From: Cayata Dixon
-------------------- Schools chief calls for crackdown on uncertified teachers -------------------- By Michael Martinez Tribune education reporter October 1, 2001, 6:25 PM CDT As many as 1,750 teachers in Chicago Public Schools are uncertified and would be forced to pass state certification tests under proposed deadlines as short as two years, officials said today. Announcing a crackdown on unqualified educators, schools Chief Executive Arne Duncan proposed a two-year time limit for uncertified general education teachers to secure credentials from the Illinois State Board of Education. Duncan said the system has one teacher who has been uncertified for as long as 26 years. Duncan also proposed requiring bilingual education teachers, who often are from other countries and have trouble mastering English quickly, to pass state licensing tests in three years, a reduction from the city's five-year limit. "The goal of this proposal is to help guarantee that fully certified and quality teachers are in front of every CPS classroom, teaching in their respective areas of specialization," Duncan said. School officials said 7 percent of the system's nearly 25,000 teachers are uncertified. They added they have no figures how many are teaching subjects outside their tested areas of expertise. Such teachers are allowed in classrooms because state law allows Chicago schools to hire substitute teachers without full licensing to work full time, like regular teachers. State licensing exams require a teacher to pass two tests, one in basic skills and another in a subject specialization. The basic skills test, described as so easy an 8th grader could pass it, was toughened this year. The subject matter test is being reviewed, with the aim of making it too more difficult to pass. The state board also plans to implement a test in pedagogy, or teaching methods. Chicago school officials are now auditing 81 of their worst schools -- where uncertified teachers are more likely to work -- to find out how many faculty members there are uncertified and teaching outside their certified subject areas. School-by-school rankings will be posted on the system's Web site, officials said. Chicago also would require all new teacher applicants to waive their privacy rights to their state test results, including how many times they had to take the tests before passing. School board President Michael Scott predicted the board would approve the proposal. Officials said they would help uncertified teachers prepare to take the state tests, but could not say how much that effort could cost taxpayers. Like some state officials, Chicago officials are asking that the state board limit to three the number of times an individual can take the teacher certification tests without additional preparation. Those who flunk three times would have to produce proof they have received additional training before being allowed to take the tests again, city officials proposed. State board officials have been divided on this three-strike proposal. Chicago officials also are asking colleges and universities to make more aggressive reforms in teacher training, and to require all students intending to go into teaching to take the state certification tests prior to graduation. Currently, students take the tests after graduation, officials said. Copyright (c) 2001, Chicago Tribune -------------------- Improved archives! Searching Chicagotribune.com archives back to 1985 is cheaper and easier than ever. New prices for multiple articles can bring your cost down to as low as 30 cents an article: http://chicagotribune.com/archives -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
