The Board of Education requires a public school teacher to have a bachelor’s degree and a valid teaching certificate, and pass Praxis 1 and 2 in order to be classified as a highly qualified teacher, or HQT.
PSS teachers who did not pass the Praxis tests have seen a reduction in their salaries, which ACT describes as “punitive.”
ACT, in a report submitted to BOE’s fiscal and personnel affairs committee, said the Praxis tests are based on U.S. educational standards, but many of the CNMI teachers did not receive their training or education in the states.
This is a “disadvantage” to the local teachers, ACT stated.
It added that PSS does not allow its teachers to avail of the English as a Second Language accommodations offered by the Praxis tests.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all teachers of schools receiving federal assistance must be highly qualified by the year 2010.
But ACT president Betty Miller claims that “there are no funding ramifications for violating requirements for highly qualified teachers.”
According to PSS, 66 percent of its teachers are already considered HQTs.
ACT said the decision to “prioritize” HQT personnel is a “punitive measure” that “affects not only the morale of teachers but also leads to an increase in teacher turnover — both of which will have a negative impact on student learning.”
According to ACT, the PSS Praxis passing score of 146 in elementary education is higher than the requirement set by many schools in the U.S.
At least 11 states have lower passing scores than the CNMI, ACT added.
PSS has higher Praxis passing scores for middle school math, middle school language, social studies, and other content areas than those set by some states, ACT said.
Miller said they are not recommending any changes regarding Praxis 1 passing requirements, but they will ask BOE to reduce the passing score for Praxis 2.
“We did not find any states or entities that have already terminated or imposed reductions in teacher’s salaries based on teacher examination scores,” the ACT report stated. “In addition, the CNMI already holds the highest level of education required for certified teachers of all entities in the Pacific region…yet [it is] among the first in the nation to penalize teachers for not passing Praxis.”
ACT said BOE should take into account the “unique cultural considerations” and status of the CNMI.
ACT quoted Luisa Atkinson, information resource specialist for the U.S. Department of Education, as saying that “the CNMI has chosen to adopt the requirements of the HQT provisions of the NCLB. However, since it us a local decision, the USDOE does not enforce these requirements and does not set consequences for not meeting them.”
ACT said it does not propose “simply lowering the standards to make it easier on those who have failed.”
But, it added, “we believe full disclosure of these findings will lead many to realize a review for potential revisions is warranted as the current HQT requirements were strictly a local decision and not mandated for the CNMI by the NCLB Act.”
ACT said teachers have worked very hard to meet the mandates set forth by PSS, with several of them paying to take the tests over and over again.
“We believe teachers and the general public deserve a full explanation as to what the NCLB actually requires of the CNMI in contrast to the initial goals set for us by PSS/BOE,” the ACT report added.
ACT wants the board to consider the “veteran teachers” who may not be good test takers but are highly effective in teaching their students.
BOE Vice Chairman Herman T. Guerrero, in an interview Friday, said they will review ACT’s report.
He opposes, however, any proposal to lower the standards set for public school classroom teachers.
Like engineers, doctors, nurses and other professionals, PSS teachers should be able to pass standard examinations, he said.
Passing the Praxis tests, he added, will allow PSS teachers to become more competitive in their field.
He said teachers should continue to strive for higher standards and “not bring everybody down.”
