For many years, I did testing in Anchorage. One of the tests was the PRAXIS, a test teachers must pass to be certified to teach. Many of the testers made us shake our heads and wonder what exactly the education department at the University of Alaska Anchorage was doing. I reached the conclusion that it was a mill that churned our “teachers;” people who wanted a degree and a profession, weren’t really able to cut it, but were pushed through anyway.
I remember one person who had failed the written portion of the test so many times, they had to go through a waiting period in order to take it again, and again failed. At one point, while very angry over having to take the test, they said they wanted to be a coach and didn’t need to know how to write for that. It was sad. A majority of these people had completed the UAA program and could not pass the PRAXIS.
Interestingly, people who came up from Outside who also had to take the test generally passed. It was also embarrassing knowing these people would be “educating” our youth when they were unqualified to do so. The fact that effectiveness in our schools is low should not be a surprise. Now everyone knows why.
I wonder if the Board of Regents are qualified to run a university and/or know what they’re doing? This can be fixed, but it will take a thorough overhaul of the UAA education department. My praise goes out to the good teachers who have a really tough job picking up the slack.
— Laurie Melander
Anchorage
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