There will be another test in July but unfortunately, the results won’t be out until August, which will be past the deadline.
Passing the Praxis tests are among the requirements imposed by the Board of Education on PSS so it can comply with the federal highly qualified teacher, or HQT, rule and continue to receive U.S. assistance.
Education officials fielded questions from House members on how to address the issue.
Sablan told reporters after the meeting that they know it was disheartening news to the teachers when they got their notices but she noted that the rule was first announced in 2004.
The affected personnel, she added, have had many years to pass the tests.
Asked what is being done to replace those who will not be re-hired by PSS, Sablan said they have been working with principals since February, looking at the “staffing patterns” to see what schools will need new personnel.
PSS continues to recruit new teachers, she added.
PSS has about 20 principals, 30 vice principals and 500 teachers.
Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, noted that Praxis tests do not take into consideration the experience of longtime teachers.
“That is the thing that bothers me,” he said.
Praxis tests, he said, would be easy for somebody who had just finished college, “but how about the teachers who have been in the classrooms for a long time?”
These teachers would have a rough time taking the tests, he added.
Tenorio said BOE should look into the possibility of rehiring highly qualified teachers who have retired to prevent a shortage in teachers.
But BOE member Herman T. Guerrero said there are graduating students who want to work with PSS someday so these retirees may end up competing with the new graduates for jobs.
Praxis I consists of three exams: reading, writing, and mathematics while Praxis II covers many different subject areas.
