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Praxis regulation now in effect
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Posted on Oct 08 2005
A new regulation requiring public school teachers to pass two Praxis tests are now in effect.
The State Board of Education adopted without modification the draft amendment it had proposed regarding Praxis and teacher certification regulations.
The new regulation appeared in the latest issue of the Commonwealth Register and took effect 10 days upon publication.
The amendment requires all teachers to pass both Praxis I and II tests. Only licensed related service providers are exempted from the requirement.
All current teachers are given until Aug. 31, 2006 to pass the Praxis examinations, regardless of the expiration date of their individual contracts.
Teacher applicants have the same deadline to pass the tests.
The Praxis requirement comes pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which mandated that all elementary and secondary school teachers in the United States and its territories have a bachelor’s degree or higher, attain full state certification, and demonstrate subject matter competency on a rigorous test, by end of August 2006.
“Praxis II meets the rigorous testing requirement. Therefore, PSS will require Praxis II of all teachers, including early childhood, special education and elementary school teachers,” according to the Board of Education.
The board published the draft amendment in the July 2005 issue of the Commonwealth Register and adopted it after soliciting public comments.
In May 2005, Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos issued new standard test scores for Praxis II to remind teachers of the cutoff scores that they must meet to remain with PSS.
Inos sent a memorandum to all schools informing public school teachers about the Praxis II scores, listing the possible range, the average scores, and the CNMI minimum scores, which are the standard scores required for passing content knowledge exams.
For Praxis I tests, the State Board of Education has set 170 out of 190—or 85 percent—as the passing score for teachers taking the first Praxis. The score, Inos said, is very close to the national median of minimum passing scores for the exam.
