NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee could soon give aspiring teachers alternative ways to meet the state’s educator licensure requirements, which some say would make it easier to enter and stay in the profession without lowering standards.
The State Board of Education moved a proposal forward earlier this summer that would create other methods for future teachers to prove they’ve mastered the material required to teach in Tennessee if they didn’t pass the PRAXIS exam.
“PRAXIS is a like a standard that says you have mastered certain subject matter, and you are equipped to go out and teach,” JC Bowman, executive director and CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, told News 2. “The problem is, it doesn’t necessarily align with our standards, so if you’re telling a teacher that they have to teach a certain thing or whatever, the PRAXIS may not capture that that teacher has the knowledge.”
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The Board of Education’s proposal would provide future teachers with alternative ways to prove their mastery, including submitting a portfolio, retaking only the portions of the PRAXIS exam they failed, or completing targeted remediation if they narrowly missed a passing score…