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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

New York State to End Literacy Test

for Aspiring Educators, Claiming it Hurts Diversity

Published: March 13, 2017
 
 
Officials at the New York State Board of Regents believe it is more important to be politically correct than to ensure that the individuals educating New York’s students have a mastery of the English language. Associated Press reports that the Board of Regents plans to scrap a literacy test for potential teachers today because too many non-whites are failing the test. Critics claim the test is making it difficult to achieve diversity within the teaching profession.
The test in question is the Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), which “measures whether a prospective teacher can understand and analyze reading material and also write competently,” according to the New York Post.
The ALST was introduced in the 2013-2014 school year, along with three other assessments, ostensibly to raise the quality of teachers in New York by assessing reading and writing skills and testing an individual’s ability to master the Common Core standards for English. New York State Deputy Commissioner of Education Ken Wagner defended the test as one that would help to “ensure that each newly certified teacher entered the classroom with certain minimum knowledge, skills and abilities.”
Improving the quality of teachers is of prime importance to the education reform movement, according to AP.  A December 2016 study by the National Council on Teacher Quality found that 44 percent of teaching programs accepted students from the bottom half of their high school classes.

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Source:  Blacklistednews.com

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