From US News & World Report - May 22, 2009
"Almost three quarters of aspiring elementary-school teachers in Massachusetts have failed a new math section of the state's licensing exam—the first time teaching candidates' knowledge of the subject has been assessed on a separate test. Administered in March, the new assessment—which includes questions on geometry, statistics, and probability—is the result of efforts to raise standards in a subject in which, until now, teachers were not necessarily required to excel.
"Mitchell Chester, the state's commissioner of elementary and secondary education, says the new assessment makes Massachusetts the first state to approve a math-specific test for elementary licensure, as opposed to a multiple-subject exam yielding a single composite score, as is common in most states.
"In light of the high failure rate—only about 27 percent of the 600 teaching candidates who took the test passed it—and the state's critical shortage of special education teachers, a temporary measure has been enacted that allows those who just missed the mark on the math section to still obtain teaching licenses. The teachers then have five years to retake and pass the test."
These are college students graduating from schools of education. They are only 4 years out of high school themselves. Could the schools of education actually erased knowledge of basic high school math during the process of teaching them to be teachers? What else did the education schools delete from the brains of these aspiring teachers? How long has this been happening and just never measured?
Why not have subject area teachers in Elementary Schools? Many Asian countries follow this system. Teachers are happy because they plan for one subject only -- the subject of their choice and strength.
Posted by: Jamila Thomas | July 07, 2009 at 09:39 AM
Bob - Great post....if MA has this problem, one has to wonder how the other (not so progressive) states would do in a certification process.
One practical solution is for leading universities to offer a specific Bachelor's program in Elementary Education and Masters program in Middle and High School Education.
Many countries like China, India, UK have these types of college choices - perhaps, each state should form a 3-5 person commission and study the best practices from other nations and institute one that is applicable to each state...
Perhaps we have a business model here to "train the teachers" for excellence in proficiency in specific elementary grades (k - 5)....
Posted by: Suresh | June 05, 2009 at 05:17 AM