As the 85th Minnesota Legislature begins its biennial deliberations, MACTE would like to share its legislative priorities with the Board of Teaching so we can collaborate to ensure Minnesota retains its reputation for leadership and quality in P-12 education.
Our legislative priorities are: 1) School readiness and early learning; 2) Funding for access and bridging the achievement gap; 3) Funding for new teacher induction programs; and 4) High and consistent standards for all teachers. A summary of our stance on these issues follows, but these priorities are addressed in more detail in the Issue Briefs published by MACTE.

MACTE institutions produce early childhood teachers and are very familiar with the research on early childhood education. The research stresses the educational importance of the early years in a child’s development. MACTE wants the 85th Minnesota legislature to: a) mandate and fund all-day kindergarten; b) mandate and fund full developmental and health screening of all MN children from age three through kindergarten; c) fund a study of universal preschool for Minnesotans; d) fund a study leading to recommendations addressing the growing number of preschool-aged children with significant and severe disabilities. Working with community early childhood professionals and guided by BOT standards, MACTE institutions are producing outstanding early childhood educators. Minnesota students will excel and schools will improve, if early childhood professionals are supported by legislative funding and mandates.  Minnesota has a continuing need to promote access to higher education and bridge the achievement gap for students of color. MACTE institutions recognize their role in addressing this issue and are initiating new strategies to recruit and retain more students and faculty of color. MACTE institutions are also collaborating in development of new partnerships with K-12 schools to develop college access programs. The Minnesota legislature needs to add its support by funding incentives, scholarships, and programs for students of color that will support their pursuit of higher education and teaching licensure.

MACTE recommends the legislature mandate and financially support a year-long induction and mentoring program for teachers new to the profession. The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future has provided data and a report noting that the nation needs to direct more attention on  teacher retention than on the reported “teacher shortage.” Induction is a good investment that has a positive impact on teaching and learning that results in teachers staying in the profession longer. Collaborative efforts by BOT-approved teacher preparation programs and school districts can guide beginning teachers through the first year of teaching if the legislature will provide funding.

MACTE wants the Minnesota legislature to reaffirm its commitment in requiring all Minnesota teachers meet high and consistent standards. MACTE recognizes some districts are challenged with hard to staff areas, but lowering standards is not acceptable. The legislature needs to provide incentives for hard to staff areas, promote alternative delivery of content, and enhance teacher retention with high quality fully licensed teachers that meet Minnesota standards.

One of the ways in which the MACTE Executive Committee (MEC) serves its membership is by keeping them current on the decisions of the Board of Teaching that affect Teacher Education Programs.  Recently, there has been a flurry of initiatives and activities that MEC has been observing closely and providing information to our membership.  These issues are critically important to the State’s Teacher Education Programs because they either affect the program offerings or candidates’ licensing.  The following issues have been discussed at our MACTE Fall Congress and our membership has spoken on how to follow up on each initiative.  

Social Studies – Due to the federal investigation on the broadness of the Minnesota Social Studies license, MACTE institutions have been asked to generate the numbers of courses that a social studies major may take in the areas of civics, history, geography, and economics so that the State can report on how we are indeed preparing highly qualified teachers in these discrete social sciences. We convened a session at the Fall Congress to discuss this process at length.  A sub-committee was created and their task was to create a survey that would allow each institution to report how they fulfill their social studies requirements for licensure through majors and concentrations.  This survey will be shared with BOT officials in order to assist them in accurately collecting the information they need to complete the federal report.

PEPER – All of Minnesota Teacher Education Programs are directly involved in the process of showcasing the SEPBT standards as they are embedded across the licensure and subject matter courses.  This process has been arduous and time-consuming.  MACTE would like to work closely with the BOT to refine this process.  The MACTE Executive Committee met with Karen Balmer on December 14 to discuss the process.

5-8 Specialty Licensure – MACTE institutions are vigilantly awaiting the outcome of the 5-8 Specialty discussions.  A survey was sent to all Chief Institutional Representatives to determine if they are in favor of decoupling the 5-8 specialties and the early childhood specialty areas from the K-6 license.   We are aware that if this happens, the 5-8 standards will be rewritten to be more like the requirements for 5-12 content areas (that is, more content standards to make the 5-8 comparable whether with a K-6 or 7-12).
We will report on our findings in January in our next MACTE minute.

Reading Licensure – MACTE have been following the debate around the cut score for the reading license.  We are in agreement that the score was set too high based on the myriad of reasons as outlined by or colleagues who are reading educators and practitioners.  We appreciate that the BOT is reconsidering this cut score.

MACTE prides itself in being an organization that is aware, active, and advocates for the Teacher Education Programs across the state.  In order to do this, we must vet the issues that are of critical importance to our members as we strategically, collectively, and intentionally voice our support or concerns with the BOT’s initiatives.

Every child in every classroom needs and deserves the best teacher possible.  MACTE reaffirms its commitment to the preparation of highly effective teachers by ensuring rigorous, standards based education programs.  Quality teachers demonstrate competency in their content field and deliver that content through appropriate pedagogy.  Standards are the means by which Minnesota measures this competence.

Minnesota colleges and universities align their teacher licensure programs with the high standards set by the Board of Teaching.  The standards are comprehensive in scope and detail what a teacher should know and be able to do.  MACTE believes that standards based teacher preparation programs meet and exceed program quality found in fast-track or exam based programs.  

The PRAXIS exams are only one measure of teacher ability. The exams are not a complete measure of teacher readiness and competence.  MACTE believes a periodic review of the PRAXIS exams is necessary to assure alignment with the Minnesota teacher preparation standards.  MACTE also affirms its position that cut scores do not measure competence.  A passing score on a PRAXIS science exam is not as strong a measure as the repeated demonstration of knowledge and skills through standards-based content courses, methods courses, and required field experiences.

MACTE is concerned that PRAXIS exams are being viewed by some as a measure of quality. In fact, as ETS has stated clearly, the exam can only provide a baseline of knowledge. It is not a benchmark of quality.  

It is through the continued review of standards, alignment of those standards with programs, and multiple measures of competence that quality teachers are identified.  

Quality does count and with strong standards based programs we can assure that our classroom teachers are quality teachers.