A proposed plan in Texas would put teachers in the classroom for two years without any special "teacher training:"
A new alternative-certification plan for teachers will likely go into effect this spring in Texas, even though it was rejected by the state legislature, barely passed the state Board of Educator Certification, and was voted down by a majority of state school board members. If the educator-certification board approves it again next month, anyone with a bachelor's degree who passes both a subject-matter and a pedagogy exam would receive a two-year teaching certificate.
While proponents argue that the proposed rule—which applies only to teachers of grades 8-12—would help relieve the state's teacher shortage, critics claim it would staff classrooms with unqualified teachers.
"If the medical profession tried to license doctors this way, or the legal profession tried to license lawyers this way, they would be run out of town," said Donna New Hashke, the president of the Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association.
I suppose it would be rude to mention that would-be doctors have to pass multiple school-level and national exams to demonstrate their knowledge of specific facts before they're ever allowed near a patient? If the schools of education required would-be teachers to demonstrate solid skills in a content area before they were given lessons about "how to teach," there wouldn't be such a massive dissatisfaction with teachers as we have these days.
Some members of the state school board were particularly outspoken in their opposition to the new rule. Mary Helen Berlanga, a Democrat who voted against the measure, called it a "slap in the face" to Texas teachers.
I fail to see how alternate routes of certification pose any sort of threat to existing teachers, much less such a violent threat, unless Ms. Berlanga is convinced that teachers who went the traditional route will suffer by comparison.
Others were convinced that the proposed route would greatly benefit schools having difficulties filling teaching slots.
Administrators "can hire a retired petrochemical engineer to teach chemistry," said David Bradley, a Republican member of the school board who supports the certification plan. "We're trying to give the districts the opportunity to hire the best-qualified teacher," he added.
Those teachers would fit the definition of "highly qualified" under the No Child Left Behind Act because they will be certified, Mr. Bradley said.
He also noted that the plan resembles existing alternative-certification programs that have not attracted much criticism.
Posted by kswygert at March 10, 2004 11:31 AM