State education officials are eyeing a plan that could “recalibrate” — and presumably lower — passing scores on a challenging new teacher licensing exam that has produced a failure rate of more than 20 percent since it was introduced statewide in 2015.
The revamped assessment, called edTPA, was meant to measure candidates’ teaching skills realistically by requiring them to submit 20-minute videos of themselves working successfully in classrooms with groups of students.
Many college students hoping to qualify as teachers have complained, however, that preparing videos is technically difficult and time-consuming, at a time when they are also engaged in academic studies and student teaching. Another complaint is that the edTPA and three other tests required for state certification are expensive, with combined fees ranging as high as $750.
Related: MTEL.