Educator Competency

"The unflattering fact that we must own up to is that many, perhaps most, of those who choose teaching as a profession represent the very bottom of the academic barrel" (Williams, 2004). Wow! I could not help but take offense to this statement. Personally, I know that I work with some very intelligent people. In fact, one teacher in my building is a lawyer. And considering that there are many dedicated, brilliant educators across this country, I feel that this was a very bold, inappropriate statement.

In New Jersey, it is not exactly a simple task to become an elementary educator. We must go through the following drawn out process to obtain our certification:

1. A candidate must first establish eligibility and obtain a Certificate of Eligibility or a

Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing. To receive either of these certificates, a candidate must meet degree, academic and test requirements, as well as complete a State-approved college professional education preparation program, which usually includes a student teaching component. But, all this certificate does is authorize the holder to seek and accept employment in positions requiring certification (New Jersey Department of Education [NJDOE], 2006).

2. The next step is to obtain a Provisional Certificate. This certificate is a two-year certificate issued to candidates who have met requirements for initial employment, and are employed, and are enrolled as part of a state-approved district training program or residency leading to standard certification. During this time, the candidate works with a mentor, which is an experienced teacher in the school for 30 weeks, evaluated a minimum of 3 times by school based administrators, including final summative evaluation, recommending the novice teacher for standard certification (NJDOE, 2006).

3. The last step is becoming Permanently Certified and obtaining a Standard Certification. This certificate is a permanent certificate issued to candidates who have met all requirements for State certification, which are: (a) Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, (b) A baccalaureate degree, post-baccalaureate program or advanced degree conferred with a grade point average of at least 2.75, (c) A passing score on Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for elementary teachers Praxis II test, (d) Completion of a major in the liberal arts or sciences for elementary education, (e) A passing score on an examination in physiology and hygiene, including the effects of narcotics and alcohol. The examination is administered at the county offices of education. In lieu of this examination, the applicant may present basic military training or college level study in areas such as biology, health or nutrition, and (f) Successful completion of the Provisional Teacher Program (induction/mentoring for alternate route or traditionally prepared first-year teachers); or a state approved college teacher preparation program and one year of full time teaching under a valid state license (NJDOE, 2006).

Years ago, this process was not as extensive. From what I have heard, the amount of time that a student teacher worked with a cooperative teacher was a much shorter period of time than it is today. Then once they were certified, new teachers were simply put in a classroom, often feeling isolated and left to sink or swim. Things are definitely changing for the better. New teachers are getting much more support and mentoring. Well, at least I know that this is true in my district. I am not sure what the process is in other states, but I feel that even though it may be a little slow moving and tedious in New Jersey, it is for the best. Therefore, I feel that getting through this process, should be enough proof that someone is competent. I do not think that teachers should have to take a competency test to prove themselves, yet again.

"Advocates of setting standards and measuring them using standardized tests argue that student performance in a particular school could be used to determine the competency of the teachers and administrators in that school" (Gutek, 2004, p.268). I disagree with this statement. Many of my students came to me in September reading below grade level, and while many of them have showed tremendous growth this year, some of them are still reading below grade level. Does this make me an incompetent teacher? I do not think so. But, on a standardized test, it may look that way.

I could not agree more that "social, economic, and other variables have a powerful impact on student achievement that cannot be measured by standardized tests" (Gutek, 2004, p.268).

Many of my students are African American, Hispanic or Latino and there is little or no support at home. Some live with only one parent, or they have parents that work late or have more than one job, while others have no one at home that speaks English. Although these are obstacles that these children can overcome, they obviously, have a effect on their education.

I feel that one fair way to measure teacher competency, is to measure the yearly growth of individual students. One way that I know that my students are growing academically is from the STAR Reading test. My district uses this assessment to help determine the reading level of each student, as well as measure individual and class growth. I really like this program because we