Testing Competency of Teachers Eyed in Ohio

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Teting∑ cpmpetency of;,te8chers
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. Reaction is mixed to news that a state group is studying the posibility of start{ng a formal proram t,o tet. the competency of persons entering the teaching profeSSion -, . . ' perhaps in ∑the mid-. 1980s,' ., ' . : . Ideas, on teting teachl'''s alre;:ldy in jO?" renewin : certification and requirements for contmulng education are "nol completely thought through,". ar;cotding, to' Ohio's assistant 'superintendent. of pubhc mstructlon, Roget:Ll.Ilow. . .. . Lulow said au' Advisory ∑Commission for Teacher Education and Certification has been∑ directed by Franklin Walter;' state superintendent, to study teacher competency tests,∑ ∑ The commission)5 "primarily looking at measuring levels of knowledge about subject m atter, .l'\s well as t he :ability to communicate in a writen and oraanner," Lulow said. He conceded it's "diffICult to determme w hat personal qualities li person needs to be a good teacher," a ∑complaint voiced by. some testing critics, , . .' Lulow said the commission will look at allowms potential teachers to retake thetest if they.dn' t do well initially. In that way, the testing wOl;lld be slmlar to that ,done in the.legal and medical profeSSIOns, he saId.

By sANDy LI'J."1'Ll!: . <Journal Educatlo Writer

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'ONE MAJOR reaso n behind the intetest∑ in teacher competency tes.t Is a "need t<l communicate to th..public thatlteachers are sitiiled"ln the areas-they teach. There have been lots of'questi9ris raised about competency,:' . .. .. .: ' Lulow saie:!" . ' Lulow said the tests could "assure-that teacherS do have the skills" and secondly,' "let the. public know the . profession' itselfjs Cmlcerned about this." Lulow said. Walter"s ideas "are. noLintended to be.. negativ e toward colleges anduniversities∑efforts" to:give " future teachers the right education. , " , . "His (Walter' $) concerns relate in large part to the : difficulty of attractingieachers to the profession" Instead lof other lobs whose " sala ries , have risen more rapidly," Lulow cOhtinued. .. .' --'''U''s 50methingthat CQuid give the schoOls and teachers ' personally r status and more respectbility" since in . some pu bhc views,. the traditloflal 1l1gh regard for teachers and teaching has diminished,he continued. . .
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. people beinglaken out of teachirtg bee8use ofille of . that test. Who wouldn't pass?" . Although he said he personally.has no, qualms about . educators being . required to pass" examinations, he maintains "if we don't have competent teachers, perhaps we should redesign our requiremeQt5" 'for certification. Theft! already is a group established to take care of . certificatibn requirements;he.said. . . . .' EchoingEverhart's remarks about the. Inadequacies of competent.y tests was Gladys Vjlnderpool, presillent of . ' the Franklin Educatlon ASSOCiation. . " . . "Many .people test out competently," she lold .The Journal.they "But that doesn't always mean hawe. the skills and,abUity to relate to children or th:at they know how to understand and accept children on dlfferent levels "There's a Whole process you bave to consider before you go into tbat,"Mrs. Vanderpool said. ... . . . Paul Kuhn, superintendent of the Middletown' SChool District, said testing teachers afti' collee woUld be . "totally ineffective for. the Simple fact thayou have very . few new teachers being hired; So, the. effect on the educational process would be 'almost negligible.". .' . Kuhn said he's also'∑".concerned' :because "youroay .have a∑ teacher. who may not. have been ∑a straigbt student, but Who has alol of common sense"-:-: 9Omf!tbing , that's just as importantin teaching.∑' . ' . Evaluations teachers' alreadyln a job 'could be beefed up'" thrOugh "more frequent visits . tlle classroom and more follow on what's taking plac(Hn tHe . . classroom, Kuhn said. , . . . Otber area snpertntendents and pl"e$idehts of ∑.cher ,J organizations contacted: bi . The∑ o.Ul'J,lal:ded to -c . ': comment on teachl' competency\testi,ng.. say"tbey . , '. weren't familiar with the topiC. ,.,-,.

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, 'At leasi∑ two superIntendents con. the'sublect is " . . ' . . ! controversial. , . ,

generally been positive. from the public' and trom teachers, with the only reservation being to make sure the .' ,tests are f air and accurate. " . . : . , However, there are others locally who have misgivings about the concept. . , Everhart, .superintendent of. the Franklin.school system, maintains competency testing. "doesn't lID anytbin about quality, Teachers are not made. They're . born, A competency test will not tell you that." .Everhart continued, "You have Ii minimum standar.d. People reach that,standard. I don't think you'd'see many

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SAID' reaction . he's heard to the tests "has

