To comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, PSS requires its teachers to pass the Praxis tests and get a degree and a certification. Those who comply are considered highly qualified teachers or HQT.
Secondary principals representative Alfred Ada of Kagman High School yesterday said he supports the intention of Education Commissioner Rita Sablan to retain the Praxis requirement which, he added, is one of the major factors that have improved student learning and performance.
The No Child Left Behind Act, he said, “mandated us to come up with our own requirements to ensure that we have highly qualified teachers — it is our opinion that we should stick with what we have decided since 2001.”
Although PSS is “slowly” progressing in terms of Praxis compliance, Ada is optimistic that they can meet the goal before the deadline, which is 2010.
Sixty-eight percent of the over 500 public school teachers are Praxis qualified while the rest are showing “good faith” in complying with the requirement.
“Surely we will get there if we will continue to persevere,” Ada said.
Ada said Kagman High School has 19 HQT personnel.
He believes that removing the Praxis test requirement will affect the quality of instruction in the classrooms.
The requirement, he added, is very important in the secondary schools as it helps PSS find “experts” in content areas.
“Most of the principals are seeing the difference of a teacher who is specialized in a certain area compared to a substitute teacher who doesn’t have the Praxis and level of knowledge that is required,” Ada said.
He added, however, that he is not belittling the capabilities and effectiveness of teachers who have yet to pass the Praxis tests.
“But it is like finding the best physician for your illness,” he said.
Ada said it is the goal of principals to help and assist their teachers to be in full compliance with the HQT requirements.
He said the school system’s leadership team and the principals are providing the necessary assistance to teachers who have yet to pass the Praxis tests.
Various institutes, related courses and workshops as well as group studies are being provided to teachers, he added.
