An important anniversary, for which we offer a small remembrance this morning, somehow slipped past us in 2009.   We should mark this event for the significant influence it has on our work, both for those who prepare Minnesota’s teachers and for those who guide the licensure process authorizing their practice.  During the fall of 1999 a new word began to dominate our conversations with colleagues and students.  Then new to the work of teacher preparation after serving as an instructional developer and program evaluator, I first encountered “The Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers” during a June conference hosted by the Board.  At that gathering I learned that Minnesota’s colleges would soon use these new “SEPs” to identify, instruct, and assess the pedagogical knowledge and skills to be acquired by Minnesota’s future teachers.   Where once the number of course credits, course titles, and their descriptions were criteria for approving a program of study leading to a teaching license, now our colleges would provide evidence that their candidates’ preparation included sufficient and appropriate opportunities to learn, practice, and to be assessed on the knowledge and skills described by each of the 140 SEPs as well as the content standards for each licensure area.   (Full MACTE Minute)

      As we move toward the introduction of a new academic skills test in September of next year, replacing the ETS Praxis I exam with the Pearson MTLE basic skills test, it is imperative to note unintended effects of moving from a test equated to high school performance in reading, writing, and the use of mathematics to a new test designed to verify those academic skills at the level of college sophomores.  While MACTE supports high standards for all teachers in Minnesota and across the nation, let’s focus for a minute on what this new basic skills test might mean for pre-service teacher candidates of color.
      Years of Praxis I results are clear; students of color do not pass the current Praxis I, or other standardized tests, at the same rate as do white students. With the adoption of the Pearson MTLE test we might expect that many more prospective teachers, including candidates of color, will not clear this hurdle. While we are searching for new ways to improve the diversity of Minnesota’s teachers, working to find and preparing more teachers of color who can better serve as role models for our K-12 students, Minnesota will be discouraging those seeking to become teachers who cannot pass a standardized test set at arbitrary level without regard for unintended consequences. The very people our schools, colleges, and departments of education are trying to encourage, mentor and support may thus be denied access to teacher education programs.   (Full MACTE Minute)

The Minnesota Association of the Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) presents the following MACTE Minute for your consideration. It was MACTE’s intention to present a summary of our recent statewide meeting and congress. The three day event in October engaged 158 participants in professional development and continuous improvement. The theme for the three days was “Rethinking Schooling.” The theme represented MACTE’s ongoing commitment to innovation in support of teaching and student learning. After seeing the agenda for today’s meeting of the Board of Teaching, we felt we needed to revise our MACTE Minute. However, the theme is still the same, “Rethinking Schooling.” Schools and their students are changing, but we continue to need qualified, effective teachers. On the BOT agenda today is a significant item about launching rulemaking to revise MN Rule 8700.7600. This item has to be one of the most significant topics that will face this Board. See full position statement.

One of the action items on your agenda this morning is of great interest to MACTE. You will review the framework for a redesigned system for evaluating teacher licensure programs. Previously, the system was called Professional Education Program Evaluation Report, or PEPER, and you have heard much about PEPER over the past few years. The redesign represents a shift from a system based primarily on inputs to one based on both inputs and outputs. Along with Board of Teaching staff, representatives of MACTE institutions have spent a great deal of time over the past year participating in the redesign effort. The purpose of the redesign work was to place an emphasis on candidate competence and performance data, while streamlining the reporting requirements for institutions. Both the Board of Teaching and MACTE want the data from the redesigned process in order to engage in continuous improvement for the benefit of Minnesota’s students. Although the basic structure is in place, the work is not yet done.  See Full position statement.

Much attention is being paid to the need for teachers to be prepared to work with the broad range of academically, culturally, and ethnically diverse students in our state. MACTE institutions continue to develop new and innovative strategies to ensure that our candidates receive such preparation. In addition, institutions are placing an emphasis on recruiting candidates from diverse backgrounds to the profession. One of MACTE’s major long-term goals is diversifying the teacher work force; this effort is central to the work of our institutions and to the organization itself.  See full position statement.

 
As the academic year draws to a close, MACTE would like to extend its sincere thanks to the Board of Teaching. Our organizations have partnered effectively throughout the year to make positive change for Minnesota teaching candidates and the students they will one day teach. Beginning with the August retreat, the Board has included MACTE in essential conversations and deliberations that will impact our programs and the preparation our candidates receive. We have worked closely together on legislative matters and on the Special Education Task Force, the PEPER Redesign Task Force, and the Standards and Rules Committee. In addition, representatives of both the Board of Teaching and the Department of Education have been invited to speak to MACTE members at our fall, winter, and spring meetings. We have shared ideas and tackled tough issues; we have kept the communication lines open.    See full position statement