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∑article ' conceded, ,however, Uilit many inStitUtio ack the finances to do a better job. .. ' . NEA also opposes a pushby.some sclloo l istrlcs to i require teachers already on the. payt;0ll to take a ∑t1tten and , test to prove their skillS' in spelling, gJ'arJ;lmat, writing , The America!) Federation of∑ Teachers has math. opposed the testing of emplOyed teachers, but lS"in sppo of "certification tests, . , ' : - "It won t teU' you if a' person is going to be a goOO teache,r," AF'J,' President Albert. Sanker aid, 'but it will tell you pretty quickly.if they're IllIterate. . . '
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WHERE D<hlational teacher groups stari on ilie issUe? ; The National Education Associati4;m-has been quoteO as pposing testing\. as a condition' of certification' or. iontinued employment." It ∑cited technical reservations . lboutstandardized tests. . .. . ' :. i One .NEA article recently suggeste!1 that states shOuld emand that teaChet .t raining . inStitutions proyide mot: igorous assessment procedures; better counsellng and . . . . , ore field-based experience 'that offer, professol'$ of . education a chance to observe prospective teachers in
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".' !CDLETOWN JOURNi\l' \∑\IC'DLFTOWN, O. ,1. . ∑UN . cmc, 26:,,;::
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FEB- /-82

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The union ,presii1t added'tbat she believed the cOllegeabad dOQe "everYthing:they caD' to investi . gate-;" . anla that; they, hadbeeli cleared.Mr: . Bennett, however, m a i ntained ∑that t h e colle ges . ."should ow .wbat!s gomg on." ,,' . . The 1.0& Angeles..ooI, distri< under the termscifits∑coniriict,wfth∑ the U,,..L, recogDizes :onlyci'edits from acCredited institutions,.ai:c:Prd iog,to Robert d.eynes, director ,or' . staff developmeDt.. , '. .. . , The two colleges in qUesUon are accredited 'by their regional ations--CaliforniaLutheran by the Western Association or'Schoolsand Colleges, Ottawa by the ;North Ceri soci tralAsatiori of Schools and CoI . . leges. N!lither. <:allege is accredited .. . by N.C..\.T.E. ' . ' - The Los 'AngeleS' district expect8 15 "contact" hOUl'&-hours )lctuaily spent in class-plus another 30 hours iri outside preparation for eacbci'edit, Mr. deVries said. The standards of the Western ASsoci ation call for 'the same amount of time spent in studieS. "Sometimes we suspect some thing'is WJ'Q!1r and check it out,"Mr; deVries said, but not iD. thesein stances. "We aSsUme the accredited schools follow the policy of the West ern Association:" oia In 1979, tli.at assotion' e8ta

-that. onlY 31 of the district's oiQ than 28,OOOteacher8 bad been ac cused orany wrongdoing. ' '. ,.:. .

U.T,L;A. Ms.

Solkovits pointed out

lIuch q situation'as that ,in which &hed as its policy that member-col theyare now'caught, or it could have leges are responsible for all activi provided a complai nt-review process ties . leading to credit, said Ralph that would havi!! given tliem,som Woltr, associate executive director of recOurse IUld the institutions been the Western AssociatiQn. Colleges nationally accredited, which they may. contract with non-accredited are not," Mr. G\lbser said. organizations for facilities or sup "The kids need be proteCted in port services, but inStructioilin oft' $Chools, even if it's the courts . campuS courses "has be done by a ; . those staff meinber," Mr. Woltf said. "I ! . that have do'it. If the publil= isn't willing . let the profession do it:, thlnk this will solve the problem'." , kids need be procted ' n mlltter A spokesman for the North Cen . ' . . ' .. . lt." : who d oe8 . com.tralAssoCiation declined '' ' ' I "The point that rm nl{ IWt at ment.∑ .;'''. :' . . is that there will be a tendency once Mr. Gubser, ofN.c.A.T.E., said.the again damn teacherS when in f\!t inci.delit demonstrates the Deed for the tea ching.' pro.fession∑ has' esta national accieditation of continu ∑iIIg-eduCation .programs for teach lished machinery try k6!lP this ∑ kind ft"n ... t.... ' ..... ' . .. hl -era, and for stricter state and'iocal wd. requirements of auntability.:, . ∑ ' J{oweve.." spokesDlen for the "The sad plight of these teachers N.E.A; said the' assOciation has Do becomes even moretragicwhy:ou sPecific poliCy on accrecJitation III c:ion8ier'that had they only been continuing-education counell for aware of the professional reputation of these inStItutions, they might tehe1'8, although tI1l!UPog: Iy advocatesN.C.A.T.E. ai:creditatioU; have aVoided thti situation," lie said." of pre-mce teacher-preparatIon'∑ ,"It could have happened anyhere," e added. "There !U'e. PrW-, programs. Th.e spokesmen declined llbly notto stateswhere there sUf- . further cOmment until more about ficit!nt .I egntlato or policies' the LoS Angeles' incident is known Nor door the American era-, governing extension progr8JP8 or tionof 'ThachnJ have any formal , credit where this couldn't hllve \ standards fOJ' continuing education, occurred.!' acc(lrding to Scott Wid meyer , a. . "'l'hrough national accreditation, ' union spokesman. , such professional associations as the . "We encourage"teachers to en N.E.A. [Ntional'Education Associ hance their education," Mr. Will atibn]maintairia review p'ss meyer said. "Anyibing they can car tat'coul have provided these ry back and liSe in thec!assrom, we' teachers with information that o would have protected them fromjust .

