Monday, states must report their share of highly qualified teachers and how quickly the number will rise over three years.
"Highly qualified" means teachers who have a bachelor's degree, a state license or certification and clear knowledge of the topic they teach.
It's the way the law is playing out that has many teachers unsettled.
Beverly Ingle, a sixth-grade teacher at Laredo Middle School in Aurora, Colo., is starting her 25th year teaching. She may not be highly qualified because of the way the law handles different grades.
Middle school teachers must have a college major in each subject they teach — in her case, social studies and reading — or pass a rigorous test in those subjects. If Ingle taught sixth grade at an elementary school, she would only have to show mastery over a basic elementary curriculum.
It's not yet clear if she'll satisfy the third option, her state's evaluation.
"It's really unfair, but what am I going to do about it?" Ingle said. "I'll suck it up, like we always do as teachers, and I'll take more classes."
States are figuring out how teachers can show mastery of their subjects without taking tests that some consider demeaning. Among the proposals: strong job evaluations, service on curriculum committees, published articles and leadership. Under the law, states may consider how long a teacher has taught a subject but, significantly, may not base their standard on that.
The law isn't meant to punish, said Eugene Hickok, the undersecretary of education.
The Education Department is working with states to address common concerns, such as: How can someone who teaches several subjects to disabled students reasonably demonstrate mastery of all those topics? What about a rural teacher who handles several grades?
At the same time, Hickok said, the law intends to make sure that longtime teachers are in class because of skills and knowledge, not because of seniority. "It's not unusual, sadly, to have 12- or 15-year career professionals in place who really aren't the kind of professionals we need," he said.
Meanwhile, the law encourages new routes to the classroom. The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence requires teachers to pass tests in subjects and instruction ability but demands no classroom experience or traditional education coursework. Mentoring comes on the job.
"The marketplace for teachers is so much broader than we allow today," said Lisa Graham Keegan, a leader of the organization. "We just have to go get them."
The National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union, says the law should be changed to close loopholes for teachers in charter schools and those earning an alternative certification. The NEA also says states deserve more flexibility, such as with special-education teachers who handle multiple subjects.
In some cases, teachers face no extra steps. Jamie Sawatzky, a fourth-year history teacher at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, Va., qualifies with a degree in his subject. But he worries the law will prevent school administrators from hiring people who have intangible qualities to be brilliant teachers.
In New Orleans, new superintendent Anthony Amato must turn around a school system that, as he puts it, is most noted for failing test scores and leadership troubles. The teacher quality assignment is another huge task, as 40 percent of his teachers are not certified to teach their subjects or not certified at all, he said.
He has added literacy and math training for teachers and worked with local universities to coordinate teacher certification programs, among other steps.
"I feel the sense of urgency from the federal government, and I don't mind at all. That's how I work anyway," Amato said. "If we can make it work here, it can be a real message to urban systems nationwide: Don't back down."
The law may prompt some veterans to retire early and may discourage people from becoming teachers, said Charlene Christopher, a special-education specialist at Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia. But some won't be fazed, she said — the ones "who will be there until they roll us out."
And if states fall short of the teacher mandate? Greater pressure from parents could be in store, as states, districts and schools must publicize information about how many teachers miss the mark.
Ultimately, the hammer may be money. Federal officials may withhold aid that many schools rely upon, as Hickok acknowledged, although he said states are showing good faith.
"If a serious effort is being made to accomplish the purposes of No Child Left Behind, even if you fall short, that's different than a statement that says, 'We really don't care,'" Hickok said.
"Our goal is to find ways to accomplish this as a nation."
to be reduced to a multiple-choice test is an insult.
Sounds like she sets a fine example to the students she teaches.
I haven't taken a physics course since college 25 years ago, but I bet that I could ace the test.
"It's really unfair, but what am I going to do about it?" Ingle said. "I'll suck it up, like we always do as teachers, and I'll take more classes."
It's not fair to make sure these teachers actually know the subject that they are teaching to our kids??
HELLO ... if you as a teacher don't know the information how the heck can you teach our kids?
I've even heard of a teacher calling World War II, World War Eleven.
I have outstanding timing. I'll be finishing my student teaching at the end of 2005 and I have no worries about passing any kind of test.
In larger schools, the certification requirements will work just fine. How about small rural schools that only have say 2-3 teachers for 30 students. Will teachers all retain 5-6 certifications? Will states just raise taxes as usual to fund more teachers? No everyone can homeschool for various reasons. Do you actually think that govt schools and all the big govt programs and power will disappear?
I have been around long enough to understand politics is a pendulum; as much as I detest the clintons some one of their filthy caliber will be back in power again. Then what?
From what I see of the NEA, they are coordinating their efforts to meet fed & state guidelines. They will then expect all other entities to match them also.
What if a family had homeschooled their kids for 5-6 years and then the kids couldn't pass the benchmarks. You think that doesn't occur. Not all homeschoolers are as dedicated as most people on FR. From what I have seen, about 1/2 homeschooled kids don't make the grade. You best believe the NEA will expose the bad.
Education is much more complicated than most from both sides realize. It is also too political. I was a certified teacher when I started on FR. Still a repub, still a teacher, and still get most of my news from FR. Just wish other people on FR could stand in a public school teacher's shoes for 6 months; they would see a wider perspective.
This woman needs to take classes to pass an eighth-grade science class???
What has she been teaching the kids?????
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