Teachers pack class for test

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2003 | 11 a.m.

Two years ago, when the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, offered a free workshop to help teachers prepare for a state licensing exam, 10 people showed up.

This year that exam, the Praxis II, is one of the ways for teachers to prove they meet the federal No Child Left Behind Act's "highly qualified" requirement, and more than 700 Clark County School District teachers are seeking seats in the class.

Under the federal law school districts must have highly qualified teachers in every classroom by the end of the 2005-06 academic year. Teachers can demonstrate their proficiency on an exam, such as the Praxis II, by earning academic credits in the subject they teach or by completing a master's degree.

Martha Young, associate dean of the College of Education at UNLV, who is helping coordinate the workshops, said the increase in participants is a direct result of the looming federal deadline.

"A lot of these teachers realize everyone doesn't pass the Praxis the first time around, and it's not something you want to walk into cold," Young said. "It's smart to start planning now."

To help bring UNLV's graduation requirements in line with the new federal standards, beginning this year education students will have to take the Praxis II exam to graduate, Young said.

The school district is picking up the tab for the cost of the workshops and has been advertising them heavily at school sites, through mailers and online, Associate Superintendent George Ann Rice said. Hundreds of teachers have signed up as a result of an effort to have as many employees as possible meet the new standards well before the federal law's deadline, Rice said.

"This is a major project for the district," Rice said Monday. "We don't want people caught off guard by these changes. It sounds like 2006 is a long way off, but it's a lot closer than some teachers might want to think. And the longer they wait, the more stress and pressure they're going to have."

The demand for space in the workshops has been so great that Rice and the workshop facilitators plan to meet this week and prioritize the applicants. Teachers who need to pass the Praxis II exam to retain their state licenses will move to the top of the list and be offered seats for the first workshop, set for Sept. 27. A second workshop is slated for Oct. 4.

Teachers at Title I schools, which receive extra federal dollars based on the high number of students coming from low-income families, have had to meet the "highly qualified" standards since July 1, 2002.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, said it's important that teachers check the Nevada Education Department's website to see what they need to do to meet the new standards. Some veteran teachers are exempt provided they have kept up with the continuing education requirements that are part of the state's license, Holloway said.

"A lot of people are panicking because of misinformation," Holloway said. "There are people who think they aren't qualified and have to take the Praxis, but after you talk to them and find out their experience and their backgrounds, you realize they already are."

Holloway said she's fielded dozens of calls from teachers about the "highly qualified" standards. Some people are worried about their own careers, while others are angry at the idea that they must demonstrate their ability even after years of experience in the classroom, Holloway said.

"The reception has been very mixed," Holloway said.

Young said she has her own doubts about whether the new federal standards will have a long-term effect on the quality of education in the nation's public schools. The ability to demonstrate factual knowledge on an exam doesn't guarantee teaching skills, Young said.