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endOl"lle. But when it comes . dividual basis like this, and Mick y Muse courses thllt d ? help Jli the classrom, we ce . o don't endorse that;". .. '. . \ . The' U.T.L.A. is the only local teach:\ ers' union in the country that is at'\ filiated with bo thN.E.A. and A.F;T. \
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buted to this report.

'Cospondent GIforge Neill con

EDUCATION March 17,

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Professors .meet t9,∑study imp3ct ofUC :udge. cuts∑,
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r resentative for the Califorlia FE/deration of Teachers; who will discuss attitudes in the state cap UC Berkeley profes$ors and ital about budget cuts; said Lus-. . ' tig. members of the American FedJoseph. Biochemistry professqr eration of Teacners will meet today to discuss the impact of Neilands, president. of AFT Local 1-474, said, "Students are budget cuts on studerits,Jaculty ' belng callEid upon to pay higher and staff of the university. fetls, yet here (in the Biochemis Today's meeting represents trY: Building) the number of cus of any faculty the first attempt todians has been cuHrom five to organiz ation to assess priorities two, and We are required to teach for cuts in UC staff arid'prog- . more." . rams, said 'organizers of the hre are no Aca.deluic Senate .∑ forum. . faci,Ilty or non-senate faculty)n, ' . . "There's concern from young volved in determining how the faculty member and those buNiens ofbudget cuts will bal working in creative programs, as∑ borne, safdNeilands. MemDrs well as from non-Academic Se- of t e Academic Senate include ' nat faculty (lecturer, for how prqf ssors, whereas lecturjls, theIr programs, poslbollS and, ,andteaching assistants are not In . securIty of employement may be . the Academic Senate. disrup ted," s aid']eff Lustig: an In∑ addition to discussing . . . orgamz.er wlthh!l Anllmc an wherl cuts will be made, AFT Federation ru;;pe (AFT).. rep'resentatives will examine . Tqday's forum, to be held in 70 ,how budget cuts' will affect the Evans a(4 p.m., will feature Sac- UC sylitemwide administration ramento' lobbyist •ary Bergen, and how to retpond.to cuts.
STAFF W1llTER

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HE HAS CRITICIZED the∑ council for its rambling' meetings'aild l ack of ' ql,lick action. . . The AFT represe,nts 140 faculty members m the Bloomington. camp!,Js, . 'which has 1,432 faculty and librarians. ,Last week, the AFT gained further 'recognition . when lU. . administrators agreed to ailow payroll deductioitsto pay faculty membership dues' for tlie AFT and the American Association' of University Professors, which' repre. sents about 300 of, the .faculty. STAR rNDIA!J,A,POt.!S. Ill:!. M-22S,OOO -57.OOO FEB∑

. THE AJi'T SUPPORTS a strong faculty governance role but. was un∑ successful in bringing collective b.llr. glUning .to I. U. lastyem-;when' Ure:-I. U. Board of Trustees voted against∑ the ' " . \ . id ea. "Of course., this is .no substitute for collective bargaining," Pepinsky said; "But the AFT has always been (or strengt hening existing (faculty) , mechanisms." The AFT had sponsored a slate of∑ 17 candidates for the council eleCtion. . Pepinsky has Said electinginore AFT ineml)ers to the c()uncil "can serve as a catalyst for making faculty government more Qrganized."

810cªnington, Ind.∑-:-, :the Fed tat. n of Lahers . a y; .∑ gan supportsollectlve bar"∑∑ 1J1ng, has lande4 10 spots" on Indiana University's Faculty'Col!ncil. e tion esultS for 20 seats on,the council: an actvisory .body to, nte uni". versi'ty_ administ ration, were' an nouDce4 Monday, Th¢ AFT now has a. total.Q :fccJl'n1,,&, i'",',::,' Hal 'Pepinsky, AFT president and one of th 10 elected,.said, "Ithinldt was a pretty good .. outcome" consider" ing it was the first effort by the' grotip to land a. sizable number of council , seats.

Unionwins:\ lij"se'als on, \ l.tI. coucil \ \
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STAR STATE REPORT

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DAILY CALIFORNIAN Berkeley, Jan. CA (Cir.5xW.25,OOO) 21, 1982

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