Reevaluating the Way NYC Certifies Teachers

New York will join Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and up to 20 other states in reforming the way they grant licenses to aspiring teachers, the New York Times reported.

As many as 25 states so far say they will begin mandating a new standard for certifying teachers, placing less emphasis on exams and essays and instead evaluate instructional competence through lesson plans, homework assignments and videotaped instruction sessions.

The new approach will help ensure freshman teachers know more than just pedagogy, but also be able to effectively lead classrooms and handle students of differing abilities and needs amid limited resources.

The new model also will help answer some questions surrounding the veracity of degrees obtained from some teachers’ colleges, which have been accused of handing out diplomas without adequately preparing teachers for the kind of real-world experience they need to be effective.

The new licensing standards will be required next year in Washington State and have been committed to in Minnesota. New York will impose the new standards starting in 2014 with the estimated 62,000 students expected to graduate with teaching degrees.

Do you think this change in approach for preparing and testing teachers will produce long-term improvements in teacher effectiveness? Tell us what you think in the comments.