FAIRBANKS -- The state Board of Education is considering requiring teachers to take tests and submit videotapes before receiving a professional license in Alaska.

Agency officials say the plan in a way mirrors the state's requirement that students meet standards. Critics say the state is rushing into something and should take more time to develop the idea.

Bill Bjork, president of the state teachers' union NEA-Alaska, said the group doesn't object to the concept of performance-based licensing and even sees advantages to the idea. But the problem with the state's current plan is it ignores the research and experience of other states with similar systems.

"All those other states took three to five years to build a legally defensible position," Bjork said. "What we fear is that this headlong charge to do a wholesale change of the licensure system in Alaska is proceeding too quickly."

The proposal is a continuation of the state's move toward a standards-based education system, said Harry Gamble, spokesman for the state Department of Education and Early Development.

"We are requiring students to learn standards in reading, writing and math," he said. "It's important for the teachers to also meet ... standards and to be competent professionals."

The state receives about 500 applications per year from new teachers.

The board plans to vote on the regulations at its meeting in June.

Standards for teachers have been in place since 1994 but state officials have not used them for licensing.

Education Commissioner Roger Sampson said the new regulations would help ensure that teachers not only know their subject matter but also can deliver it to students.

He said the regulations also would help ensure that most teachers in the state meet the "highly qualified" requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and will boost public confidence in teachers and the teaching profession as a whole.

Under the state's proposal, most educators would fall under one of three tiers of licenses.

The first tier would be for teachers new to teaching in the state and would be good for three years.

In addition to existing requirements for regular certification, in order to move up to the second tier, a teacher would have to pass a content test and submit to the state two 45-minute videos. Those tapes would be scored and teachers would need to meet a minimum score.

Once teachers reach the second tier, they could stay there for their careers. All teachers who currently hold regular "Type A" teaching certificates will automatically be placed within Tier II and will not be required to take the content or video assessments.