Ind. debating education changes

Indiana teaching licenses might get a makeover, but not before changes go under scrutiny.

Last week the Indiana Professional Standards Board was given the proposed changes that were made by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. The board decided to delay making any decisions until its next meeting.

Higher education board member Carrie Cate-Clements said she felt like she needed more time to look over the 54-page document because some of the changes included in the package were significant.

She said the board was given a revised document of the changes upon arrival to the board meeting July 29 and didn’t have enough time to see what exactly was revised.
“There are so many changes,” Cate-Clements said. “(We) need to look at making these changes significant so that schools will benefit.”

Some of the proposed changes include increasing the number of content courses prospective teachers have to take at the collegiate level. Those intending to teach grades 5-12 would have to earn a bachelor’s degree with a major in the subject they plan to teach and a minor in education.

Other changes include replacing teacher’s portfolio and mentor requirements with a beginning teacher residency program.

The proposed changes also would reduce the requirements for being eligible to become a principal or superintendent.

Indiana Department of Education Spokesman Cam Savage said the changes are intended to increase the content knowledge of teachers and to increase professional development.

The state hopes the changes to teaching licenses will increase students’ standardized test scores.

One proposed change includes principals choosing professional development
conferences or classes that teachers can take for credit, which could replace the requirement of taking classes every five years, Savage said.

“It will best meet the interest of the students,” Savage said. “I think that is an important step they can make for teachers.”

Not everyone approves of the suggested changes.

Tim Niggle, director of student and information management services at the IU School of Education, said a lot of the content knowledge the reforms identify are already part of programs.

But, Niggle said he is concerned that not enough time will be given to how teachers will be delivering information to students.

“It’s naive to say that teaching is all about content,” Niggle said. “A lot of what we do is the business of education.”

Some of the proposed changes are so different that he said he is concerned that other states will not accept Indiana teaching licenses.

“A lot of students don’t stay in the state to teach,” Niggle said. “Most states have pretty much similar programs, so to make a radical departure from that, then other states are going to have some trouble with that.”

Cate-Clements said she is also concerned that other states might question the quality of teachers Indiana produces if all the changes are implemented.

The reforms are still at the beginning of the process and will take time to be finalized.
If all the changes are passed, they will be implemented as early as July 2010, according to the Indiana Department of Education Web site.

“People shouldn’t get too alarmed about this because it’s just a discussion,” Niggle said. “They are going to talk about it a lot.”