Representatives from seven institutions met in St. Paul February 25^th for the annual Day on the Hill. With no new money on the table, legislators are looking at other means to reform education. Teacher preparation is one of those areas. As with last year, reading preparation is a concern. The bill calling for an assessment of reading for all candidates in elementary and early childhood education is a major improvement over last year's bill, but it is still problematic. Governor Pawlenty's proposal for education contains requirements for the Praxis I test to be passed as a condition of admission to teacher preparation programs along with higher cut scores for Praxis II exams. The governor would also like to see more funding for a program like U Teach in which talented students in science and math are recruited for teaching. Every year there is an alternative route to licensure proposed. This year the governor has the SMART program allowing candidates in specific fields to work toward a license in an alternative route. Another alternative is being proposed for candidates with just 8 weeks of instruction. In addition to the Day on the Hill, MACTE's Legislative Committee has been active in speaking about these proposals. We continue to need you to speak with your local representative and senator as these come to your attention. Constituents have important voices.