Teachers' Pets

Teachers no longer need to know how to teach:

State Senate Bill 1263, introduced by Sen. Josh Newman in February, would eliminate the California Teaching Performance Assessment, which requires teachers to demonstrate their competence via video clips of classroom instruction, as well as written reflections on their classroom experience. At a April 17 hearing, Mr. Newman argued that removing the assessment would encourage more Californians to become teachers. “Despite its well-intentioned purpose, the demands associated with preparing for the [performance assessment] have actually had the perverse impact of reducing the overall quality of teacher preparation by undermining the capacity of teacher candidates to focus on what’s most important, which is their clinical practice,” he said. Mr. Newman also said the performance assessments duplicate other teaching credential requirements such as proving subject-matter competency and completing more than 600 hours of clinical experience. The bill is also co-sponsored by the California Teachers’ Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, which represents 310,000 educators across the state.

They don't need no education...