Illinois education officials are seeking to change a state law that soon would require novice teachers to pass a test after four years on the job, a move that prompted some educators and business leaders to charge the board is caving in to pressure from powerful teachers unions.
The proposal, unveiled by the Illinois State Board of Education Friday, would gut a sweeping teacher licensing law passed four years ago that aimed to ratchet up demands on teachers and, ultimately, ensure that every educator was highly qualified. A portion of that law would deny permanent licenses to teachers who are unable to pass a test after four years in the classroom, beginning in 2003.
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Implementation of the law has been rife with conflicts, and critics charge that Friday’s proposal is another example of how compromises with teachers unions and state bureaucracy have created a flawed licensing system.
“We are deeply disappointed with the direction this has gone,” said Carolyn Nordstrom, president of Chicago United, a business group that tried to help negotiate the teacher licensing proposal. “I think this shows Illinois is not as dedicated to improving teacher quality as it professes to be. What we need is a strategic vision toward improving teaching, and this plan avoids that altogether.”
Under the new proposal, the state would allow teachers to obtain a permanent license in any of six ways, including completing four semester hours of graduate level work, or earning 60 credit hours through seminars and workshops. Each option also insists beginning teachers prove to more seasoned teachers that they can actually teach.
Representatives of the state’s two teachers unions said they oppose using a single, pencil-and-paper test to measure a novice teacher’s ability. They support a more flexible system that helps teachers improve their performance instead of booting them from the classroom.
The new proposal was hammered out by state board officials and representatives from the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Union officials drafted the proposal, already an amendment to a bill sponsored by state Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst).
Officials with the state board said the plan, while not perfect, will improve classroom teaching.
“We are not saying that everyone is happy, but we felt it was something that would accommodate a majority of interests,” said Respicio Vazquez, interim state superintendent of education. “We tried to do the best we could to meet everyone’s interests.”
Four years ago, as part of a national push to improve teaching, Illinois developed a more aggressive licensing system. Lawmakers passed a bill that toughened the initial teacher certification tests, added a second assessment four years down the road and mandated that teachers obtain continuing education credits to keep their licenses.
The initial teacher-licensing test already has been strengthened.
But a Tribune report last year revealed deep flaws with the continuing education requirement. It showed the program was operating with almost no oversight, allowing teachers to claim credit hours for gambling at the racetrack and learning to give massages.
State board officials said they plan to beef up oversight and said teachers could not take a workshop unless it was approved by the state first.