By KELLY HANNON
Virginia's English teachers will no longer have to demonstrate mastery of geometry to earn a teaching license.
Social-studies and foreign-language teachers get a pass, too.
So does anyone who doesn't teach math.
Last week, the Virginia Board of Education voted to phase out the Praxis I exam, a standardized test administered by Educational Testing Services, as a licensure requirement.
Praxis I is a basic reading and math skills test that has been a hurdle for some teachers--especially the math portion.
Starting Jan. 1, the state will require teachers to take a new test for licensure. It will eliminate the math material of the Praxis I. Instead, it will require teachers to analyze readings, write an essay, interpret tables and graphs, and demonstrate knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, all "on a college level," said Charles Pyle, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education.
Teachers must continue to pass Praxis II to earn a license. That test quizzes educators on their teaching subject area, so math and science teachers must continue to prove they have advanced knowledge in their subjects.
"The board feels very sincerely it is raising the bar and improving the assessment process for beginning teachers, while at the same time providing some relief to individuals who have solid content knowledge and high literacy skills and communication skills, but for one reason or another the Praxis I, particularly the math portion, has been a stumbling block," Pyle said.
Before voting, the Board of Education reviewed research that showed the two best indicators of teacher success and quality are content knowledge and communication skills, Pyle said.
Students seeking entry into a teacher education program, including the program at the University of Mary Washington, will still be required to take Praxis I.
A university's student passing rate on these tests is made public, Pyle said, and is considered by the Board of Education when it reviews teacher education programs.
If future teachers pass Praxis I at that point, they will not need to take the state's new exam for licensure.
The new test is only for people who have completed a teacher preparation program but have been unable to pass Praxis I.
Today, students who finish teacher preparation--coursework and student teaching--can be hired by school districts with the stipulation that they pass Praxis I and Praxis II within three years. Teachers in this situation are given nonrenewable provisional licenses.
This is the group that's expected to benefit from the new test. A handful of teachers have been in danger of losing their jobs after failing to pass Praxis I within the three-year window.
Only a small number of teachers fall into this situation, said Laura Ann Cline, human-resources specialist for Stafford County schools.
She doesn't expect the new test to radically change Stafford's ability to hire or keep teachers.
Still, for people unable to pass Praxis I, "It will be a great help," Cline said.
Last fall, most of Spotsylvania County's new teachers had already passed Praxis I. Only 48 of the county's 270 fall hires had yet to pass the test.
Staff reporter Bill Freehling contributed to this story.
To reach KELLY HANNON: