Don’t make certification easier for New York teachers

What percentage of aspiring teachers should pass a certification test? It’s hard to say, because it’s not the right question to ask.

The important questions are whether students aspiring to teach in our schools are being properly prepared by their colleges, and whether the tests are properly measuring their capabilities.

At a meeting earlier this month, the state Board of Regents discussed the 23 percent failure rate on a new certification exam. That dismal figure has been constant since the test was first administered in 2014, drawing complaints from prospective teachers and their instructors. The test, called the Teacher Performance Assessment, or edTPA, was adopted as part of a move toward higher standards for the profession. It is graded partly on videos that teaching candidates submit of themselves working in classrooms.

One reason for failures might be that some student teachers don’t spend enough time in classrooms. Some teachers colleges require a full year of student teaching, but others mandate only the legal minimum of 40 days in classrooms.

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is working on final recommendations for changes in teaching certification. Meantime, a state waiver allows those who fail the edTPA to take another, easier exam that has a percentage passing rate in the mid-90s.

Recalibrating the edTPA to increase the passing rate when we know some of students taking it aren’t ready to teach is a mistake. It would be better to wait until new guidelines are in place.— The editorial board