Virginia has altered its teacher licensing requirements
by eliminating a basic skills test and replacing it with a more rigorous reading and comprehension exam.
The result is that teachers will have to be more literate and proficient in the subjects they teach, but educators who do not teach math will no longer have to pass a math test.
The State Board of Education also announced that
teachers who have not yet passed the new tests can spend only one year in the classroom on a provisional license. Previously, they were given three years.
Teachers already holding a Virginia license or those with two years’ experience and a license from another state will not be affected by the new requirements.
I’m by and large okay with these changes, although the one year provisional license may negatively impact the teacher shortage. That might be a necessary evil if those individuals can’t pass this test, assuming its a fair exam. I’m a proponent of making it easier for non-traditional professionals to enter the teaching profession and this new testing regimen, more in tune with a person’s base of knowledge, rather than their education class ticket punching, might help.
Still, there’s a subjective component to evaluating a teacher and I’m not sure how to fairly rate potential or performance in that area.