The declining pipeline of educators-to-be has experts worried the teacher shortage will only get worse.
All in all, the whole venture, including a tutor for math, cost the then-East Stroudsburg University student nearly $3,000, and more than three years later she’s still frustrated the state placed so much emphasis on standardized tests — almost upending her career plans.
“It gave me such anxiety,” said Lambert, 25, of East Stroudsburg. “We teach kids that they are more than a test, but it did not feel that way to me.” Pennsylvania isn’t alone: Only 13 states now require the assessment, down from 25 in 2015, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. New Jersey is considering dumping it as well.Fewer than half of teaching candidates passed the most common version of the writing assessment on the first try in 2020-21, according to data provided by the state education department. In reading and math, they fared better. Nearly three-quarters passed reading on the first try and 82% the math.
While Helm agreed that nothing stands out as evidence that basic skills tests increased the chance of getting certified, both he and Tanya I. Garcia, Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary of postsecondary and higher education, cautioned that such a comparison is limited, and much more study is needed.“It’s hard to argue that basic competency in reading and writing and math isn’t important for teachers. That’s something we agree on‚” said Pam Grossman, dean of Penn’s graduate school of education.
“This is just opening an opportunity for them to grow and to be able then to meet those requirements at the end of their program,” she said.“Quite often the response has been to widen the gate, lower the bar,” said University of Pennsylvania education professor Richard Ingersoll, an expert on America’s teaching force.
Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, saw the waiver as a reasonable attempt to respond to the teacher shortage, but said it’s critical the department collects data to evaluate the impact and be ready to possibly re-activate or modify the requirement. The department should look at whether candidates are able to pass certification tests and get their licenses as well as assess how effective they are in teaching students.
“I am not a firm believer in the standardized test,” Langan said. “I am a firm believer in being able to showcase competencies.” “This doesn’t mean I’m endorsing having underqualified people in the classroom,” he said. “I’m begging the conversation about what do we mean by quality and excellence that we can get to beyond standardized testing.”
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Pa. waived the basic skills requirement for educators. Will it work to attract more teachers?At least for the next three years, Pa. students will no longer have to pass the so-called basic skills tests in reading, math and writing, or meet the requirement through an alternative.
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