nation

This is just another way for the teachers unions to limit access to labor and keep salaries high for their members. It does nothing to address assessing the ongoing quality of teaching and as we can see from the legal profession a bar exam does not insure quality or ethical behavior and it is extremely ironic that after years of opposing standardized testing the unions' solution to teacher quality is a test.

Ok. I'll do it, and I've been teaching for 15 years; however, if alternatively licensed folks (Teach for America and others) don't have to take this exam, then I don't.

Pawlenty's Alternative Licensure and Qcomp programs solved all of Minnesota's problems. Therefore we should be exempt from this.

FIRST ON THE TO DO LIST would be to give the exam to CURRENT teachers in the minneapolis school district and fire those that fail. Did I mention this district has a 43% graduation rate?

This has nothing to do with higher standards for teachers. It's about making it harder for Teach for America and people who are already working in field from becoming teachers. The union is just circling the wagons.

dflleft: ------------------- Should teachers at Southwest be tested? They are the #1 rated high school in the state. How about Edina? Orono? Wayzata? Private schools?

Oh here we go, let the bashing begin! Anything teacher's union related is a damned if you do, damned if you don't thing. People piss and moan about holding teachers accountable, yet when having to pass a test in order to obtain a license is brought up (FYI, this is already the case here in MN) people like athe0007 so eloquently state this is simply another way to limit access to labor and keep salaries high...are you serious! Where in MN are teacher salaries considered high? (bring on the full time pay for part time hours nonsense... anyone claiming this to be the case is simply showing their naivety towards the education profession) Further, voters are limiting access to labor by continually voting down necessary operating levies, and the state's lawmakers have limited access to labor by "shifting" monies dedicated to education to balance a budget. Both of these circumstances result in school districts being forced to cut teacher positions, thus limiting access to labor.

The low graduation rate in Minneapolis Public schools (and many others) is due largely to parents who have never stressed the value of education on their children from an early age.

I'm currently studying to be a teacher in Special Education, So far I have taken 5 required state tests and I will need to pass an additional 2 more content area tests to meet state licensing requirements. On top of that I will be student teaching full time 40 plus hours per week for 12 weeks, no pay check! On top of that their are at least 7 mandatory workshops and seminars on weekends and evenings. This is all after 4 full years of college course work. After all this I hope to get a job where there is no security for three years, many teachers are let go before the 3rd year and it is not always because of their performance, it is because of budget cuts. The pay does not compare to a lawyer.

Perhaps Associated Press writers should have to be certified as well: ...to be complimented by stricter entrance requirements....complemented?