The Praxix II continues to get under the skin of education majors:
As University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point senior Jenny Berg sees it, she and her fellow education majors already have plenty to cope with. There's ever-increasing tuition, sometimes-questionable financial aid and already stringent teacher certification that can be discouraging to potential future teachers.
Yes, but why is it considered a bad thing for the profession to have some hurdles? Certainly, college students for every major have to deal with tuition and financial aid issues. And many other professions have much more stringent hurdles. These aren't kids, but young women and men who are entering the professional world. Hurdles are there for a reason.
The latest hurdle, Berg said, is Praxis II, a statewide teacher certification examination that has been required of all Wisconsin teachers since August. The test and an exit portfolio are mandated by the state's Department of Public Instruction.
Educators have largely denounced the standardized tests, saying they measure course content rather than a person's true capability to teach. "The problem, I think, with this kind of test is students who do well aren't necessarily good teachers," said Paula DeHart, associated professor of education. "And students who don't do well aren't necessarily poor teachers."
Must..control...blood...pressure....
Look. It's true that possessing a great deal of knowledge does not de facto make one a good teacher. I'm willing to admit that. We've all known genuises who can't communicate. But if the education programs want to be taken seriously in the Information Age, they've got to admit that a teacher who is brilliant at communication and caring but doesn't actually know anything is not a good teacher. It's ridiculous for them to insist that teachers should not be subject to content exams, because what good is a teacher without anything to teach?
Berg, 27, said the tests weren't an accurate assessment of what kind of teacher she'll be. Substitute teaching for a couple of years before coming back for her certification gave Berg a much better test than any formal exam, she said...Despite the tests' general unpopularity, state teachers have had to accept them, Berg said. "I don't like the fact of all the hoops we have to jump through," she said. "I don't think it's the right path for the accountability that they want."
Berg is 27? And she's still complaining about the fact that she might have to jump through some hoops and master some hard facts before being unleashed on schoolchildren? Schoolchildren to whom she will have to teach hard facts, and test on those facts? Sheesh. This article seems as though it's trying to be sympathetic to education majors, but the reporter surely picked one unsympathetic person on which to focus.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Praxis II, it's a three-part licensure examination that includes "essays, oral response tasks, listening tasks, portfolio reviews, video stimuli, and in-class observations." You can download guides to the tests here. It's most definitely not a no-brainer test, but calculators are allowed for the math portion, and it's entirely appropriate for college graduates wishing to enter a professional arena that requires a well-rounded liberal arts education.
Update: The delightfully-named Dr. Cookie has more on the Praxis, and a lot more on why it's so disturbing to hear education majors complain about the hurdles of demonstrating content mastery.
Posted by kswygert at November 14, 2004 03:06 PM